Zoo director finds dream job with love of animals

Hogle Zoo houses some 800 animals representing more than 200 species. As such, it is a complex and exciting place to work. No one knows that better than zoo director Craig Dinsmore.

What's his favorite animal?

"I'm an avowed generalist," says the leader of the state's largest zoo for more than 12 years.

When pressed further, he finally concedes: "I like the big cats a lot." That's because they have "the perfect combination of grace and power."

Though his job may be 8 to 5 some days, he's on call 24 hours a day.

One good example of this was in September, when Misha the African elephant was sick and Dinsmore took calls during the night and personally assisted the animal care staff throughout the episode.

"There can be some pretty weird (telephone) calls at night," he said.

His job has plenty of variety, Dinsmore said.

"It's never the same," he said. "You have no excuse to get in a rut."

His work includes lobbying at the state Legislature, delving into fundraising, supervising employees, planning the zoo's budget and finances, meeting with the media or dealing with a new animal or the death of an old one.

He stresses that zoo directors today wear many hats, and balancing the needs of the zoo patrons with the welfare of the animals is one of his key challenges.

"It's a fine line," Dinsmore said. The people need services, "but we don't exist without the animals. … We focus (mostly) on the animals."

Dinsmore said when he started at Hogle, he thought his zoo knowledge was vast. He quickly learned otherwise.

"This place is so complex," he said, with many different types of animals, the zoo's train, carousel, food concessions and more.

As Dinsmore strolls about the zoo grounds, there's nothing immediately apparent to distinguish him as the facility's top administrator. No name tag, no suit, no lofty attitude.

But what is clear is that he's both an animal lover and a people person.

"He's a good role model and a great leader," said Holly Braithwaite, zoo spokeswoman. "He cares on a personal level."

Not only does he take time to say hello to employees and ask how they're doing when he's on grounds during the day, but he also makes himself available to participate in Hogle Zoo employee activities.

"A couple of months ago, we had a job fair to hire new employees," Braithwaite said. "And Craig personally helped out with interviewing the hundreds of people who came to Hogle Zoo seeking seasonal employment."

The 58-year-old Fort Collins, Colo., native is still a zookeeper at heart. He's had a love of nature and animals since he was young and eventually "gravitated toward a career in zoos," he said.