What started as a fun family activity for Jamie Huss quickly turned into a lifelong passion, and then later into a career she loves. Now the Assistant Zoo Director at the Washington Park Zoo, Huss was first introduced to it all when she was just a child.
“My mom started as a volunteer back in the ‘80s and it was one of the family activities that we all got involved with,” she said. “We (Huss and her two siblings) all started volunteering and we were junior volunteers. My mom then moved on from being a volunteer to getting a full-time position, and we just kind of grew up with it.”
From the moment Huss first stepped into the zoo, she was hooked. Much of her time out of school was spent there, and once she was in high school, Huss enrolled in the work program there and worked throughout her summer vacations. After finishing school, she made her way over the years from seasonal to full-time, and then to her current position today.
A true animal lover at heart, Huss was inspired to follow in her mom’s footsteps when she saw just how much animals can positively impact people of all ages.
“It was always just seeing the connection of animals, and just seeing the changes they can make,” she said. “You can see that spark when you make a connection in person because you normally only see these animals on TV or computers. It makes it feel just like you're going to Grandma's. It makes for memories that you can call on even nowadays. You have some kids that may remember the most minute detail, this one fact, and then they tell their parents, sparking that same love of animals and wildlife and a connection to future generations.”
Connecting with future generations was something Huss brought into her own family, as her husband and three children are even involved with the zoo today as volunteers. She appreciates that she gets to work with them to both share her passion with those she’s closest to while also showing her kids' lifelong lessons.
“We raised babies at home with the animals. They always say ‘it's not a job, it's a lifestyle,’ and I can see that interest is these guys, too. The zoo can be a second family, even more so because they’re there more than our own house sometimes,” she laughed. “It’s a whole family thing and I think it teaches my kids things like empathy and responsibility. They’ve learned that it's not something you take lightly. I think, and I hope, that it helps them become better adults. We do it every day and because of that, they may not realize the impact now, but when you think about it and grow up with it, you see more of it. It teaches the whole loss and the whole circle of life thing, so they learn to appreciate life and the small moments more.”
Huss noted that while all her kids may not be working directly with animals as they get older, having these experiences even as children has offered them a unique perspective on life, something she knows will benefit them greatly no matter where they go in life.
“They see the same connection that I do, and then they go to the zoo where there are animals that know them because they're been raised around them. So they have their favorites and just to see them and to hear the stories that they tell their friends and to have them involved is nice. They may not go into zoology like one of my daughters wants to be an English teacher, but I think it's gonna help them still share what they’ve learned, even though they might not do animal stuff. I can still see them caring about the planet. Caring about wildlife, and they’ll appreciate it when they're older, and it's still fun for them now.”
Working at the zoo has also allowed her to meet many others with similar interests through conferences, and Huss noted it’s one of her favorite parts about the job.
“I like going to connect with other people and to meet other zoo people, because we all love our jobs, and we can geek out,” she said. “It's nice to have those connections and geek out with other people and share stories - those are always fun. We find different ways of doing things, we get to share ideas and how to improve.”
Huss laughed as she called herself a workaholic and spends most of her free time outside of the zoo. But even when she’s not at work, she can still be found spending time around animals at the Transitions Equestrian Center in La Porte, or with her family as well.
For more information on the Washington Park Zoo, visit washingtonparkzoo.com.