ZooTampa's Dr. Cynthia Stringfield is chatting up Sdudla, a happy African elephant with a very important job.
"He's making babies here at the zoo," said the senior VP. "And the other part of his job, besides making babies and having a great life, is to have people think about elephants in the wild."
Dr. Stringfield is passionate about protecting elephants in the wild, so much so that she recently traveled to Namibia to work with Elephant-Human Relations Aid (EHRA).
Her journey was all part of ZooTampa's global conservation effort, sending talented staffers around the world not just to help in the fight for animals but to bring back knowledge to colleagues and guests.
"Culturally, it was very interesting to see how humans and elephants can co-exist and live together," she said.
Caitlin Olson, a senior animal care professional at ZooTampa, traveled to the beaches of South Africa to work with SANCCOB, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.
Her mission? Rehabbing and releasing dozens of African penguins back into the wild.
She said the experience was life-changing — for the birds and for her.
"The most amazing moment...was being able to watch them integrate with the penguins who do live on those beaches," said Olson.
She hopes all zoos and aquariums urge their staffers to make similar journeys.
After all, the world — and ZooTampa — are all the better for it.
