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Sarah Paese

@sarahbird___

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Be kind. Love birds. 🤘🏼
•These are the animals I care for at @cincinnatizoo 💕
•Animal Ambassador Team trainer 🦉🦨
•Education & Conservation 🐾🪺

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Although our plan was for Lily to raise her kit, we ended up having to do so… and omg… it has been so incredibly special to raise such a confident little boi.

One of the unique things about raising an ambassador animal is that they NEED to see their keepers as their safe space. They’ll be exploring new areas, experiencing new things, and meeting new people their whole lives. If they ever get nervous, we want them to come to us to “protect” them rather than bolting or hiding. That’s why you’ll see ambassador keepers being so hands-on with their animals. It’s a bond that takes a lot of time and effort that keeps them safe and stress free. 🖤🦨

With that being said, some animals don’t feel security with their keepers through affection like this. Instead just being near you is what’s important to them or maybe their travel carrier is their safe spot to go to. It’s our responsibility to know our animals like the back of our hands, pay constant attention to their body language and react immediately based on those observations to keep building that high level of trust.

Marshmallow is at the age of constant wrestle/play. This is something he would have practiced with his siblings, but since he was a solo kit and an imprint, he wrestles and plays with us instead! This open mouth flop is what we’d see from Lily and her siblings at this age. Marshy the shark 😆

*Skunks are not pets. The point of our ambassador skunks is to educate people on the importance of native wildlife, not harming them but also leaving them wild.*

#marshmallowtheskunk #skunk #skunks #skunksofinstagram #babyskunk #baby #skunkkits #kits #babies #animals #animal #babyanimal #babyanimals #animalsofinstagram #zoo #czbg #zookeeper #zookeepers #zookeeperlife #zookeeping #cincinnati #cincinnatizoo #lovemyjob by @sarahbird___

I’ve cried multiple times making this as I think about Harley and how far he’s come. One year ago, Ellen and I started down this path of teaching Harley, our 21-year-old non-flighted macaw, how to fly. He was previously a pet bird before coming to the zoo and never knew how to use his wings to get around.

It’s been amazing to see his strength and confidence transform over the last year. To have been a part of that impact on an animal is an honor. I have grown throughout this process too. This has been a training challenge that stretched my brain at every step from the start, and it’s been so much fun. We’re not done though! We work on Harley’s flying every day and are still challenging him to learn what he’s capable of. We are making and surpassing new goals constantly.

I’m grateful for Harley and everything he has taught me. Im grateful for Ellen letting me into Harley’s world and being the most humble collaborator and teammate. I’m grateful for this job and the work I get to do to every day - providing the best life possible for the animals in our care while educating the public on ways they can help wild counterparts.

Happy one year of flight, HarleyBird! You amaze me daily.

#harleythemacaw #macaw #parrot #birds #birdnerd #macaws #parrots #flying#macawsofinstagram #parrotsofinstagram #birdsofinstagram #fly #flight #flighttraining #learningtofly #training #animaltraining #birdtraining #animal #animals #animalsofinstagram #zoo #zookeeper #zookeepers #abma @theabma #zookeeperlife #cincinnati #czbg #cincinnatizoo #lovemyjob by @sarahbird___

It’s that time of year when nothing is more important to Sassafras than gifting his food to us… Sass is an imprint and sees people as his type so he adamantly brings food gifts to his keepers during breeding season. 🎁🪱 Goal for the new year - go after what you want with the focus and dedication of Sassafras. 😆

#sassafrastheowl #owl #screechowl #raptor #bird #birdnerd #birdofprey #sass #sassafras #birdsofinstagram #owlsofinstagram #cute #raptors #animals #animalsofinstagram #zoo #owls #flirt #flirty #gifts #cincinnati #cincinnatizoo #czbg #zookeeper #zookreepers #lovemyjob by @sarahbird___

Instagram vs reality 😂 They were v cute for the first picture, though short-lived.. lol swipe to see the behind the scenes norm for these two young foxes figuring each other out. Kal and Lou are a mated breeding pair after an SSP rec. Over the next month or two, we expect to see them get a little more snippy with each other before settling into breeding season.

#batearedfox #foxes #animals #funny #ohio by @sarahbird___

I just will never get over how much this sweet boy loves attention from people. He melts for scratches.

Kal was hand-raised to be an ambassador and therefore has a strong connection with keepers. Even so, he is a part of the Bat-eared Fox SSP and is a bonded pair with his lady, Lou.

#foxes #animals #kalthefox #cincinnati #funny by @sarahbird___

Zoofari Knights 2026: An Evening of Tails and Scales 🦎🗡️👑

#zoofari #cincinnatizoo #zoofariknights #cincinnati #ohio by @sarahbird___

It was National Fox Day yesterday! Foxes have just taken over my life in the last couple years and not complaining.

*volume up* Gave Scamp his breakfast in a bag. First he brought it back to me, then ran around with it, and finally ripped it open. Happy noises and happy tail the whole time 😂💙

#redfox #foxes #animals #zoo #funny by @sarahbird___

Came back from a meeting and there’s a porcupine exploring the cheetah exhibit 😍 Cat Show brought Violet down to the yard for some enrichment and zoomies and I got to say hi on my way back!

#porcupine #animals #cute #zoo #cincinnati by @sarahbird___

The cutest couple & me. Kal and Lou are a fully bonded pair now and we are hopeful for future breeding success! It’s important for us to have high trust with them so we can assess kit health and parent health easily.

#fox #animals #foxes #zoo #couplegoals by @sarahbird___

Happy 11th Hatch Day, Zu. I have learned so much from paying close attention to you.

#birds #animals #zoo #birthday #beautiful by @sarahbird___

Yesterday we had to say goodbye to Opal, an incredible sweetheart of an opossum who reached thousands of people during her three and a half years. She was deeply loved by my team, by members of our education and wild encounters teams, by zoo staff and by guests far and wide. Her impact was enormous. 🩷 Sending all the love and hugs to those who handled her most, knew her best and dedicated the most time to her who are hurting extra today.

#rip #opossum #opaltheopossum #animals #zoo by @sarahbird___

Blue the Von der Decken’s Hornbill 💙

#birds #zookeeper #tattoo #birdtattoo #hornbill by @sarahbird___