Our digital series, Pride In Our People, features the incredible staff at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium through written first-person narratives and/or podcast interviews.

Today, we are featuring Kira, who works in the commissary kitchen!
This is her story…

I always loved visiting the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium growing up. This led me to want to work at the Zoo and with animals.

I got my start in Kids Kingdom in 2001 after attending a Zoo job fair. After a few years, I started in my role as a kitchen attendant in the animal kitchen.

For my role, the vets decide the animal diets then I prepare those meals for most of the animals here at the Zoo. I make sure that everything is weighed out accordingly so each animal has their proper daily nutrition.

Another aspect of my job is that I do all of the animal food ordering. This includes meat, rodents, fish, produce, grain, and hay for food/bedding.

My favorite part of working at the Zoo is being able to interact with some of the animals. I love being able to make enrichment items like ice blocks, birthday cakes, and more. I also love the conservation we do for animals to help prevent extinction.

My coworkers are great, but nothing is better than working with animals!

Thank you for all you do, Kira!