Animal attraction

The tigers are deadly. The parrots are smart. The sea dragons, very fragile. At the Minnesota Zoo, each animal has a keeper, and in each case, a unique kind of relationship.

By Chris Welsch, Star Tribune

Last update: January 12, 2008 - 1:23 PM

Winter is the quiet season at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley. The trickle of visitors represent mainly what zoo staffers call "stroller moms," who roll through the turnstiles with their preschool charges, looking for a warm diversion.

For zookeepers, though, not much changes. Behind the scenes, the animals require the same amount of care, no matter the weather.

On a typical morning, aquariast Dan Peterson is trying to persuade the weedy sea dragons to eat frozen shrimp instead of live ones (which are much more expensive). Bird supervisor Jimmy Pichner is taking note: The Argus pheasant is sounding its mating call. From a safe distance, Jerry Holzer tosses some bones to the Amur tigers.

For some keepers, the relationship is a symbiotic partnership. For others, it's the contradictory challenge of trying to honor the wildness of a wild animal in an enclosed space.

Here you'll find portraits of keepers and their charges, with the keepers doing the talking.