Trunkline Magazine (Louisville Zoo) March 2019 | Page 6

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 The Stories that Move Us...
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This year in Trunkline, we’re shar-
ing fun stories about the Zoo’s his-
tory and the people who have made
our Zoo what it is today. Stories of
hope, of struggle and triumph, of
passionate dedication, of friendship
and love. Stories that make us smile,
make us question and that make
us proud.
For 50 years, the Zoo has helped
to inspire thousands of people to
pursue careers in animal care, educa-
tion and a variety of sciences — and
stirred millions more to show com-
passion toward animals, the environ-
ment and appreciate having a Zoo in
their community.
We at the Zoo are deeply proud of
the role we play, the differences we
make within our community and of
the collective impact AZA-accredited
organizations are having worldwide.
Below learn about two of our long-
time keepers and the roles they have
played in shaping modern zoos on
the path to becoming champions of
endangered species.
We want to share
your Zoo stories too!
Post your pictures on social media
with the hashtag #LouZoo50 &
#wearelouzoo. Tag us on Instagram
@louisvillezooofficial, or on Twitter
and Facebook @louisvillezoo. Don’t
forget to make your post public!
Bill McMahan
If you’re near the HerpAquarium
and see a well-spoken keeper
with a snazzy brimmed hat and a
perfectly-maintained mustache —
you’re probably looking at the Lou-
isville Zoo’s HerpAquarium Curator
and 38-year veteran Bill McMahan.
Bill is best known over the years
at the Louisville Zoo for being the
patron of reptiles everywhere. Bill
was passionate about reptiles from
a young age. He learned about
geology and dinosaurs from books
his mother owned, and as a child,
wanted to become a vertebrate pa-
leontologist. “It’s not surprising that
I gravitated toward crocodiles later,
which are most closely allied with
reptile forms from the Mesozoic
era,” Bill said.
What you may not know is that
Bill’s tenure at the Zoo hasn’t solely
been with reptiles. In fact, he’s
worked with a host of animals over
the years. During his teenage years,
Bill spent his days caring for animals
in exotic pet shops that housed
everything from raptors to monkeys
(this was before the Endangered
Species Act of 1973), and even
tended to horses for a time. His
career at the Zoo actually started
as a night
keeper, mak-
ing rounds to
check on the
animals and
to make sure
the exhibits
were secured.
He later
moved into
the Louisville
Zoo’s Africa /
giraffe area,
caring for
a variety of
animals including various types of
antelope, big cats, small primates
and even some reptiles. “I loved
those years. Those were fun years.”
McMahan said. “When we had
two young orangutans, Tasha and
Tyrone, that temporarily came to
the Zoo for about 9 or 10 months,
I would go inside the exhibit and
hang on the ropes and they would
climb down my back! Animal
management standards were very
different in those days.”
When we began construction
for the HerpAquarium in the late
80s, Bill was hired on as head
keeper. He was responsible for
6 • Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Spring 2019
Bill McMahan, Gary Johnson and
Will Bird examine crocodile.
Bill McMahan in 2018