There is a genuine bond between Curator of Birds Bonnie Van Dam and the birds she works with.

“These animals pay just as much attention to us as we are paying to them, and I respect and love that,” Bonnie says as she reflects on the moment she found her true passion.

Bonnie started her career at the Detroit Zoo almost 30 years ago. Initially working with mammals, she was required to switch to working in the bird department, specifically the Penguinarium (which was then home to the penguins at the Detroit Zoo). This changed everything for her. She enjoyed the unique opportunity to interact with individual penguins and even saw the development of an incubation program that let her care for birds from egg to adult.

“Nobody doesn’t like a penguin,” Bonnie says. “They are just wonderful, wonderful animals!”

She continued her career working with other bird species and rose through the department’s ranks. Though men historically dominated the zookeeping field, Bonnie had a few great examples of women in leadership and saw room to grow. She helped usher in a time of change in zoos, where an emphasis was more heavily put on education, and the representation of men and women became balanced.

“Females have a different capacity for compassion and caring for and loving animals. Men do, too, but I think this is one reason we are seeing a trend of more women in this field,” Bonnie says. 

Bonnie’s most rewarding moments have centered around the DZS’s conservation efforts. She has worked to increase the piping plover population on Michigan shorelines from 17 breeding pairs to 80, which was vital to the species’ survival. In 2020, Bonnie and her team were tested with the challenges of COVID-19, but all came together. That turned out to be one of the program’s most successful years, rearing 39 chicks! Bonnie has also partnered with a vulture rescue in South Africa, where she saw birds she raised enter a wild breeding program.

As curator of birds, Bonnie is responsible for the entire bird department — along with the Detroit Zoological Society’s (DZS) conservation and SAFE programs, and her AZA commitments. However, she still finds time for her favorite part of her job – spending time with the birds.

“This is why I do it,” Bonnie says, reflecting as she shares stories of getting away from her desk and working with the cassowary and some of her favorite vultures. “You can be having a bad day or a rough month, but you can go and sit down with a penguin and have a one-on-one experience with the birds, and it makes everything all better.”

“Kassie the vulture is at Vulpro, and I’m so excited to see her!” Bonnie exclaims about an upcoming trip where she will assist in helping these critically endangered birds.

Bonnie is thrilled to see how women have made a place for themselves in the field of zookeeping — and in DZS leadership.

“I’m proud of my female zookeepers! They are very good and dedicated to all the birds, and I would love to see more and more females come up,” Bonnie says.

Bonnie shares this wisdom when advising the next generation of women zookeepers: “Get your background, get your degree, volunteer working with animals and don’t give up.”

The DZS is so fortunate to have trailblazers like Bonnie, who have made a real difference in the lives of countless birds and people at the Zoo.