Maintenance, Repairs, and... Aye-Aye Feeders?

The often-invisible work of the Maintenance team is critical to the Zoo’s safe operation and positive guest experience.

Their team is on-site nearly around the clock, ensuring that everything from the water supply to the Eagle Zip Adventure zipline is in perfect working order. When the power goes out, they spend hours resetting the entire campus manually to ensure that everything is functioning correctly. Maintenance is truly the foundation of safety for animals and guests alike, but they also take on unique projects that could only happen at the Zoo – building lion beds out of recycled firehose, for example.

Managing the Zoo’s 183 acres, with its highly specialized animal facilities and guest amenities and attractions, requires an organized and capable team. Maintenance is comprised of 25 skilled tradespeople, with two staff members dedicated exclusively to “life support,” working with the Zoo’s water supply. The rest of the team includes dedicated mechanics, welders, carpenters, a “rides and attractions” specialist, HVAC experts, electricians, plumbers, painters, and more.

It is easy to imagine the volume of projects this team shoulders in facility maintenance alone, but the element of wild animals adds a layer of complexity – and sometimes, fun. The welders and carpenters have been tapped to fabricate a variety of items to support the Animal Care team’s needs and ideas. One such item is an aye-aye feeder, which provides enrichment by encouraging this species’ natural behavior of “percussive foraging” – the aye-aye taps its long fingers on wood to help detect insects inside, then digs through it to snack on them. “They tear through these – we make them a shopping cart-full at a time,” said Tony Beursken, a carpenter.This custom-built feeder provides enrichment for the aye-ayes.

This custom-built feeder provides enrichment for the aye-ayes.

The welders have fabricated metal sleeves used for the gorillas’ voluntary blood draws as well as the “baby box” used to help care for baby gorillas through the habitat mesh. In addition to creating things to support animal care, they have also built structures that make the Zoo more enjoyable and beautiful for guests; Greg Sheldon cited the gazebo near the giraffe deck as one of his favorite design challenges.

Greg Sheldon working on a "baby box" for the Zoo's primates.

Sheldon also values the variety of people – and species – he interacts with from week to week: “Working here is a lot of fun. Not only do we have relationships with the animals, but the people too.” Jason Widdowson, who recently moved to welding from the mechanic team, is enjoying the opportunity to use his skills to solve problems unique to the Zoo. “I like being creative, and being able to come up with things that help people,” he said.

A gibbon climbing on a structure built by the Zoo carpenters.

Carpenters have crafted climbing structures for many animals, from goats to gibbons. They also collect retired fire hoses from a handful of local fire departments and use them to weave beds for the lions and hang as climbing features for primates. Ideas for projects like these often come from Animal Care staff and start with designs the Maintenance team draws by hand, then refines collaboratively with the keepers.

"Every project requires stopping and thinking it through from start to finish with consideration of the animal,” said Lance Oberdick, Associate Zoo Buildings Manager.

Jason Widdowson welding the transfer shoot in the howler monkey habitat.

Many zoos do not have in-house welders and carpenters and must outsource special fabrication projects. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo’s capable team makes it possible to design and build custom items to support animal and guest experiences alike in a more time and money-efficient way – and no idea is impossible. “There’s nothing we can’t build out of this facility,” said Oberdick. Their expertise is recognized among zoos, too; other zoos reach out to the team here in Cleveland to ask how they’ve approached certain projects to gain insights.

The Zoo's orantuan, Merah, has her arm in a metal sleeve during voluntary blood-draw training.

The opportunity to enrich the lives of animals at the Zoo is not something most maintenance and trades people expect when entering their field. “This is one of the most rewarding jobs I've ever had,” Tony Beursken said. “To be able to make a difference in the animals' lives, in the keepers' lives, and for the people who visit is really meaningful.”

Next time you visit the Zoo, try to spot some of the Maintenance team’s creations – they're everywhere!

Quick Facts

MAINTENANCE MAINTAINS: