Experienced Animal Director comes to GVZQ

         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.