Meet Your MN Zoo Animal Experts

What is your name? Kristi Berg

What is your job and background?

My job is the STEM Specialist at the Minnesota Zoo! I get to work with teachers and school groups to show how important STEM is to having a career working with animals and saving wildlife! I used to be a Middle School Science teacher, and now I have been at the Zoo for 7 years and I love it!

What do you like about working at the Minnesota Zoo?

My favorite is getting to visit animals any time I want. I also especially love connecting with kids and sharing my passion for animals and conservation. It’s so fun seeing how excited kids are meet our animals and learn more about them!

What is your favorite animal?

This is a hard question, but I absolutely LOVE our three male sea otters: Rocky, Jasper, and Capers. I love sitting in front of their habitat and watching them swim, play, and spin their way through the water.

What is your name?

Liz Gilles

What is your job and background?

I work in the Education Department providing fun programs to kids, families, and schools. Before I came to the Zoo I was a Middle School and High School Science Teacher. Before that, I did Conservation and Environmental Education in the rainforest in the country of Panama. I love animals and teaching other people about them!

What do you like about working at the Minnesota Zoo?

I like that everyday I learn something new about some of our animals and then share what I learned with our guests.

What is your favorite animal?

Right now my favorite animal is the prairie dog because I love how they look when they jump out of their burrows and call to each other. They are so cute! I I also love that they are engineers creating really cool tunnels underground to live in.