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 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.
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 Dennis Davis - Lead animal care and volunteer coordinator
Born and raised in Southern California and always having pets as a child, my earliest memories include dogs and cats, with a bird in there for a short period. Every year on my birthday I would migrate back to San Diego and spend time at the zoo or the Wild Animal Park. I thought about caring for these animals but didn't have any formal training, so I concentrated on my artwork, which included some of the animals. I’ve now been a professional artist for more than twenty years. I attended the Famous Artist School, a correspondence course, (after drawing "Winky"), along with any regular school courses that I could get into. I still think of myself as a growing artist in style and subject. After getting married and having two beautiful daughters, I got the formal training in animal care I sought at Moorpark College's Exotic Animal Training and Management program, which is a hands-on learning, full-time zoo. I found employment with The Nature of Wildworks in August 2005 and am still learning daily from Mollie and the animals. Hopefully, you have been able to meet some of them or you will soon.
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 Laura Goggia - Development Director/Office Administrator
I was fortunate to be raised with very understanding parents! Our home was always open to a large variety of domestic animals. I remember finding a gopher snake and asking my mother if I could keep it. Her response was “as long as I never have to see it!” When I was thirteen I volunteered at a local nature center, helping clean cages, prepare food, and basically increasing my love of all animals. After too many years working in the finance and mortgage profession I took a break in 1998 and started volunteering (and eventually working) at the Los Angeles Zoo where I became a Docent. It is there that I had a life changing event…I met Mollie. I was intrigued when she told me that after the funding was lost for her wildlife show she “took the animals home.” I could not believe that the Zoo let her just take home animals… where do I sign up? Now, after so many years of watching what Mollie has to do to keep the animals fed, sheltered, and given a good quality of life, I know that taking home wild animals requires someone very special and someone with unending stamina.
Eventually, I returned to the mortgage field only to be displaced as a result of market conditions. Who knew that becoming unemployed could have a great outcome? Fortune was smiling when I lost my job at the same time Wildworks was seeking an Office Administrator and Development Coordinator. Now I am able to help the organization by researching grants, submitting proposals, and keeping track of donations. Additionally, being around such a variety of animals and getting a loving purr from Phoenix makes my commute from Covina well worth the drive. The Nature of Wildworks has forever changed my life. These animals all have distinct personalities and all have found their way into my heart. I know that whatever the future holds, I will always make room for Wildworks.
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 RoseMarie Zar -
Outreach Program Coordinator
I have always been an animal lover and known that I wanted to work with animals ever since I was a little girl. Jack Hannah has inspired me and I knew that I wanted to be like him as a zoo keeper and animal trainer specializing with big cats. I started working with animals at the age of 13, I began volunteering at P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter in Tinley Park, Illinois. I took care of dogs and cats and helping them to find homes for about 2 years. Throughout high school and college I worked for 2 veterinarians for 3 years and volunteered at Miller Park Zoo for 2.5 years. I graduated from Illinois State University with my Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Science and minored in Psychology. My last semester at Illinois State University, I conducted my own research project based on Environmental Enrichment and its effect on captive animals, which became my undergraduate thesis and later became published in the Shape of Enrichment journal. I have also had the privilege and honor of working at the Chicago Zoological Society Brookfield Zoo.
After graduating from Illinois State University I moved to California to continue my education and graduated from the Exotic Animal Training and Management (EATM) program from America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College. Having worked with animals for 13 years, I kept going for my “dream job,” working with big cats in the zoo. Joining the team at Nature of Wildworks has been more than dream job, I love working with the animals, the people, the volunteers and the children.
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 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.
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 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.
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 Jackie Traynor - I am a native of Southern California and feel fortunate to have grown up in the San Fernando Valley when much of if was still farmland. For as long as I can remember, animals have always put the wonder in my wonder years. Growing up, my best friend had a small farm with a menagerie I could not get enough of! She had a pony named Princess with a little red cart, a donkey name Ho Tee (“Don Quixote”), a goat who also pulled a cart, countless dogs and cats, and a yard full of ducks and chickens. I finally got a few horses of my own, and for many years I ran the horseback riding program at Meadow Oak Camp in Calabasas. After twenty years of working in entertainment, I am teaching children once again at a private school in the canyon. After years of volunteer work at a wildlife center, and caring for orphan squirrels in my home, the path led me to Wildworks. I connect with people at outreach programs, with children at the shows and birthday parties, and with the animals when I am around them. Maybe it is the purr of the mountain lions, or the first time the coyotes wagged their tails for me. All I know for sure is that I will never be the same.
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 Carly Dye - I’ve been volunteering at the Nature of Wildworks since the end of 2006 and I just love it. If asked, I guess I’d have to say my favorite animals are Rima, our older, female kinkajou and Foxy, our very vocal fennec fox. I graduated in the summer of ’06 from UC San Diego with a degree in Biological Anthropology. Within this major lies Primatology, a study that my two college internships revolved around. During these internships I had the opportunity to observe bonobos (a close relative of the chimpanzee) at both the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park. I fell in love with working with animals and knew that I had to continue in one capacity or another. Currently, I’m working on getting as much volunteer experience as possible and will hopefully go through the Moorpark Exotic Animal Training and Management Program in the future. Ultimately, I’d love to end up with a career working with primates in a zoo setting.
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 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!
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 Emily Karnes - I’m a native Californian, married with two children and two grandchildren. After working a number of years for stockbrokers and in aerospace, I went back to school to become a registered nurse. I spent 25 years in this profession, mostly in Oncology. Then, in 1999, I decided to take another direction. I went to work part time for an environmental group and started volunteering at The Nature Wildworks. I was hooked from day one (came home and told my husband I’d found my “golf” – he is a golf fanatic). For the next 5 ½ years I spent time learning as much as I could: cleaning enclosures, presenting animals at educational programs, making signs, and helping raise orphan babies for future release. You name it, I probably did it. My husband and I retired two years ago and started touring the U.S. full time in our motor home. But we do return to southern California a couple of times a year, and my first phone call when heading into town is to Wildworks: when and where can I help out, please? I’m still in awe of all these magnificent creatures. When I walk up to the mountain lions and hear them purr, I just melt. It’s such a privilege to be a Wildworks volunteer and have the animals be a part of my life.
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 Dena Souriall - I was born in Hollywood, California, and I think I'm here to stay. For the past 11 years, my family and I have lived in Simi Valley. I'm married and have three boys. I'm on my third profession: cosmetologist, production accountant, and last but not least, animal trainer. You know what they say, "three's a charm," "save the best for last," etc. Since childhood, I've had a great love for animals. At 16 I wanted to be a veterinarian, but I realized the job came with too much heartache for me to endure. I've had uncountable experiences with various exotic and domestic animals throughout my life. The instructional portion of my animal training was obtained through America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark's Exotic Animal Training and Management Program, and my "hands on" training was obtained through Hollywood Animals' Exotic Animal Training School working with lions and tigers and bears, oh my! I've also had various private training sessions with several exotic animal trainers. A couple of years ago I heard about Nature of Wildworks, so here I am, and here I'll stay, where my story continues...
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 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.
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 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.
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 Rebecca Harvey – Growing up in the Cascade Mountains in Oregon I was always around wildlife. Animals were constantly being killed on the highway, leaving orphans that needed to be taken care of. My favorites were a trio of raccoon babies I named Gutsy, Timid, and Shy after their obvious personalities. Having a lifetime love for animals, I kept them as a hobby as I pursued my career of choice: acting. My thirties came with a broken knee and the death of legendary conservationist Steve Irwin. Sitting in front of my TV, watching Animal Planet as I recovered from knee surgery, I redesigned my life. Still on crutches, I went back to school as a Zoology major. Now healed and healthy, I am a full time student who is thrilled by the opportunity to volunteer at The Nature of Wildworks. I learn so much every day I am there. My true loves are reptiles (especially snakes and crocodilians) and big cats. With my degree, I hope to pursue a career in wildlife conservation and endangered species research and sustainment.
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