"Our quality of work is their quality of life" is a quote that has been inspirational to the Behavioral Husbandry Team and also hangs in our office to inspire others. Here is a profile of the author Meryle Nelson.

Meryle has worked with animals his entire life. Raised on a ranch in Colorado he was a true cowboy. In 1963 he moved his family to the Chicago area searching for a better life. He answered an add in the newspaper from the Brookfield Zoo looking to hire "farm boys." He began his zoo career in the hoofstock area in 1964. His favorite part of the job was interacting with the animals and designing enrichment devices. Although he enjoyed all the animals, the okapi stole his heart due to their unique behavior and personality. Meryle was involved in various okapi research projects including those that impacted animals in the wild. His career has taken him all over the world. When asked about the quote he said:

"I remember writing the verse. Sometimes with the hustle and bustle of working with the animals we forget the importance of what we are actually doing. I wanted to remind the staff that the work we were doing directly affected the animals' lives. The quality matters. In my position at the zoo I was involved in training new keepers and I used my verse to instill in the that the animals were dependant on our hard work."

Meryle is now retired. He and his wife Carol enjoy traveling around in their fifth wheel camper with their little dog, Winter. They prefer to camp at state parks so that they can walk the nature trails and watch the wildlife.