Leadership & Organizational Behavior

The purpose of this paper is to summarize and critique "The Call of the Wild: Zookeepers, Callings, and
the Double-edged Sword of Deeply Meaningful Work"- a research article written by J. Stuart Bunderson
from the Washington University in St. Louis and Jeffery A. Thompson from the Brigham Young University.
The article explores and tries to validate three main topics: Zookeeping as an example of a profession
which considers the work to be a calling; the nature of the people who view their work as a calling; and
the sacrifices that these people have to make for their calling.

Zookeepers are people who chose their profession not primarily for the economic benefits but rather for
their passion for the job. The lack of economic incentive is easily seen from the average zookeeper
salary and the absence of opportunities for advancement. There are 4,680 zookeepers in the United

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States in 2004. They have an average annual income of $24,640 and the great majority possess a college

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degree (82%). As grim as these numbers may sound, the chances of earning them are small. Most of

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the zookeepers had to volunteer for months and years prior to being hired. Some of their
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responsibilities include cleaning the cages, feeding and bathing the animals, and behavior observation.
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In order to further analyze why a person would choose to perform such a job without much potential for
economic benefit, the article examines their sense of calling.
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The people who perform those responsibilities see it as a calling. They are altruistic individuals who
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made their occupational choice based on their identification with animals and the pursuit of their
wellbeing.
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“Zookeepers relate better to animals than they do to people. But then sometimes I think you’re just
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born an animal person”

“I naturally wanted to stay here because I had a gift.”

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These quotes represent how most of the zookeepers felt regarding their choice of profession.
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Zookeepers identify with their profession and have a conviction that their work has an impact on society.
The social impact comes from the ideology of wildlife conservation, prevention of the extinction of
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species, and the ability to educate people on animal behavior. They believe that their calling is also a
moral duty and that they must share their gifts with the ones that need them. Since their duties are
revolving strictly around the animals, zookeepers are willing to overlook all the negative aspects that the
profession has.

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 In addition to holding themselves to such a high standard, zookeepers tend to project the sense of moral
duty and the judgment on their organization and managers. Since their altruistic nature and
responsibilities revolve around their calling of pursuit of the animals’ wellbeing, they also feel that their
organization also has a moral duty to do so. Do the organization's decisions reflect the needs of the
animals or are they a business interest? Is my manager's decisions for the welfare of the animals or are
they geared towards the customers' entertainment? Those are some questions that zookeepers, as
guardians, always ask in order to secure the wellbeing of their animals and fulfill their moral duty
towards them.
The study disproves the belief that animal mistreatment within the zoo would be a reason for the
zookeepers to leave the job. On the contrary, most of them felt that the mistreatment is an even
greater reason to continue working there and fulfill their duty as guardians of the animals. Many of the

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guardians recall stories regarding the effect that their presence alone had on the care of the animals.

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They believe that had they not being there and voiced their opinions, management would have made

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choices that directly impact the animals’ wellbeing. The sense of a calling and moral duty has enabled

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zookeepers to sacrifice for their profession.
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As morally rewarding and satisfying as Zookeeping is, it comes at a heavy price. Money and the lack of
the possibility of earning more in the future seems to be a big hurdle for zookeepers. Most of them had
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to find second or even a third job just to make ends meet. Some stated that without a working spouse
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they would not be able to support themselves.

The environment is also tough, could be treacherous, and potentially fatal. A great amount of the duties
are outdoors and need to be completed regardless of the outside conditions. The animals need care all
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year long. Their cages can be dirty from a night of animal activities and it is the zookeepers’ responsibility
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to maintain a clean environment. The environment is also very dangerous. A mistake with an animal can
not only cost your life but the lives of your coworkers and the public. In
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addition to the environment, the responsibilities are also challenging and can spill over and affect the
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staffs' personal lives. Zookeepers are essentially on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If there is a
problem with one of the animals from their area, the zookeeper is expected to be there regardless of the
time.
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The article has made a clear connection between the sense of a calling for zookeepers and their choice
to become one. Their conclusions were based on qualitative and quantitative data from 982 zookeepers
from 157 different zoos. The data validated the theories that zookeepers felt a calling and a moral duty

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 when choosing their job, placed the same expectations on their managers and organization, and were
also willing to make significant sacrifices for their profession.

A positive and significant relationship was found between calling and both occupational identification
and moral duty. The correlation between moral duty and perceived organizational duty was very high (r
= .75). Positive and significant relationships between calling and each dependent variable- work
meaningfulness, occupational importance, a willingness to sacrifice and perceived organizational duty.

The data reaffirmed the concept from the interviews that zookeepers pursue their calling not for the love
of performing the tasks, but rather for the idea that their gift must be shared with society and the
animals. They didn’t simply choose to become zookeepers. Their careers were predetermined by their
“wiring” and apparent in the circumstances of their lives.

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The article took on exploring the notion of a personal calling. They further looked into Zookeeping as a

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profession that employs people with such a sense of calling. In order to validate their hypotheses, the

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research used survey and interview data to explain what makes a person choose this profession and

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what exactly their motivators are. It provides a good analysis and summary of the notion of a perceived
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personal calling.
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