FORT WORTH, Texas — In July, zookeepers around the county are honored during National Zoo Keeper Week, which is celebrated each year on the third week of the month.

The observance passed by Congress in 2007 was made possible via the efforts of the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK). Its goal is to appreciate the year-round behind-the-scenes work, conservation efforts and passion these animal lovers bring to their communities.Their expertise is essential to a smooth functioning operation of any zoo and the 365-days-a-year animal care.

One of the zookeepers passionate about the vocation is Timothy Nicewander. He’s worked at the Fort Worth Zoo for more than a decade and specializes as an aquarist in the Bait Shack building of the zoo’s Texas Wild Habitat.

Zookeeper Timothy Nicewander has worked at the Fort Worth Zoo for more than a decade and specializes as an aquarist. (Spectrum News 1/ Lupe Zapata)
Zookeeper Timothy Nicewander has worked at the Fort Worth Zoo for more than a decade and specializes as an aquarist. (Spectrum News 1/ Lupe Zapata)

“I like nature. I just want to teach people about nature,” said Nicewander. “A lot of people are divorced from the land. They don’t really know about the stuff around their area. If we can teach people about the nature around an area, I think that’s the most important thing we can do.”

For him, putting on the khaki uniform every day leads to a dream job. As a kid, he visited the Fort Worth Zoo often and said the visits sparked his interest in all things nature.

“When I was a kid, I was given a book from Usborne that was called 'The Young Naturalist,'” said Nicewander. “It was one of my favorite books as a child, that and 'The Practical Paleontologist.' I just love the idea of nature studying animals and plants.”

When most people come to the Fort Worth Zoo, they’re excited to see the bigger animals like giraffes and elephants. The zoo currently houses over 540 species of animals, including 72 species of mammals, 148 species of birds and 172 species of ectotherms. Fort Worth zookeepers like Nicewander are proud to be working at the zoo which was named No. 1 in North America by USA Today in 2020.

While the zoo is working on the second phase of its $100-million master plan, A Wilder Vision, and promoting its new Elephant Springs Habitat, Nicewander is more interested in the smaller animals.

He’s currently working on a special conservation project with non-endangered clams that would help other endangered species of mollusks.

In the middle of the zoo sits a man-made stream moved by a waterfall, representing the Texas Hill Country. Inside the stream sits a basket of net with three living mussels, a pigtoe, a pistolgrip and a pimpleback. “I know they have weird names,” said Nicewander.

A pistolgrip mussel is weighed at the Fort Worth Zoo. (Spectrum News 1/Lupe Zapata)
A pistolgrip mussel is weighed at the Fort Worth Zoo. (Spectrum News 1/Lupe Zapata)

The program aims to learn how exactly to keep these species alive in captivity. Then, Nicewander and his team will work to breed these non-endangered species. Once they get the breeding down and are able to keep them alive, they’ll then focus on the endangered species and breed them for eventual reintroduction back into the wild.

“They’re not super attractive. They’re just kind of weird and those are the animals that are most interesting to me,” said Nicewander. “These mollusks have their own weird little quirks. They have their own weird issues, but they’re incredibly important and nobody talks about them or thinks about them.”

Walking around the zoo, Nicewander can point out whether or not the plants he passes are edible. Plants like the Hackberry produce sweet berries in the fall, while the green leaves of the Chinese privet are poisonous.

One tree that looks very unassuming to the average zoo visitor is the yaupon holly.The species has nearly as much caffeine as coffee. “This is the only species in the U.S. that has caffeine naturally. If you grind it up, you can make a really good tea that has a smokey taste,” said Nicewander.

As a proud self-proclaimed naturalist, he’s committed to helping improve animal welfare and conservation by educating those who visit the zoo.

“Read as many books as you possibly can,” he said. “Find every single sort of nature book or anything like that that interests you. Read it, collect it, learn about the animals and plants that are in your area, learn about the zoos and aquariums that are in your area, and once you have the opportunity volunteer if you can.”

Now the father of two young children, he hopes to pass along the passion not only to his kids, but also to the next generation of land-lovers like him.

If you have an interesting story or an issue you’d like to see covered, let us know about it.

Share your ideas with DFW human interest reporter Lupe Zapata: Lupe.Zapata@Charter.com