Animal Care Technician
Resume:
MORGAN KATHRYN GARDNER
**** ********* **** *** ***, Lisle, IL 60532
**************@*****.***
Relevant Work History
Animal Care Technician I
Charles River Laboratories, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL July 2017 to Present
Work with house mice, Siberian hamsters, Brown rats, and Zebra finches, which are used in the advancement of medical and behavioral research
Work with mice in biosafety cabinets and take proper precautions to avoid airborne contagions
Perform daily healthy checks on all animals to identify heath issues, new litters, overcrowding, and the need for cage changes or food and water replenishment
Train new employees on Standard Operating Procedures
Identify health and medical issues and fill out an Animal Health Observation form
Identify new litters and identify age of pups based on physical attributes
Identify overcrowding cages due to presence and age of pups, number of litters, and number of adults
Separation of overcrowding cages into new cages based on age and sex
Identify flooded cages, provide mice with a clean cage, enrichment, and place on a slide warmer as needed
Hand restrain mice, hamsters, and rats for sexing and separation, and cage cleaning
Set up cages and prepare animals for transports to other buildings on campus
House new animal shipments and provide, food, water, and enrichment
Humanely euthanize mice with carbon dioxide and perform secondary euthanasia by cervical separation
Provide food and water as needed and daily enrichment
Restock supplies research procedure and cage rooms as needed
Clean biosafety cabinets, cages, cage rooms, and procedures rooms as scheduled
Keeper Aide Antelope/31st Street Team
Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL; AZA accredited September 2016 to June 2017
Work with Bactrian camels, Przewalski horses, Okapi, Common waterbuck, Gerenuk, Aardvarks, Kirk’s dik-dik, Grevy’s zebras, Addax, Common warthogs, and Klipspringers
Work free contact with all animals except Bactrian Camels and Common warthogs
Assist with neonatal and daily care for mother-reared Grevy’s zebra foal
Hand restrain large hoofstock for medical procedures
Hand restrain small hoofstock, including red-flanked duikers and klipspringers for medical and hoof trimming procedures
Experience hoof trimming large and small hoofstock
Secondary trainer for operant conditioning with Bactrian camel for the maintenance of behaviors
Answer guest questions and discuss natural history of camels during scheduled camel keeper chats
Set up scale and weigh animals according to a set schedule
Assist with transfer of animals between buildings and for zoo transfers
Observe, monitor, and report animal medical, behavior, diet, and digestive issue
Assist with veterinary procedures and immobilizations
Performs general exhibit and holding maintenance as required, often with the use of equipment
Perform extra daily and weekly tasks as scheduled
Participate and actively bring new ideas to workgroup meetings
Shift all animals on and off exhibit
Administer and record medications
Organize and clean keeper areas as needed
Perform maintenance duties and exhibit repairs as needed
Keep daily records in ZIMS360
Prepare and record behavioral enrichment to promote natural behaviors for animals daily
Prepare animal diets and extra food items daily according to diet sheet and restrictions
Collect fecal samples for lab testing
Clean and maintain inside and outside habitats
Seasonal Ungulate Keeper II
Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL; AZA accredited April 2015 to September 2016
Work with Okapi, Red river hogs, White and Saddlebill storks, Reticulated giraffe, Royal antelope, Common waterbuck, Gerenuk, Aardvarks, Red hornbills, Kirk’s dik-dik, Grevy’s zebras, Addax, Common warthogs, Klipspringers, Giant elephant shrews, and Blue, Red-flanked, and Yellow-backed duikers
Work free contact with all animals except Red river hogs, Saddlebill storks, Common warthogs and Reticulated giraffes
Primary trainer with operant conditioning for Kirk’s dik-dik
Train Reticulated giraffe with operant conditioning to maintain behaviors for medical procedures and enrichment
Train aardvark free contact with operant conditioning to maintain behaviors for enrichment
Assist with daily handling and care for mother-reared Okapi, Red-flanked duiker, Grevy’s zebra, Yellow-backed duiker calves, and Red river hoglets
Answer guest questions and discuss natural history of aardvarks and okapi during scheduled aardvark and okapi keeper chats
Set up scale and weigh animals according to a set schedule
Attended portions of Giraffid Conference held at Brookfield Zoo in 2016
Shift all animals on and off exhibit
Administer and record medications
Assist with veterinary procedures
Organize and clean keeper areas as needed
Keep daily records in ZIMS
Prepare and record enrichment for animals daily
Prepare animal diets daily
Collect fecal samples for lab testing daily
Clean and maintain inside and outside habitats
Primate Intern
Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA; AZA accredited February 2015 to March 2015
Worked with Western lowland gorillas, orangutans, siamangs, Eastern Black and White colobus, Ring-tailed lemurs, Howler monkeys, and Golden lion tamarins
Prepared enrichment and diets daily
Cleaned and maintained inside and outside habitats
African Savannah Intern
Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA; AZA accredited December 2014 to February 2015
Worked with Southern White rhinos, Rothschild and Reticulated giraffes, Red River hogs, Grant’s zebra, an ostrich, Common eland, Thompson’s Gazelle, African wild dogs, Blue wildebeest, Maned wolves, and a Giant anteater
Worked free contact with Plains Zebra
In charge of general husbandry of Red river hogs, Plains zebra, and ostrich
Prepared enrichment and diets daily
Kept daily records
Answered guest questions and discuss natural history of giraffes during scheduled giraffe feeding
Cleaned and maintained inside and outside habitats
Asian Domain Intern
Audubon Zoo, New Orleans, LA; AZA accredited August 2014 to November 2014
Worked with Malayan sun bears, Amur leopards, Bengal tiger, Asian small-clawed otters, babirusa, fox hybrid, Indian Crested porcupines, and Burmese Mountain tortoises
Provided enrichment daily for all animals
Worked free contact with babirusa and Asian small-clawed otters
Trained Asian Small-Clawed Otters free contact to maintain behaviors for enrichment and health examinations
Helped construct exhibit for Burmese Mountain tortoises
Cleaned and maintained inside and outside habitats
Species Survival Center Intern
Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, New Orleans, LA May 2014 to August 2014
Worked with an African lion, servals, caracals, Clouded leopard, African wild cats, Common eland, bongo, domestic cats, and Milky, Abdim, and Saddlebill storks
Prepared enrichment and diets daily
Restrained and handled domestic cats for medical procedures
Cleaned and maintained habitats
Carnivore Intern
Wildlife Safari, Winston, OR; AZA accredited May 2013 to August 2013
Worked with African lions, Grizzly bears, American black bears, Kodiak bears, Amur tigers, and cheetahs
Trained lions and bears to maintain behaviors for enrichment, health examinations and guest encounters
Worked free contact with ambassador cheetahs
Provided enrichment and diets daily
Cleaned and maintained inside and outside habitats
Animal Care and Behavior Intern May 2012 to August 2012
Cosley Zoo, Wheaton, IL; AZA accredited
Worked with White-tailed deer, peafowl, a Sandhill crane, Guinea hogs, raccoons, Red foxes, coyote, African Pygmy Hedgehog, Black Angus cow, Dutch rabbit, Himalayan Rabbit, llama, minature donkey, Montadale sheep, Norwegian Fjord Horse, Nubian goat, Shetland Pony, American kestrel, American robin, Blue jay, chicken, Eastern screech owl, Great horned owl, Hahn’s macaw, Hairy woodpecker, House finch, Milky stork, Northern cardinal, Northern flicker, Peafowl, Red hornbills, Red-tailed hawk, Sandhill crane, Turkey Vulture, Blanding’s turtle, Eastern Blue-tongued skink Eastern, milk snake, Fox snake, Midland Painted turtle, Three-toed box turtle, Grey Tree frog, and Poison Dart frog
Used operant conditioning to establish the behaviors “station” and “target” for a Nubian goat to provide enrichment and stimulation
Used ethogram to track and analyze Sandhill crane exhibit use
Prepared enrichment and diets daily
Cleaned and maintained inside and outside habitats
Leadership Activities
Creator and owner of part-time overnight dog sitting business April 2015 to Present
Coach of adult co-rec softball team April 2016 to October 2016
Event organizer of a social outing group on the social website “Meetup” December 2015 to May 2017
Education
Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, Graduated May 2014
Studied animal behavior, physiology, and diversity in upper level biology courses
Designed, conducted, and analyzed results of an experiment for Eastern Fox Squirrel’s reaction to varying alarm calls
Helped design and collect data for various animal behavior projects
Performed minor surgeries and dissections of rats and frogs
Creative Writing Club Founder and President
Eastern Illinois University January 2012 to May 2014
Organized and ran weekly Executive Board meetings to discuss important topics
Created and organized activities for weekly meetings
Organized guest speaker events and provide event promotion throughout campus
Fielded suggestions and changed programs accordingly
Collaborated with faculty advisor weekly
Oversaw work and projects done by Executive Board members
Additional Skills
Comfortable speaking to the guests’ informal presentations and encounters
Capture and restraint
ZIMS360
Beginner’s carpentry experience and knowledge
Microsoft Office Suite
Lift and move 80 lbs.
Beginner’s Spanish
Species List
Mammals
Aardvark
Addax
African lion
African Painted dog
African Pygmy hog
African Wild cat
American black bear
Amur leopard
Amur tiger
Asian small-clawed otter
Bactrian camel
Babirusa
Bengal tiger
Black Angus cow
Blue duiker
Blue wildebeest
Bongo
Brown rat
Caracal
Cheetah
Clouded leopard
Common eland
Common gerenuk
Common warthog
Common waterbuck
Coyote
Domestic house cat
Dutch rabbit
Eastern Black colobus
Giant anteater
Giant Elephant shrew
Golden lion tamarin
Grant’s zebra
Grevy’s zebra
Grizzly bear
Guinea hog
House mice
Howler monkey
Himalayan rabbit
Indian Crested porcupine
Kirk’s dik-dik
Klipspringer
Kodiak bear
Llama
Maned wolves
Malayan sun bear
Miniature donkey
Montadale sheep
Norwegian Fjord Horse
Nubian goat
Okapi
Orangutan
Ostrich
Przewalski horse
Raccoon
Red duiker
Red fox
Red fox/Artic fox hybrid
Red River hogs
Reticulated giraffe
Ring-tailed lemur
Rosthchild giraffe
Royal antelope
Serval
Siberian hamster
Shetland pony
Siamang
Southern White rhino
Thompson’s gazelle
Western Lowland gorilla
White colobus
White-tailed deer
Yellow-backed duiker
Birds
Abdim stork
American kestrel
American robin
Blue jay
Chicken
Eastern screech owl
Great horned owl
Hahn’s macaw
Hairy woodpecker
House finch
Milky stork
Northern cardinal
Northern flicker
Peafowl
Red hornbills
Red-tailed hawk
Saddlebill stork
Sandhill crane
Turkey Vulture
White stork
Zebra Finch
Reptiles
Burmese Mountain tortoises
Blanding’s turtle
Eastern Blue-tongued skink
Eastern milk snake
Fox snake
Midland Painted turtle
Three-toed box turtle
Amphibians
Grey Tree frog
Poison Dart frog
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