“We usually spend $100-plus on shoes at least twice a year, if we don’t employ duct tape and shoe glue,” Kate Olsen, the zoo’s assistant curator of behavioral husbandry and conservation, told us.
Olsen said that every zookeeper has their own favorite styles and brands of shoes, noting that what works for some doesn’t work for others. Yet, she said a common goal among staff members is to find comfortable kicks that last for longer than six months of consistent rugged wear and anything that will keep their toes dry on long days in the elements.
“‘Waterproof’ and ‘water-resistant’ are very different things,” Olsen said, joking that even some supposedly waterproof shoes don’t keep your feet completely dry.
Theresa Wilson, the director of ZooAmerica in Hershey, Pennsylvania, explained that shoe height can be another determining factor for staffers.
“Some like full boots and some like low hikers,” Wilson told us. “Preference is dependent on individuals and their comfort level.”
Though Wilson didn’t endorse particular brands or styles, she noted that a solid zoo shoe should be something that has traction, that can get wet and that you won’t hate to walk in for eight hours a day.
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