Ep48 Craig Saffoe on the Association of Minority Zoo and Aquarium Professionals

<p>Craig Saffoe is the Curator of Large Carnivores at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park located in Washington DC. Overall, he has over 27 years working with animals within zoos.</p><p>Craig started his career thinking that the only career available in the animal industry, is to become a veterinarian. As such he went to get a degree in Animal Science with a pre-vet track at North Carolina State University.&nbsp; Whilst there he was inspired by a single professor to explore animal husbandry careers. She also helped him to get an internship at the Smithsonian’s National Zoological Zoo in 1994. From here, he got hired as an animal keeper and moved through the ranks becoming a curator. Throughout this process, Craig says he “cannot stress enough to the people with whom I work that the most fun part of this career field in my mind is that I feel like I have never stopped learning”.</p><p>Craig highlights that during his career he has noticed that the zoological and aquatic industry has minimum ethnic minority representation. He observed that black people are perceived as volunteers through an unconscious bias. He even noticed it in himself when observing others whilst at a conference, which mortified him. Craig said it was this moment that seeded the origins of the Association of Minority Zoo and Aquarium Professionals (AMZAP).</p><p>Craig goes on to say that although COVID-19 has caused a lot of devastation, it gave him time to develop AMZAP further as the zoo was closed down. It also allowed him to drum up more support among different zoo professionals including the deputy director of the Smithsonian National Zoo and the Secretary of the Smithsonian, which gave him confidence with his idea. From here, for Craig, ‘I’ became ‘we’. It allowed him to move the idea of AMZAP forward.</p><p>Craig divulges the importance of remembering that ‘We Weren’t the First’, by sharing the stories of those who paved the way for the racial and ethnic minorities within the zoological industry. He emphasises that they must