The Grit City Podcast - Episodes Tagged with “Zoo”

Suzanne Akerman Returns!

GCP Media — Mon, 09 Nov 2020 04:00:00 -0800

Friend of the show, Suzanne Akerman, returns to give an update on the haps at Point Defiance Zoo. Suzanne spends her days sharing her passion for animals with visitors at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium where she works as a staff biologist for the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. When she is not performing in shows or scooping poop, Suzanne is chair of Drinking for Conservation, a committee dedicated to conserving wildlife through fun social gatherings. Her hobbies include reading, solving crossword puzzles, trivia, dancing, and occasional modeling. Suzanne holds a B.A in English and an M.A. in Education from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma and an M.A. in Biology from Miami University. She’s joined the GCP cast also on episodes 110, 80, 76, and 16!

01:44 – Brogan gives the team a review of how his day has been so far, they share type of alcohol they’re enjoying, and Brogan gives an update on when Cosmic Bottles is opening. Suzanne share’s how she’s feeling, things she’s been doing at the Point Defiance Zoo, and how the zoo has been shifting during Covid. She shares cool tarantula facts, the wide range of critters she gets to work with, and the new avenues the zoo has opened up during this crazy time.

21:12 – Jeff throws his otter question to Suzanne, he reminds listeners that otters do have a great PR team but they are monsters, and Suzanne talks about plans to send Jeff a special shout out from the Sea Otters. She talks about the upcoming event with Drinking for Conservation, they talk about the various Zoom meetings they’re all attending, and Suzanne explains what the Grit City Carnivore Project is.

39:11 – Brogan shares that his dog howls when he plays the harmonica, Suzanne expands on what that phenomenon is, and Justin encourages Brogan to share that on TikTok. Brogan gives props to the GIFs on Discord, Justin poses the question on if the zoo has a hippo, and Suzanne shares that the zoo in Seattle has one. Brogan suggests that they host a live Drinking for Conservation when Cosmic Bottles opens, Justin talks about Pierce County Restaurant Rally, and Scott asks Suzanne what animals she loves to see and work with at the zoo.

58:48 – Suzanne agrees to go out with GCP on their Big Foot Hunt, Justin shares his excitement on who their upcoming guest is going to be, and they share their favorite Clownvis songs. Scott talks about their new shirts that are available to their Patreon listeners, gives a shout out to their latest Patriot, and Suzanne talks about the methods used to train a tortoise to do tricks. Suzanne lets the group know how kids that are interested in being a zookeeper can start getting involved in it now, how adorable tiny pigmy rabbits are, and Justin encourages listeners to join their Patreon team!

Thanks Suzanne for catching up and letting us know what’s been going on at Point Defiance Zoo!

Special Guest: Suzanne Akerman.

Support The Grit City Podcast

Links:

Cougar Mountain Zoo
Prom for Penguins!!! — Free for people to drop in and share some ways to raise money for penguins!
Grit City Carnivore Project — Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is partnering with the Schell Lab at the University of Washington, Tacoma and Northwest Trek on a community science project – reporting sightings of carnivores like coyotes and raccoons in the greater Tacoma area.
Pierce County Restaurant Rally
Pygmy Rabbit - Conservation Northwest — Washington’s pygmy rabbits are small, few and far between. We’re working to conserve and improve their habitat.

Talking Penguins - and Other Animals - with Biologist Suzanne Akerman.

GCP Media — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 08:00:00 -0700

One of GCP’s faves, Suzanne rejoins the guys to talk about all things Point Defiance. Suzanne spends her days sharing her passion for animals with visitors at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium where she works as a staff biologist for the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. When she is not performing in shows or scooping poop, Suzanne is chair of Drinking for Conservation, a committee dedicated to conserving wildlife through fun social gatherings. Her hobbies include reading, solving crossword puzzles, trivia, dancing, and occasional modeling. Suzanne holds a B.A in English and an M.A. in Education from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma and an M.A. in Biology from Miami University.

01:23 – Suzanne explains what Point Defiance AAZK is, the types of volunteer opportunities at AAZK, and Justin and Scott comment on going to the Red Wolves Drinking For Conservation event. Justin thanks GCP listeners, shares where people can find them online, and GCP’s plan to bring back Boot To Boot. Suzanne talks about the upcoming event March for Penguins, Scott gives props to the Red Wolf breeding facility in Washington, and Justin asks Suzanne about the pregnant muskox at the zoo.

15:40 – Suzanne talks about the planning that goes on around breeding at the zoo, the zoo’s upcoming St. Patrick’s Day themed events, and Justin gives a shout out to GCP’s photographer Mandy. Scott gives a shout out to Wing Man, they talk on their go to Karaoke songs, and Justin shares when he fell offstage while doing Karaoke. Suzanne tells the guys about the new zoo show that’s starting on Mothers Day, Scott recommends reading the Willow books, and Justin talks on the GCP movie review episodes.

30:15 – Suzanne shares how people can volunteer at Point Defiance, talks on the benefits for the youth that sign up for the Youth volunteer program, and the benefits they have discovered with the youth program. Suzanne talks about Point Defiance’s tarantula Caroline, Justin shares the story of when his mom had a tarantula, and kicks off Coaster Questions. Suzanne answers what her scariest moment with an animal has been, and the intimidation behind dumping a bucket of gran to the animals at Northwest Trek early in her career.

48:35 – Suzanne talks about her favorite animal, what training a tortoise entails, and Justin and Scott give their called shots. Justin gives a shout out to Alexis at Sublime Therapeutic Massage, Scott gives props to the Hoover Ville bar in Seattle, and Suzanne recommends Edgeworks Climbing Gym in Tacoma. She gives props to the Grand Cinema, talks on her appreciation for Grand Cinema’s dedication to sustainability, and when the March for Penguins is happening.

Thanks Suzanne for another great conversation on the haps at Point Defiance Zoo!

Special Guest: Suzanne Akerman.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's Suzanne Akerman

GCP Media — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 04:00:00 -0700

Local biologist, Suzanne Akerman, joins the podcast for another great conversation. Suzanne spends her days sharing her passion for animals with visitors at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium for the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. When she is not performing in shows or scooping poop, Suzanne is chair of Drinking for Conservation, a committee dedicated to conserving wildlife through fun social gatherings. Her hobbies include reading, solving crossword puzzles, trivia, dancing, and occasional modeling. Suzanne holds a B.A in English and an M.A. in Education from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and a M.A. in Biology from Miami University. She first talked with GCP last year, on episode 16.

2:10 – Justin shares where listeners can find them online, Scott shares the octopus story out of Australia, and they discuss the importance of people not messing with wild animals. Suzanne shares how people can participate in beach walks with the Point Defiance Zoo, what a naturalist means in terms of those working at the zoo, and gave updates on the new stuff happening there. She discusses the eight new red wolf puppies at the zoo, the endangered Malayan tapir born, and how long she has been working at the zoo.

15:11 – Suzanne talks about the giant punch rats in Tanzania trained to sniff out landmines, Justin’s cat raides the feathers she brought from the zoo, and she talks about the Drinking for Conservation events for endangered species. She shares what events they have coming up, they talk about preserving salmon, and Suzanne shares where people can find out more information on their events online. Justin talks about other ways the zoo gives back to the community, Suzanne talks about the sloth cookies she brought, and they dive into coaster questions.

30:09 – Suzanne gives her thoughts on if there was a battle between a monkey and a shark who would win, the difference between a monkey and an ape, and weird conversations she has at the zoo with her fellow zoologists. She talks about how she would eat a platypus, different cultures that eat the head of animals, and what animal she would choose to help her survive in a zombie apocalypse.

43:24 – Suzanne shares the difference between ravens and crows, where people around the PNW can see ravens, and Justin talks about his crow friends. He talks about the different presents the crows have brought him and Michelle, Suzanne talks about University of Washington studies on crow intelligence, and where people can find her at the zoo. She talks about her favorite animals to work with at the zoo, how dangerous sloth nails are, and how people can get zoo memberships.

Thanks Suzanne for the interesting conversation and info on the new things going on at the zoo!

Special Guest: Suzanne Akerman.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Biologist Suzanne Akerman

GCP Media — Mon, 21 May 2018 07:45:00 -0700

One this episode they guys are joined with Suzanne Akerman. Suzanne spends her days sharing her passion for animals with visitors at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium where she works as a staff biologist for the Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater. When she is not performing in shows or scooping poop, Suzanne is chair of Drinking for Conservation, a committee dedicated to conserving wildlife through fun social gatherings. Her hobbies include reading, solving crossword puzzles, trivia, dancing, and occasional modeling. Suzanne holds a B.A in English and an M.A. in Education from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and will earn her M.A. in Biology from Miami University in December of 2018.

The show kicks off with conversation on how Suzanne and Justin met through karaoke in an apartment complex where they section off studio rooms to use for private karaoke rooms. Susanne then dives into her career as a Staff Biologist at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and how she got started with them as a volunteer in 2002. She talks about doing stage shows at the zoo and what made her decide to study zoology.

15:49 – Suzanne talks about exotic animal trade, the zoo recommending that people don’t buy exotic animals, and how breeders of cats and dogs at times make people write essays before they allow them to buy their new pet. She verifies that ligers are real animals and the genetic problems that come up with breeding them. She mentions that good organizations and zoos don’t promote ligers because they want to focus their efforts on breeding animals that need to be reproduced.

26:35 – Suzanne covers the American Association of Zoo Keepers and the Point Defiance AAZK chapter that holds monthly Drinking for Conservation events. She explains that all of the funds raised at each event are donated to the organization that supports the endangered species they are highlighting that month. She explains where people that would like to attend can find them on Facebook. Talk then turns to otters and how their cute, cuddly, playful, act is just a just a front.

44:24 – Suzanne tells the guys about Northwest Trek, her internship there and her 7 hour interview that got her the internship on the spot. She covers Point Defiance building their new aquarium that will open at the end of the summer and people being able to attend the zoo during their renovation. They also cover the opening of Wild Wonders at the zoo, opened May 12th runs all summer long.

The show comes to an end with discussion over Sasquatch and invasive species in Florida including snakes, monkeys, and gutter gators. Thanks Suzanne for joining the guys for an insightful look at what it’s like to be a staff biologist!!

Special Guest: Suzanne Akerman.