Zookeeper Appreciation Week
July 19-25, 2015
By the authority of the Orange County Board of Supervisors,
the following resolution is hereby issued:
WHEREAS, National Zookeeper Appreciation Week is being celebrated throughout the
United States from July 19-25, 2015; and
WHEREAS, the Orange County Zoo traces its roots back 110 years to 1905 when red foxes
were introduced in the Irvine Park Region and bred by J.A. Turner; and
WHEREAS, Tustin rancher Sam Nau started a small collection of animals ninety-five years
ago in 1920 featuring a pair of pet mule deer, and he eventually built a corral that held an additional
male mule deer; and
WHEREAS, an alligator exhibit served as the chief attraction of Nau’s collection until a bird
exhibit adjoining the deer pens was added in 1935, and this bird exhibit structure exhibited
cockatoos, quail, doves, and parakeets; and
WHEREAS, the current, modern Orange County Zoo officially opened thirty years ago in
1985 as the Irvine Park Zoo and has since changed its name to the Orange County Zoo; and
WHEREAS, the Orange County Zoo focuses on animals and plants native to the
southwestern United States, and animals on exhibit include black bears, mountain lions, bald eagles,
island foxes, ocelots, red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, porcupines, coyotes, turkey vultures, and
coati, along with domestic goats, jacob sheep, pot-bellied pigs, doves, and pheasants; and
WHEREAS, the Orange County Zoo helps provide public awareness and education through
which the general public can view and appreciate wildlife; and
WHEREAS, Orange County’s zookeepers have become animal caretakers devoting their
lives to caring for the animals at the Orange County zoos; and
WHEREAS, Orange County’s zookeepers have become animal specialists, as educators,
choreographers of animal behaviors through enrichment, behavior managers through operant
conditioning, and reproductive specialists through improved observations and husbandry;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS does hereby declare the week of July 19-25, 2015 to be “Zookeeper Appreciation
Week” in Orange County, commend Orange County’s zookeepers for their service, and encourage all
residents of Orange County to join in recognition of the positive impact of Orange County’s
zookeepers.
July 21, 2015