| |
|
|
 Mollie Hogan - Founder and President
In high school and through my 20s I was a professional singer in numerous musical ensembles performing in rock, folk, & country/western bands in Montana and California. My interest in becoming a professional in the wild animal field began in 1980 when I toured the Moorpark College Teaching Zoo for the first time and came face-to-face with a mountain lion. I was hooked! As a student at Moorpark, I worked with that very mountain lion as well as many other wild and exotic birds, mammals, and reptiles. Upon graduation, I moved to Sedona, Arizona, where I managed an animal shelter for a year. When an employment opportunity opened up at the Los Angeles Zoo’s Cat Show, I moved back to California for my dream job. We raised and trained a wide variety of cats for the show: ocelot, bobcat, lynx, caracal, serval, clouded leopard, cheetah, and two very special mountain lions named Phoenix and Sage. During my time at the L.A. Zoo, the “Cat Show” evolved into a native animal presentation called “Wild in the City.” When the show was suddenly terminated in 1993, the animals were relocated to the Moorpark facility where, at the time, I was also a part-time instructor. I applied for the proper permits and then founded the Nature of Wildworks Wildlife Center relocating the animals to our current facility.
Wildworks is truly a dream career, and our organization now provides lifelong care for fifty non-releasable wild animals, encompassing 17 different species, that participate with our staff and volunteers in educational outreach programs for children and adults throughout Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
In addition to Wildworks, I recently founded Cat Business, a behavioral consulting company providing specialized training and problem-solving services for felines and their humans. Check us out on the web at www.catbusiness1.com.
mollie@natureofwildworks.org
|
 Jess Nikolai -
Animal Care Supervisor and Volunteer Coordinator
Hi there! I was born and raised in Santa Clarita, CA. I first started working with exotic animals at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center in Newhall, CA, where I performed animal presentations and other educational programming, lead guided nature hikes, and cared for a collection of California wildlife (including mammals, birds of prey, reptiles, amphibians, and arachnids). I also spent some time at William S. Hart Park (also in Newhall) working with their barnyard animals and a herd of bison. I am a 2011 graduate of the Exotic Animal Training and Management program at Moorpark College. There I was lucky enough to work with a variety of exotic animals (such as Red-handed tamarins, a Moluccan cockatoo, and sugar gliders) as well as more California natives (my favorites!), including a mountain lion, bobcat, coyote, raccoon, and Golden eagle. I am a licensed falconer and have experience hunting with red-tailed hawks. I've also done wildlife rehabilitation, focusing mainly on Virginia opossums (my all time favorite animals!). I love spending time in the outdoors and am an avid hiker/nature lover. I am also currently pursuing a degree in Wildlife Biology. I love my job as Animal Care Supervisor and Volunteer Coordinator, and it is such a privilege being able to work around such amazing animals and people!
|
|
 Regan Nelson - Tara the red tailed hawk brought me to Wildworks. In 1992 a friend told me about a wildlife presentation she had seen, and the beautiful red-tailed hawk that was part of it. I invited the wildlife group to my classroom and she was right. The hawk was amazing. I had never been so close to a wild creature, and my students were in awe of her and the other animals.
When that program closed down a few years later, I found Mollie and the Nature of Wildworks. She invited me to meet her and the animals… and I felt like I had found my very own heaven. I met bobcats and mountain lions and servals, and, of course, Phoenix the mountain. The most special part of that day was seeing beautiful Tara the red-tailed hawk, who was now with Wildworks.
From then on, Mollie brought Tara and other animals into my classroom. Soon we arranged yearly programs for over a dozen other classrooms. It was so important to me for these urban kids to have a personal experience with the animals and to be able to connect with nature.
Three years ago I retired from teaching. I’ve enjoyed helping with Wildworks events. The most fun is being able to do enrichment with a couple of the animals. When I met Bobby the Bobcat, it was love at first sight. And, since I can’t take any of them home, I sponsor two of the animals.
I feel truly blessed to be a part of Wildworks, to know Mollie (I always tell her she is my hero) and all the others who make Wildworks possible. And, always, it’s the animals. Being around them makes my heart smile.
|
 Sol Spitz - I am an animal behavioralist working with patterns of behavior. Actions performed more than once are patterns and can evolve into habits. Patterns of behavior are influenced by the physical balance of the animal. I have developed programs for horses, dogs, and the human component in the equation. My skills-orientated learning programs clarify mind and body unity, using rhythm and direction to develop coordination and confidence.
I moved to Tucson, Arizona, in 1977 with the determination to learn as much as possible about horse behavior. There I met Norme Sande who had an easy rapport with horses, including shoeing them, doing ranch work, and riding in general. Norme introduced me to Ray Hunt, who is well known for Natural Horsemanship. Ray’s mentor was Tom Dorrance, who along with his brother Bill, are considered to be the godfathers of the modern Natural Horsemanship movement. Ten years later I attended horse shoeing school in northern California and continued to be mentored by Tom.
When Moon, the gray wolf, came to Wildworks as a shy young animal, I decided to use my training expertise to teach him the skills he needed to be sociable and travel to outreach programs. It was a long process, but, Moon became one of Wildworks’ most spectacular program ambassadors.
|
 Peter Haberl - Although I was born in New York, my German parents and I moved back to Germany when I was just over a year old, and there I spent most of my youth. In 1982 I moved back to the U.S., first arriving in San Francisco. I traveled around California for a while, then settled in Venice, which I found to be too crowded (and dangerous). To avoid the crowds, I moved to Corral Canyon in Malibu, where it was too quiet and 20 minutes to the nearest market! Finally, I ended up in Hollywood, got married, and started my first volunteer job in 1986 at the Ethiopian Refugee Center in South Central LA.
There are no speed limits in Germany (where I learned to drive), so when I lost my license in California to speeding tickets, my wife and I moved to India for a year. We both loved to travel and moved again to Thailand for two years, where we explored southeast Asia. When we came back to Hollywood, the Ethiopian Center had closed down so I began volunteering at Meals on Wheels, and I’ve been working with them for seven years now. I had saved an advertisement from the L.A. Times that said Wildworks was looking for volunteers. I’ve always had pets and love animals, so in January 2006 I called The Nature of Wildworks and signed up. But I didn’t work with animals: I trimmed trees—lots of them--for about a year! It was a very worthwhile project, though, because I helped to greatly reduce the threat of fire in the oak forest surrounding the animal compound. One of my favorite animals at Wildworks is Foxy the fennec fox, and my best project so far has been building a brand new and much larger enclosure for little Foxy.
|
 Heather Bourse – I have always loved animals and I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, where I had many wildlife encounters in my backyard and where I first experienced animal husbandry in highschool. I went to the Los Angeles Zoo Magnet Center and in my senior year I was fortunate enough to have a class that involved helping zoo keepers care for the Tapirs, Sumatran Tigers, Snow leopards and Flying foxes. Along with animals, I am interested in educational outreach and exhibition design. I have a B.A. in History and I plan on getting a Masters in Museum Studies. I hope to one day work in a museum or learning institution where I can help with educational programing and outreach. After receiving my B.A from Cal State Northridge I started volunteering at The Nature of Wildworks in 2009. Volunteering at The Nature of Wildworks has been a very rewarding experience. The animals and people at Wildworks are terrific and I am thrilled that I am able to combine my interest in education through outreach programs with my love of animals at Wildworks.
|
 Lin Tanenbaum – I am a native of Southern California and grew up in the San Fernando Valley, when there were still orange groves on the next block. I have always loved all animals. Growing up we had a dog, a duck and two chickens. Later on cats were added to our family. I actually started learning about and working with exotic and native wildlife as a Docent at the Los Angeles Zoo in 1997. Two years later I became a volunteer at a large wildlife sanctuary where I became proficient at pulling poop and changing water for many large cats. I also learned about enrichment and animal handling there. After 10 years at that location, I discovered that the Nature of Wildworks had a volunteer program. In February of 2010 I came for an orientation and have never left. I retired from the working world in May of 2010, and can now spend more time with the animals. At Wildworks I have done cage cleaning, enrichment and animal handling at outreach programs. I truly enjoy giving out enrichment and doing outreach programs. I feel very fortunate to be at Wildworks and, even though I came on the wildlife scene late in life, I very much appreciate the opportunity to learn about and interact with these wonderful animals. I like the opportunity to share information about wildlife and the Wildworks residents with the people I meet, and teaching them about coexisting with wildlife.
|
 Catherine Morris - I have always been enthralled with animals growing up, and I blame my dad! When he was younger he wanted to be the curator of the San Diego Zoo! I guess he passed his love of animals down to me. I grew up in Pacific Palisades and lived in San Luis Obispo for 3 years while attending Cal Poly. I am currently switching my studies from engineering to biology. I love science and genetics!
I have a special interest in reptiles and have been working with and studying them for the past 6 years. My obsession started with my first crested gecko named Bink and it rapidly grew. I have worked at multiple reptile stores, and many people referred to my apartment in SLO as a mini zoo. I have kept or cared for almost all main reptiles kept as pets, as well as a few more exotic species. I have participated in many field herping trips to track down and photograph anything we could find, but mainly rattlesnakes. Currently, I own a beautiful Dumeril’s Boa, 6 ball pythons, and 24 leopard geckos. I have run somewhat of a rescue for leopard geckos and have rehabilitated a few dozen. As I write this, I have my latest rescue, Coral, sleeping in my sweatshirt hood.
Although reptiles are my specialty, I also love furry critters, and I own a chinchilla, Michael Meyers. I have always liked sugar gliders and fennec foxes, so I was very excited to be able to work with Foxy at Wildworks. I am hoping that this volunteer experience will help broaden my knowledge of wild and exotic animals.
|
 Dustin Zdenek - I'm proud to say that I was born and raised in Agoura Hills, CA. My grandfather was one of two doctors in the San Fernando Valley back in the day when they did house calls. My father grew up in the Valley also and, as a young man, had quite a variety of animals including some exotics. Many of my family members share my love and passion for people and animals. Some travel the world to help in relief programs and others help save endangered species. I guess helping others in need of help is in the Zdenek genes!
I’m especially fond of African servals and used to own a Savannah cat. That’s how I learned about Wildworks. Savannahs are the offspring of a serval and a domestic cat and are legal to have as pets. Like the serval, these hybrid cats are spotted and when a friend saw my Savannah she asked if I’d ever been to The Nature of Wildworks. Soon after that I connected with the organization and have been a donor since 2006. Now, as an on-site volunteer, I also enjoy giving my time to help care for all the animals, including Boxer and Happy Cat, the resident African servals.
|
 Lorie Zerweck - I was born and raised in northern California into a family affectionately referred to as “The Zerweck Zoo.” Animals have always been an important part of my life. I currently work as a freelance producer/production manager in television and film, but it’s the furry, feathered and finned creatures that are my true passion. In 2005, I created a non-profit animal newspaper, The Pet Gazette, promoting animal wellness, awareness, and rescue for both domestic and wild animals. Staying true to my family’s nickname, my home is often the recipient of orphaned raccoons, kittens, and other critters for surrogate care as well as housing my own brood of furry children. Over the past several years I have volunteered with many organizations, but the animals at the Nature of Wildworks have stolen my heart. I am honored to be part of such an extraordinary group of creatures, big and small, wild and tame, two-legged and four; a place where I can share a green bean with a fox, give a raccoon a rub, or listen to a puma purr. Being at Wildworks is an incredibly exquisite experience and much more rewarding than the red carpet!
|
 Patrick Hogan - I’m Mollie’s brother’s son, Patrick Hogan, which, I suppose, would make me her nephew. I began volunteering here at the very young age of ten and have been doing it ever since in my spare time. I am now fourteen and I live up by Yosemite and travel by train to do my volunteer work. I’ve always had cats and dogs, and I have a snake named Bob, but when I came to Wildworks I got the chance to raise a baby bobcat (Thunder) and coyotes (Trickster and Mesa). I helped my aunt Mollie with the shows and was the narrator in a cat training video. Now I help Mollie on the computer by doing typing for her and organizing her pictures. I don’t have a favorite animal here, since they are all great. I also play drums in a band known as Bleeding Vanity. You can check it out at: myspace.com/xbleedingxvanityx.
|
 Hi, I’m Charles Romero. I’m a 17 years old in my senior year at Thousand Oaks High School and my plans for the future are to enter the EATM program at Moorpark College and then go on for a formal degree and some type of work with animals. I have a great love for all living creatures, so when I was required to volunteer for 30 hours at a place of my choosing by my school’s Academy Program, I instantly jumped at the chance to work with animals. After getting hooked on The Nature of Wildworks, I don’t think I will stop volunteering upon finishing my project.
I was born and raised here in California and have traveled on vacation to multiple places from Alaska to Michigan. I took my first steps in Hawaii. I also have a love for photography and playing music. I play guitar and love to just hang out with friends and take random pictures of all kinds of stuff, especially animals.
|
 Erin Bukofsky - I have been volunteering at the Nature of Wildworks since February 2008. I graduated from Skidmore College in 2007 with a major in Environmental Studies. A fascination with animals has been a constant throughout my life so I decided to gain some experience working with them. The summer before my senior year I became an intern at the California Wildlife Center where I was able to care for ill and injured native wildlife. Then during one of my last semesters in college I studied abroad in Australia and entered into an internship working at a koala rehabilitation center. Both experiences were amazing and helped me realize that I wanted to pursue a career with animals. In September 2008 I was accepted into an internship at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC. During my three months at the zoo I studied the social and reproductive behaviors, activity patterns and effects of environmental noise on the Giant Anteaters on exhibit. I am currently seeking zookeeper positions at zoos across California and hope to eventually focus on environmental enrichment techniques for animals in captivity. Volunteering at the Nature of Wildworks has been a wonderful experience. I have learned a great deal about animal management and have become very attached to all of the animals at the facility.
|
 Amanda Cousins - Growing up in California I've always been captivated with wildlife and exotic animals. Going to Sea World or to a zoo inspired me to be an animal trainer as well as watching Jack Hanna and Steve Irwin. I grew up in Lancaster, CA and when I was 16 years old I started volunteering at the Antelope Valley Dog and Cat Rescue. I was there for 4 years and loved being there. I left there to go to Moorpark College and to apply to the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program. I've earned my AA degree in General Liberal Arts and Sciences and am hoping to get my Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. I've always wanted to work with animals in some capacity and knew this was the right career path for me. I wanted to get more exotic animal experience and came across The Nature of Wildworks. I've only been here for a short while but I absolutely love it. When I hear the coyotes barking and the wolf howling I get goose bumps. It's amazing to hear in the morning. I'm really enjoying my volunteer time at Wildworks and hope to pursue my dream and to someday become a marine mammal trainer and to hopefully be a killer whale trainer.
|
-
Click here for more information on our Volunteer Program & Protocol.
Click here for the Volunteer Application Form
|
