Posted on Tuesday, February 4th, 2025
The Zoo is woven into the very fabric of Miranda’s life story. Some of her earliest memories are visiting the Zoo – and knowing that she wanted to become an animal keeper. She participated in Zoo Crew at 13 and emailed Animal Curator Tad Schnoffner at midnight on her 16th birthday to inquire about an internship. She recalls visiting with Tiram the orangutan after her volunteer shifts.
Favorite animal: Orangutans
Favorite spot at the Zoo: African Savannah walkway
Dream wildlife travel destination: Borneo to see orangutans
Years later, after graduating from Malone University with a degree in Zoo and Wildlife Biology and working as a keeper at Zoo New England, she returned to Cleveland and landed the role she’d always wanted: RainForest Animal Keeper. Reunited with Tiram and the others, she loved building meaningful relationships with the orangutans.
Her career goals shifted, but not her love of the Zoo! Miranda joined the Zoo Society as an Advancement Officer in 2022 and has been sharing her enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the Zoo with donors ever since.
She only knows one knitting stitch, but that doesn’t stop Miranda from making blankets in her free time. She also loves spending time outdoors with her husband and two dogs, and considers herself a skilled and thoughtful gift-giver.