Tattooing the People Who Care for Wildlife

3 hours ago

2 min read

San Francisco and Oakland Zookeepers

Some of my favorite animal tattoos belong to the people who work with these incredible creatures every day.

Over the years, I've had the pleasure of tattooing several zookeepers from the San Francisco Zoo and Oakland Zoo. I believe I'm up to about five now, and interestingly, they're all current or former coworkers!

One of the things I love about these clients is that their tattoos often feature the very animals they spend their days caring for.

I've tattooed a woman who works with bats, a man who cares for koalas and other fascinating species, and another who works with hoofstock—the zoo industry's term for hoofed animals such as antelope, giraffes, zebras, and various species of deer.

It's not every day that someone comes into my studio with firsthand knowledge of animals most of us have only seen in photographs.

More Than Just a Favorite Animal

For many people, an animal tattoo represents a favorite species, a personality trait, or a connection to nature.

For zookeepers, that connection can be much more personal.

These are animals they spend years caring for, observing, feeding, and getting to know as individuals.

I love hearing about their personalities, their behaviors, and the relationships these keepers develop with them.

And as someone who loves animals, I find these conversations absolutely fascinating.

A Different Perspective on Animal Portraits

One of the interesting things about tattooing zookeepers is how familiar they are with their subjects.

They notice the details that make an individual animal recognizable—the shape of its face, its markings, its expression, or a particular feature that someone less familiar might overlook.

That knowledge adds another dimension to the tattoo design process.

My job is to translate those details into artwork that captures the animal's character while creating a composition that works beautifully on skin.

The Unexpected Connections Tattooing Creates

I never expected to develop a little network of zookeeper clients through my tattoo work.

But one client leads to another, and suddenly I'm learning about bats, koalas, hoofstock, and all sorts of fascinating animals.

It's one of my favorite things about this career.

Tattooing brings people from completely different professions and backgrounds into my studio, and I get to learn a little about their worlds while creating something meaningful for them.

And when those people happen to spend their days caring for incredible animals?

Well, that's a pretty good day at work.