Adventures in the Animal Kingdom

Claire Quinn’s (B.S. ’15, biological sciences) mission to share her passion for biology and conservation takes her to the largest theme park on the planet.

When Claire Quinn (B.S. ’15, biological sciences) graduated from the University of Maryland, she wanted to find a job where she could share her passion for biology and conservation and make a real difference in the world. 

“I definitely wanted to be able to have an impact,” Quinn said. “I imagine that’s a big thing for a lot of biology students, and it was really important to me too.”

Quinn found her ideal opportunity where she least expected it—inside the largest theme park in the world. Today, she serves as a conservation education coordinator for Disney’s 580-acre Animal Kingdom Theme Park, where she teaches guests from around the world about animals and the environment through the park’s Wilderness Explorers program. 

“My role is to connect guests to nature and also to influence their knowledge, attitude and behaviors,” she said. “We’re teaching people about wildlife and conservation, and we’re teaching them to care for the planet, which is so vitally important—we focus a lot on that.”

Quinn’s job at Disney blends her expertise in biology and conservation with the fun and adventure of a theme park experience.

“I drive past a giraffe on my way into work almost every day, and not everyone can say that,” she explained. “Working at a zoo that’s also a Disney theme park is definitely very unique and exciting.”

Intrigued by animals

Quinn grew up outside Baltimore, just down the street from the Maryland Zoo, and was always fascinated by animals and nature. Thanks to her high school science classes and a volunteer experience at Baltimore’s National Aquarium, her interest in science deepened. In 2011, Quinn began college at UMD, majoring in biological sciences with a specialization in ecology and evolution. As part of the College Park Scholars program, she connected with professors who shared her passion for science, and, inspired by their enthusiasm, she started considering a career in environmental or conservation education. 

“Their passion for science was very impactful, and it helped me see that teaching the general public about science is really important,” Quinn said. “And especially because our program theme was Science and Global Change, that really tied into what I love about biology. For me, the idea of teaching others about how the world is changing and how animals and plants interact with each other was really interesting.”

For Quinn, two college internships—one in community outreach and education at the National Aquarium and another evaluating water quality studies on the Patuxent River at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—added valuable educational and research experiences to the knowledge she gained in the classroom. But when she graduated in 2015, she still didn’t have a clear plan for her future.

“I thought I would take six months or a year and start looking for a job,” she recalled. “I knew I was interested in environmental education or conservation education, and I was really passionate about the Chesapeake Bay and ecosystems in Maryland, so I did look at places around there, but at some point, I decided to go live somewhere different for a bit and see what happens.”

In 2016, when Quinn got accepted for a paid internship at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, she headed for Orlando and never looked back.

“I got into the Disney College Program, and I'm still here 10 years later,” she said. “I never left.”

Flamingoes to gorillas        

Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is home to 300 different species and thousands of animals from around the world. The park has an active conservation and wildlife preservation program that works to increase populations of endangered and threatened species worldwide. 

In the park’s Wilderness Explorers program, where Quinn got her start as an education presenter, guests earn badges by learning about the park’s animals—from flamingoes to gorillas—and the importance of protecting them. 

“I knew Animal Kingdom had animals, but I didn't fully realize that Wilderness Explorers would be such a robust educational program. We commit a lot to conservation and caring about wildlife,” Quinn explained. “The job involves being around animals a lot of the time, so we’re the ones who answer questions about them and share their stories. And everything I’d learned about biology in the classroom gave me a great foundation for that.”

Quinn went on to become an educational guide on the Animal Kingdom’s Wild Africa Trek and Savor the Savanna tours, sharing her ever-expanding knowledge of African wildlife and ecology and raising awareness about protecting endangered species. Later in her Disney career, she traveled to Baja California, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands as part of a Miami University master’s degree program focused on biology, biodiversity and evolution.

“I got to see conservation work in the field, and that was really impactful for me,” she reflected. “Being able to travel to those places so I could share those stories more effectively and also seeing how different communities around the world are doing conservation work, that was just really cool for me.” 

An impact that matters

In 2018, Quinn returned to the Wilderness Explorers program as a mentor for a new group of college graduates starting their own Animal Kingdom internships. 

“I love getting a chance to impact the people who are at the beginning of their career, because I have been there,” she explained, “and it’s exciting being able to share experiences and help them understand what you can do with conservation education as a scientist.”

Now, nearly a decade into her Disney adventure, Quinn still enjoys interacting with guests and all kinds of animals every day.

“I am kind of lucky in my coordinator role because I’m pretty mobile, so I get to spend time in my favorite animal exhibits,” she said. “We have some cotton-topped tamarins, which are these tiny little monkeys; they're some of my favorites. I'm a big fan of our white rhinos, also. They’re really cool, and they have some great conservation stories.”

Although she has spent countless hours sharing her conservation message with park visitors, Quinn hasn’t lost her passion for teaching or her commitment to making a meaningful impact. 

“The ultimate goal for me in my role is to connect guests to nature and also to influence their knowledge, attitude and behaviors,” she explained. “Our end goal is always that they walk away having learned something, and hopefully they feel inspired. And then because of those feelings and that knowledge, we hope they're going to go home and do something about it: they're going to use less plastic, they're going to recycle more and they’re going to keep learning about conservation.”

Working at a giant theme park might not be the career she expected, but Quinn feels lucky to be doing a job she loves, in a place that often feels almost too good to be true.

“I have pinch-me moments a lot,” Quinn said, “because, yes, it's Disney, and I grew up coming to the parks on vacation like a lot of people did. The fact that I'm now going on almost 10 years working for this company is something I'm very proud of. I feel like I’ll be sticking around here for a while.”