Kevin Plath gained a passion for zoos – and a desire to eventually work at a zoo himself – while growing up in Illinois. His interest in working for a zoo continued into high school and college, and he had an opportunity to do an internship at Riverside Discovery Center in Scottsbluff two years ago. He recently returned to RDC to become a full-time zoo educator, and he said he couldn’t be happier helping kids and adults learn more about animals and conservation.
JEFF FIELDER Editor
SCOTTSBLUFF – Back when Kevin Plath was a toddler, he would often go with his parents to Miller Park Zoo, a small but cool zoo in his hometown of Bloomington, Illinois.
He loved spending hours there every week during the summer, observing how the animals interacted and taking part in a number of fun programs offered by the zoo.
“It had everything you could want in a zoo, like tigers, bears and large snakes,” he said. “I had a blast there, especially being involved in the programs. I learned so much about animals and taking care of animals.”
One of the memories that stands out in his mind is when zoo staff taught him and other children how to properly bag a snake.
“They wanted us to try it. We couldn’t use a live snake, of course, so we used Twinkies instead,” he said with a laugh. “I thought that was the coolest thing at the time.”
You can read the entire feature story in the July 2021 issue of Nspire Today! magazine. A one-year subscription (12 issues) is only $15. You may sign up for a subscription by sending $15 to Nspire Today!, P.O. Box 454, Scottsbluff, NE 69363, or you may pay with a credit card by calling 308-220-8865.
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