I Grew Up Living In Zoos And People Always Have A Lot Of Questions, So Here's My Story

Hey everyone! My name is Hannah, and I recently wrote an article where I happened to briefly mention growing up living in two zoos. Since that's a pretty wild (pun intended) fact to spring on people, I added that I'd happily write about my experience if there was enough interest. Well, through the comment section AND my personal social media, many of you said you'd like to hear more. So, let's do this!

It's me; I'm the zoo kid. Family friends used to jokingly call me Bindi after Bindi Irwin, the daughter of the late, great Steve Irwin (who is dearly missed). Irwin family, if you see this, I love you guys! I'm your much less cool American counterpart!

OK, back to the zoos. I'm sure the question on everybody's mind is: WHY? Well, here's a little bit of context. Both of my parents are science people. In college, my dad studied naturalist biology, and my mom studied animal science and pre-vet medicine. They met at Sante Fe College Teaching Zoo in Florida after their undergrad, where they both geared up for careers working with animals. They got married and worked in facilities across the country caring for animals.

Eventually, they settled in a small town in upstate New York — Watertown — because my dad landed his first directorship of a zoo. Zoo New York (formerly the New York State Living Museum at Thompson Park), became my first home. There's an old house (sooo haunted, maybe should I write an article on that sometime?) right in the center of the zoo, and, you guessed it, that's where we lived! My dad always likes to say that I was "born in a zoo." Well, reader, I was actually born in a human hospital like many other human babies. But my earliest childhood memories all come from that very zoo. Let's reminisce for a minute.

Some more angles of the house. ❤️ While it used to be more common for directors to live on or near the property of their facilities, it's much less typical today. There are still some cases where directors live at their zoos, but it's pretty rare it happened for us twice.

Sadly, we left New York when I was 5, so my memories are limited. I've relived a lot of that "era" of my childhood through home movies and photo albums. But there are still many distinct and unforgettable tidbits that I'd like to share with you.

Our house was situated right in the middle of the action. Our next-door neighbors were lynxes, elk, and a butterfly house. Wolves, mountain lions, and bears (oh, my!) were just around the corner. I could hear the lynxes yowling at night through my bedroom window. It is truly a unique and unforgettable sound! People often mistook our house for an exhibit and would walk right in. I actually made friends that way. A mom and her toddler once wandered into our house on accident, and then I ended up befriending the girl and playing with her every time they came to the zoo. Anyway, yeah, our house was right in the thick of it and became the ~place to be~ for all of my childhood playdates.

Here's the butterfly house that was just left of our house, and some other zoo buildings.

Since we lived onsite, my dad could come home for lunch most days and spend time with me. My mom and I could accompany him on walks around the facility and go behind the scenes to see new animals. Then, when the park would close at night, we had free rein to walk the path and enjoy the zoo all to ourselves. During the summer months (when Watertown was actually warm!), I'd get an ice cream cone or a popsicle and stroll around with my parents, or any family or friends we had visiting.

We couldn't go in with the animals (obviously), but I loved being able to get up close and see things without anyone else in the way. There are a few animals that stick out in my mind because they were such a big deal to me as a kid. First, I was obsessed with the zoo's great-horned owl, Big Bird. He was an animal that was featured in a lot of educational programs at the zoo, and I quickly became a big fan. He even made an appearance at my third birthday.

There was also a farm area in the zoo that I particularly enjoyed! Even though the llama would threaten to spit at me and many of the animals made loud noises that I didn't like, I always wanted to go back to the farm to say hi. I used to be particularly adamant as a child that my favorite animal was a goat. They still rank in my top 5 today!

More shots of the farm area. I remember we had a going-away party one evening in the park before moving, and some family friends walked me around the zoo one last time and pulled me in a wagon through the farm.

Well, that gives you a taste of zoo #1 in my life! And though I was little, I still think it's pretty cool to say that my earliest memories all involve learning about and falling in love with an array of beautiful animals. I was sad to leave, but little did I know that I would be doing it all again — this time in Georgia.

Next stop, Chehaw Park and Zoo in Albany, Georgia! This time, our house wasn't right in the center of the zoo. It was on its own dirt road in the park — sort of behind the main area of the zoo. But the house was surrounded by woods, which means it was still very surrounded by animals. We'd wake up to deer on and around our deck, or get "rattlesnake warnings" from zoo staff, so my mom would be extra cautious when stepping outside with me or our dog.

There was also no shortage of armadillos in the area, which I grew very fond of! Though Albany was quite different from Watertown and the new setting took some getting used to as a little kid (the heat, the poisonous snakes, the tornado that almost whacked our trailer on Christmas Eve one year, etc.), there was no denying the gorgeous scenery. Dense forestation, Spanish moss, Lake Chehaw — it was all new and exciting.

I don't have access to as many photos from Chehaw, so I will try to paint you a picture with my words! Chehaw had a lot of diverse animals that I'd never seen before — cheetahs, ostriches, zebras, and alligators, to name a few. Peacocks roamed freely around the park, and as they molted, we'd find their gorgeous fallen feathers scattered about the trail. The alligator exhibit was a huge accomplishment during my dad's time as director. It featured Chehaw Charlie, a 13-foot gator that stole the hearts of the community. During my two years at Chehaw, I got spit on by a llama, celebrated two birthdays in the zoo, began my love of collecting rocks, and found Native American artifacts — pottery and arrowheads — while exploring our backyard. Pretty neat stuff.

Another unique part of being the "zoo kid" is meeting "zoo celebrities." My dad has met Bill Nye, the family has met the Kratt Brothers (shoutout to my childhood obsession, Zoboomafoo), Jim Fowler, and Jack Hanna, and my dad had the honor of speaking with Steve Irwin over the phone. All pretty freakin' cool for one childhood.

My family now resides in North Carolina, which is where we moved after Georgia and where I lived until moving to New York City in 2021. Though we finally moved to a normal house in a normal neighborhood, I never stopped being the "zoo kid." My dad currently runs the Greensboro Science Center, and that facility has been a second home to me since I was 7 years old. Wildlife education and conservation continue to play tremendous roles in my life and have deeply shaped who I am today.

Even though I can't technically say the Greensboro Science Center is the third zoo I've lived in (physically), I did live fully immersed in its constant growth and change. I got to grow up alongside it. From a beloved and humble museum to an expansive museum, zoo, aquarium, education center, and adored community destination, I got to feel like I was a part of the journey. I spent nights sleeping on the museum floor with my Girl Scout troop, hot summer days volunteering as a science camp teacher, and countless hours on the grounds and behind the scenes learning about animal care and species survival plan programs.

Even though I have spent much of my adolescence and early adult life pursuing the arts — singing, acting, radio, comedy, and writing — these will always be my roots. I was the girl whose dad brought snakes or tarantulas to the school to do programs. My life has been a perfect blend of the arts and sciences, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Through my writing, I continue to find ways to share my story (and the story of these facilities, their staff, and their animals). I even got to "work" as a zookeeper and aquarist for the day at the Greensboro Science Center so I could see, firsthand, the hard work that goes into caring for these animals and maintaining an AZA and AAM accredited facility. Please feel free to read that piece HERE.

Well, there you have it. That's the story of the zoo kid. Next time I'm asked to share a fun fact about myself during an icebreaker, I'm just going to send them this article. Thank you for letting me share this part of myself with you! Stay fierce. 🦁