Piper
Dwight
Caregiver /
Research Assistant (Part-Time)
“If
you love it so much, why don’t you just marry it?”
That’s what the other kids used to say to Piper when she
would talk on and on about her pets and how funny/cute/nice
they were. Despite all the teasing, she simply always considered
pets and other wild animals to be her friends. She had many
different animals growing up, from ducks and chickens to goats
and horses. Her family and their everlasting devotion to caring
for animals was always a strong influence on Piper and made
her realize that all animals, not just us humans, deserve to
live a great life.
While attending Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo Piper began interning
at a local zoo as an educator and caregiver for the zoo’s
education department. It was there that Piper really felt she
was making a difference. Teaching children about animals and
conservation was thrilling and she could see that kids really
want to help make this world a better place. Watching this eagerness
in children encouraged Piper to continue working in the conservation
field. After obtaining her BS in Social Science, Piper worked
at the zoo and also for a company specializing in reptile care.
She enjoyed taking care of countless reptile species. She considered
all those her friends, too!
When Piper moved back to her hometown of Portola Valley, California,
she was ecstatic to be hired at the Gorilla Foundation. She
would like to continue taking care of animals in need, and educating
and prividing children with the resources they need
to become leaders put a halt to human-driven extinction, especially
of the great apes. We are fortunate to live in a world with
diverse species of intelligent animals, it is our responsibility
to ensure their survival into the future.
Piper continues to visit and provide care for Koko and Ndume once or twice a month. |
