By David Kinsey, contributing writer
“I take care of animals that a handful of people in the world will get to experience.”
Two weeks ago, the San Diego Zoo hired Mike Griffin to be its newest zookeeper at the Children’s Zoo, a section of the Zoo with more than 200 animals and 30 special exhibits. Previously, Mike had been with the Zoo as part of its security staff.
“I went into that job knowing that I wanted to get back to my passion and I had to do whatever it took,” Mike said.
Mike is a certified veterinary assistant who started his career with animals at the San Diego Humane Society as an animal care specialist. He then went through the police academy and become a humane society officer. In this role, he led a distinguished career, that included the creation of the Puppy Task Force that investigated the smuggling of sick puppies from Mexico.
“We had a serious problem with dogs with parvo being brought across border, sold, possibly infecting other puppies and then dying. It was heartbreaking. It needed to be stopped,” he said. Mike’s investigation eventually led State Senator Christine Kehoe to introduce a bill in 2005 to make the sale of puppies under the age of 8 weeks a misdemeanor offense.
After nine years of working as a Humane Society officer, Mike realized he needed a change so he started the security job with the Zoo. Four and a half years later, he is a zookeeper. Now, he spends his days feeding Agra, the indian crested porcupine, hanging out with Victor the short-nosed echidna who is also the oldest mammal in the Zoo, and keeping watch over the delicate sensitivities of the two pangolins Baba and Baka.
