Meet Our Intern, Konnor Roberts

We’re very pleased to announce that Konnor Roberts has joined ZDR3 for a summer internship. Our small staff had never previously considered bringing an intern aboard, but Konnor’s experience, skills, and familiarity with ZDR3 made him an excellent candidate. 

We met Konnor in 2020 when the zoo where he then worked was devastated by Hurricane Laura. Seventy mile-per-hour winds had damaged more than 20 animal enclosures, and the facility staff were reeling from the dual impacts of damage to the zoo and to their own homes. Konnor, then a junior in high school who was in the middle of his first animal care internship, found himself suddenly in a world that had turned upside down. The zoo, always a place of comfort for him, was in such disarray that it was hard to process. “I could not stop smiling when crews of volunteers and resources started arriving,” he said. “The work that ZDR3 and volunteers did during this time was nothing short of a blessing.”

Although his time at the zoo was Konnor’s first paid animal care experience, he has always found a way to surround himself with animals. He has a special love for wildlife and exotic species. He recalls fondly meeting ambassador animals at a zoo camp when he was just four years old, and the unique connection created by that moment spurred him to return to zoo camp every summer until he aged out of the program. Not to be stopped, he immediately joined their teen volunteer program, and spent as much of his free time on grounds as possible. 

A young Konnor at Zoo Camp.

Konnor, working with howler monkeys.

Konnor was eventually offered a paid internship working with the very ambassador animals he’d grown up alongside, and then became a full-time zookeeper, a role which he proudly held while studying for a biology degree at Louisiana State University. Eventually Konnor began to crave an academic experience that was more hands-on with animals, too, so he transferred to McNeese State University to finish his undergraduate degree in Natural Resource Conservation Management. He immediately jumped into animal-related extracurriculars with both feet: he not only currently serves as President of the Wildlife Club, but he volunteers with the National Audubon Society and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to assist with waterfowl and marsh bird research.

In the years since Hurricane Laura, Konnor has followed ZDR3’s work closely, watching as the same support he and his colleagues received is provided to other facilities in need. “As I’ve continued in the zoo field,” he says, “it’s become imperative just how essential ZDR3’s presence is nationwide.” Now a college senior, Konnor reached out to ZDR3 to discuss the possibility of an internship this summer because he knew he wanted to give back: “to be part of the same kind of response that once made such a difference in my life.” 

While it’s rare for ZDR3 to take interns, Director Julia Wilder felt that Konnor was a good fit because he has first-hand experience with the impact of major disasters and understands how the day-to-day work during steady state supports our ability to respond to disasters. “In this kind of work,” Konnor says, “no task is too small—every contribution has the potential to make a meaningful difference in how effectively we respond to emergencies.” His work for ZDR3 this summer is focused on assisting with critical administrative and communications tasks that are the backbone of our monitoring, alert, and information storage systems. Should ZDR3 activate for incident or response activities, Konnor will be one of ZDR3’s remote responders, helping to provide the virtual support that is essential for all missions.

As he continues his journey through the zoological field, Konnor hopes to find his home in a leadership role someday. He wants to uplift and guide the next generation of zoo lovers and conservationists, just as his mentors and role models did for him. And, of course, he says he will continue to make peers aware of the value of ZDR3’s work! “I am proud to be an advocate for the organization and to help expand awareness of its impact within the zoo and animal care community.”

Konnor excitedly feeding a tapir.