Meet Diane Ledder:
Curator and Zoologist for the
San Diego Wild Animal Park
My Life

Sara: What were you like when you were a girl?

Diane: I liked the outdoors a lot. We had a camp in the woods near where we lived. I used to like to pretend I was on an adventure. One of my very favorite movies of all time is "Hatari," filmed in Africa with John Wayne. It was an adventure story about men and women living there who were capturing animals for zoos. That's something we don't do much of anymore, but it was a faraway place and it involved animals and adventure, and that was what was exciting to me. I still watch that movie every time I get a chance.

Sara: Your job sounds a lot like that movie!

Diane: You know, it does. I didn't think I'd end up doing this, but in a strange way, it's come around to that kind of a dream or a fantasy. It's neat.

Sara: What do you like to do with your time off?

Diane: I like to ride. I used to have a horse, but I don't anymore. I like sports. I scuba dive. I like to run. I run a couple of times a week with my dog, and then on weekends I take a long run by myself or with my boyfriend. I like to play tennis. I like to walk, hike, explore.

I like to travel to faraway places and meet new people and have different experiences. That's a lot of fun.

Sara: Do you have a favorite animal?

Diane: My favorite animal in the whole world would be my dog. It's really hard to say. I find all animals fascinating. There's not one that I don't like. As far as a companion animal and a best friend, my dogs are it. I have two yellow Labrador retrievers, mother and son. Her name is Abby and his name is Barkley. He's a big moose. He runs with me almost every day. We also have an Amazon parrot, two lovebirds, two African hedgehog tamarins from Madagascar, and a tortoise in the back yard.

Sara: You take care of collections of animals at work. Is there anything you like to collect at home?

Diane: We have a lot of animal art work in our home. That brings me a great deal of pleasure...animal sculpture and animal paintings. Lots of times, when I go on trips, I keep a journal, and I always take pictures. I usually take slides because I use them for presentations when I get back for teaching or for lectures. I like slides because you turn down the lights, and the picture fills up the whole room, and it's like you're living it again. It makes it that much more exciting for me.

Sara: What's your favorite ice cream or treat?

Diane: Chocolate mint Girl Scout cookies are really good. Heath Bar Crunch ice cream is good. I like sushi too. And before I go to bed, a glass of warm milk with honey. Yummm. It's sweet and warm and it tastes good.

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