Former Palisade
resident Holly Tumas, the Animal Husbandry Director of ZooQuest, has years of experience
with domestic and wild animals. She will present information about the care and
handling of zoo animals at the GVZQ booths.
Holly and her
family lived in California for over 40 years before renting in Palisade for eight
months last year before moving and taking her volunteer job with GVZQ.
Few people know
that Holly has a degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management and has worked
with Jack Hanna, many movie and television celebrities. Yet she is more
passionate talking about her favorite animals she trained and handled while
working in her home state.
This petite young
woman was born and raised in California and received a degree in Journalism,
Marketing and Public Relations at Long Beach State. Her first job with
Paramount Studios placed her as assistant movie publicity department for such
shows as Star Trek, the Next Generation,
ET and others.
“This is where I’m suppose to be.
Training animals is my true passion.”
It was a good
thing that Holly was passionate about this because she found out that it was an
intensive 24/7 schooling schedule.
“I loved it. I jumped
in 110% of two years of my life, very intense program. We were taking classes
during the day, helping clean the zoo every morning and evening and feed the
animals. On 2 or 3 evenings a week we would work the ‘Night Watch.’
She graduated in
May 1997, and Holly laughed at telling the name of her degree program, “ You
are going to love the acronym: E.A.T.M., which stands for Exotic Animal
Training and Management Program.”
In 1998 Holly came
back to be the American Teaching Zoo assistant at her alma mater until 2009.
The job became more than full time, but she found the time for her marriage and
the birth of her child.
“The move was a
time to be a stay-at-home mom and wife,” she admits. “After we moved from
Palisade, I learned about the Zoo Quest to build a zoological center, and I
feel this move was meant to be.”
Holly connected
with every animal she trained, and she has pictures that help her relive her
memories of the people and animals that she met and will never forget.
This weekend she
begins handling and presenting the Grand Valley Zoological Center animals to
her Colorado neighbors, and she starts her new career, caring for the amazing
animals that will be in the Western Colorado Wildlife Conservancy.
