![\"RaymondHren11\"](\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2016\/08\/RaymondHren-300x200-300x200.jpg\")
Taking care of them means more than just feeding them or making sure they\u2019re comfortable, Hren said as he moved among the animals with easy confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wear many hats during the day \u2013 we\u2019re responsible for their nutrition, cleaning up after them, training, talking to the public.\u201d<\/p>\n
His job includes all kinds of preventive care — checking a rhinoceros for a skin problem, or brushing its teeth, administering a vaccination and looking after the animals\u2019 mental and physical well-being. Maggie, for example, has just moved to a new home that has a better pool for her to wallow in, and Hren says he can tell she\u2019s happy with the change.<\/p>\n
He works regularly with the rhinos and other pachyderms to train them to do different tasks. This training not only helps the zookeepers take care of them, it also provides mental stimulation for the animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always have to respect that they are wild animals, but we build up a trust and rapport with them. They come up for a treat or a scratch,\u201d said Hren.<\/p>\n
That trust allows him and other keepers to give vaccinations, draw blood or do minor procedures without using anesthesia, making the experience less stressful for the pachyderms.<\/p>\n
While many zookeepers major in biology or zoology, Hren said, his anthropology degree has helped give him a broader view of his work. At 51ÁÔÆæ, he took courses in primate studies, zoology, physical and cultural anthropology and spent time at the zoo observing bonobos, an endangered species of great apes. \u201cAnthropology really helped me round out my education.\u201d<\/p>\n
That background has helped him in the broad range of activities that go beyond working with the animals at the zoo.<\/p>\n
\u201cZoos have changed from menageries for the elite,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve evolved, and the zookeeper\u2019s role has changed dramatically.\u201d<\/p>\n
Few rhinos in the wild<\/h3>\n
Hren is on the board of directors of the International Rhino Keeper Association. In that role he\u2019s traveled to Australia and England and zoos around the U.S. The association is dedicated to researching and caring for rhinos in captivity, but also helps in preserving them in the wild.<\/p>\n
The number of black rhinos, one of the five species of rhino, has declined to fewer than 5,000 in the wild because of widespread poaching and loss of habitat. \u201cThey\u2019ve been poached and hunted nearly to extinction,\u201d Hren said.<\/p>\n
He helps raise awareness and funds through the association and such events as the Milwaukee County Zoo\u2019s Party for the Planet. The money supports projects such as orphanages for baby rhinos whose mothers have been killed for their horns and programs to prevent poaching.<\/p>\n
While recently there has been some criticism of keeping animals in captivity, zoos and zookeepers have evolved to play an important role in preserving species, Hren said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately, we don\u2019t live in a perfect world where animals in the wild can remain undisturbed. It\u2019s just a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rhinos and other animals at the zoo help in teaching the public about these issues, he added. \u201cThey are quite important. They are ambassadors for the rhinos in the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those education efforts give Hren job satisfaction.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very important to show people we are not only doing the best we can to take care of them mentally and physically here, but we\u2019re also helping the rhinos in the wild. That\u2019s why I do what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When Raymond Hren says his job as a pachyderm keeper is never routine, he means it. On any given day, he may be helping weigh a baby giraffe, preparing a mud bath for a rhino or answering questions from visitors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":835,"featured_media":36473,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174],"tags":[250],"section":[127,128],"display_categories":[115,116],"related-coverage":[],"uwmnews-feed":[167,158,160],"class_list":["post-36335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-student-success","section-arts-humanities","section-humanities","display_categories-top-story-secondary","display_categories-top-story-section","uwmnews-feed-alumni-association","uwmnews-feed-letters-science","uwmnews-feed-social-science"],"yoast_head":"\n