1 What do your kids think of your job at Brookfield Zoo? I have two girls: Erin, 11 and Dana, 8. They love it. They think it’s really cool that their mom is a zoo keeper.
2 What are the perks of having mom be senior primate keeper? Every year I do talks for their classes. Sometimes I take them behind the scenes. They aren’t allowed to interact with the gorillas quite the way I do, but they do get to come back with me.
3 What is it like to train a gorilla? It’s neat! They are so intelligent. You almost feel like you are in a battle of wits.
4 Do your kids want to do what you do when they grow up? My youngest wants to be a zoo veterinarian. She has all the video games for it like Zoo Tycoon. My oldest wants to be a dolphin trainer.
5 Which gorilla do you train and what is the most interesting experience you two have had? Binti Jua. Her name means"daughter of sunshine.” I did ultrasounds on her when she was pregnant with Bakari. She was trained to present her belly for it. It was the first ultrasound on an ape to be done at Brookfield.
6 How many children does Binti Jua have at Brookfield? She’s a mother and a grandmother. She has a daughter named Koola, 11, a son, Bakari, 2, and a 3-year-old granddaughter, Kamba. Her daughter Koola gave birth [to Kamba] on exhibit while the guests were here.
