Come meet the newest PDXWildlife, Giant Panda Intern: Zachary Steele-

Hey everybody, my name is Zach Steele and I’m one of the giant panda Winter Interns! I’m going to just go by Steele though because there happens to be two Zachs in this intern group and let’s just be real Steele sounds awesome. Anyways, I’m from Clearwater, Florida, and I just graduated from the University of South Florida this summer with a bachelor’s in Marine Biology. I’m hoping to pursue research but that’s about as specific as I can get because I really haven’t decided what I want to research yet probably because I’m interested in so many different fields.

Before beginning this internship, I was an intern in the hoofstock department at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, then I was a herpetology research intern at Archbold Biological Station, from there I was a Marine Mammal intern at Walt Disney World, and, last but not least, I just left my position as a zoo aide at Tampa’s Busch Gardens working in the hoofstock department. So from giraffes, to gopher tortoises, to dolphins, to bongos, you name it, I’ve probably worked with it at some point.

One animal I definitely haven’t worked with though is the Giant Panda and I’m definitely in need of are more research experience and more travel experience. This position will be the first I’ve taken outside of the United States and before this position I’ve only been outside the US once for a short trip to Ireland. So, I definitely need to expand my horizons in that department. As I take more steps towards grad school I really need to gain some more research experience and what better way to do so then by researching Giant Pandas? To say I’m excited would be an understatement, I can’t wait to begin this internship and start this new chapter of my life and learn so much more about these amazing creatures while also learning about the Chinese culture and about myself!

We’re excited to have you on board Steele. Only a few more days until the fun begins!