By and For Alumni and
Former Faculty of Andrew Jackson High School - South Bend Indiana
Alumni Spotlight: 75- 3/4
Lions and Tigers and Seals? Oh My!
Recently
I had the opportunity to visit Jan Hatton Collins at her
job at the Denver Zoo, where she has cared for animals for the
past 9 years, and worked .as a docent for a couple of years prior
to that.
Her duties include diet preparation and feeding of her animals,
cleaning exhibits, training of all seals and sea lions for husbandry,
which allows keepers to take better care of the animals. She is also
responsible for record keeping, demonstrations, teaching classes and
tours for volunteers and the public, and has even prepared her animals
for local and national TV spots.
by: Old Hickory Alumni Field
Reporter
Jan earned a BS in Geosciences from the University of Arizona.
She states that the preparation for her career began at Jackson
High School. John Clayton's earth science classes inspired her to
seek her degree, which allowed her to work in the field. She
credits Bob Taylor as another positive influence, stressing
individuality and following one's dreams. Mr. Stebbins' Latin
classes often allowed her to decipher the meaning of a word with
a Latin root.
I asked Jan what was the coolest part of her job caring for the
seals and sea lions in her Pinniped Department, and it was hard
for her to chose just one thing because she truly loves what she
does. High points include doing exams on hand-raised polar bear
cubs Klondike and Snow, the Denver Zoo's most famous residents.
Jan had the distinction of naming Klondike after one of her
favorite treats, the Klondike bar, and being present at their
birth. Kavek, the Denver Zoo's deaf polar bear, has also benifitted from Jan's
dedication. These large animals need to be able to obey basic commands in
order to receive medical care and climbing into the cage with them is not
the best option because they would need to be sedated. Collins has used
special training techniques to teach Kavek to present himself for treatment
and has been very responsive to the special attention she has given him. He
has become a much happier bear in spite of his disability.
Other high points of Collins' job include international travel
with the
professional organization IMATA, the International Marine Animal
Trainer's Association. The purpose of the organization is to
learn more about the best ways of caring for animals and new
training techniques. As we spoke, Jan was preparing for a trip to
Orlando for a conference with the group.
Jan enjoys giving people up close and personal tours of the zoo
(attention
AJHS alumni) to teach people about animals and their adaptations
for their environment. She states that they are often extremely
intelligent (sometimes more than she) and that she often learns
from them.
Collins has even prepared her animals for local and national TV
appearances! And who could resist playing with tiger cubs for a
living?
Nevertheless, all jobs have a down side, and a zoo job does
provide a few challenges. Jan works pool-side in all seasons and
even in the Denver winters you will find her there with the
pinnipeds.
She once had the task of mucking out the hippo pool full of hippo
waste which had been sitting for several days due to a clogged
drain.
Then there was the giraffe necropsy, which although interesting
and
instructive, was very smelly. Nevertheless, this Jackson graduate
is working in a job that she looks forward to doing for the rest
of her life. That's why rain or shine, chances are you'll find
this animal-lover working with her furry friends, doing exactly
what she was born to do.
Old Hickory Archives....
Ho Ho Ho! Who's the JHS Santa?
Who's got the jingle bells going
this Christmas? Well, last year he dressed up for his
office Christmas party and it went over so big that he decided
that this year he would don the suit again and entertain children
and adults alike at private parties throughout the northern
California area....
Still having trouble?
Ok, here's a hint....some of the alumni might recall this year's
AJHS Santa was also a member of a popular group who performed at
pep assemblies under the name Speedo and the Cadillac's...
I regret to inform you that,
effective immediately, I will no longer serve the States of
Georgia, Florida, West Virginia, Virginia, North and South
Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Texas, and Arkansas on
Christmas Eve. Due to the overwhelming current population of the
earth, my contract was renegotiated by North American Fairies and
Elves Local 209. As part of the new and better contract I also
get longer breaks for milk and cookies so keep that in mind.
However, I'm certain that your children will be in good hands
with your local replacement, who happens to be my third cousin,
Bubba Claus. His side of the family is from the South Pole. He
shares my goal of delivering toys to all the good boys and girls;
however, there are a few differences between us. Differences such
as:
1. There is no danger of the Grinch stealing your presents from
Bubba Claus. He has a gun rack on his sleigh and a bumper sticker
that reads: "These toys insured by Smith and Wesson."
2. Instead of milk and cookies, Bubba Claus prefers that children
leave an RC cola and pork rinds [or a moon pie] on the fireplace.
And Bubba doesn't smoke a pipe. He dips a little snuff though, so
please have an empty spit
can handy.
3. Bubba Claus' sleigh is pulled by floppy-eared, flyin' coon
dogs instead of reindeer. I made the mistake of loaning him a
couple of my reindeer one
time, and Blitzen's head now overlooks Bubba's fireplace.
4. You won't hear "On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen..."
when Bubba Claus arrives. Instead, you'll hear, "On Earnhardt, on
Jarrett, on Elliott and Petty."
5. "Ho, Ho, Ho!" has been replaced by "Yee Haw!" And you also are
likely to hear Bubba's elves respond, "I her'd dat!"
6. As required by Southern highway laws, Bubba Claus' sleigh does
have a Yosemite Sam safety triangle on the back with the words
"Back Off."
7. The usual Christmas movie classics such as "Miracle on 34th
Street" and "It's a Wonderful Life" will not be shown in your
negotiated viewing area. Instead, you'll see "Boss Hogg Saves
Christmas" and "Smokey and the Bandit IV" featuring Burt Reynolds
as Bubba Claus and dozens of state patrol cars crashing into each
other.
And Finally,
8. Bubba Claus doesn't wear a belt. If I were you, I'd make sure
you, the wife, and the kids turn the other way when he bends over
to put presents under the tree.
I asked Jan what was the coolest part of her job caring for the
seals and sea lions in her Pinniped Department, and it was hard
for her to chose just one thing because she truly loves what she
does. High points include doing exams on hand-raised polar bear
cubs Klondike and Snow, the Denver Zoo's most famous residents.
Jan had the distinction of naming Klondike after one of her
favorite treats, the Klondike bar, and being present at their
birth. Kavek, the Denver Zoo's deaf polar bear, has also benifitted from Jan's
dedication. These large animals need to be able to obey basic commands in
order to receive medical care and climbing into the cage with them is not
the best option because they would need to be sedated. Collins has used
special training techniques to teach Kavek to present himself for treatment
and has been very responsive to the special attention she has given him. He
has become a much happier bear in spite of his disability.
