Jose Rodriguez knew that he wanted a career in animal science since he was a kid growing up in the Bronx. While not exactly teeming with nature, the city did provide glimpses of urban wildlife, which actually proved to be instrumental in his upbringing and future interests. He would spend summers collecting insects, and practicing his own brand of bird-watching.
Jose would go on to study Small Animal Care at DeWitt Clinton High School, in the Bronx, focusing on rodents, dog grooming and training, and fresh water aquarium maintenance and technology. This laid the groundwork for his college career.
Cosmo coming out for a snack. — at Fauna NYC.
He attended Rutgers University, and majored in Conservation Ecology and Natural Resource Management, with a minor in Entomology.
His coursework in entomology was especially important to him. Insect diversity is so impressive, and their sheer numbers are mind-boggling. Insects are both beautiful and unforgiving. Extremely important, yet so misunderstood and often-times feared, he felt that taking the time to study and truly understand insects was the first step towards learning to see the natural world as it should be seen; with a sense of awe, wonder, and respect.
After college, Jose took advantage of a great opportunity which would allow him to make a living combining two things he loved, teaching and animals. He took a position as Director of after-school programming for various schools through a non-profit organization in New Jersey. Looking to bring something different and unique to his school’s weekly line-up of activities, Jose developed an animal care and environmental science curriculum, with the goal of exposing other inner-city children to the sciences by using animals as hands-on teaching tools. This would later expand to include lessons in plant-life and gardening through a joint effort involving his program, Rutgers University, and the Fresh Air Fund.
Jose continued this work until 2010, when he decided to pursue a career more centered around animal care and animal science. Leaving New Jersey behind, he decided to head back to NYC and start from scratch. This would lead him to Fauna’s front door.
Jose Rodriguez reading to the children. After the story, they played with Fauna’s South American Tortoise — at Fauna NYC.
Currently working at various facilities in Manhattan as a small animal care specialist and educator, Jose has finally found his calling. Utilizing his large collection of animals that includes various exotic rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and 6 different species of insects, Jose aims at putting on programming that aside from being educational and fun, changes the way one perceives an animal, the way one approaches it, and most importantly the way one judges it. Fauna has been an amazing place to execute this.
Learning about Fauna upon moving back to the city, purely through word of mouth, Jose was drawn to its emphasis on sustainability, responsible pet ownership, and how well-crafted and executed the animals’ enclosures were. It afforded him the opportunity to continue working with, and educating children, which is of the utmost importance in terms of helping correct a lot of the environmental issues that are beginning to catch up with us, and that is the foundation of everything he does at Fauna. Helping to develop thoughtful, independent thinkers that are prepared for tomorrow’s world.
Jose is now Fauna’s Eco-Education Coordinator and runs various programming aimed at different age levels.
His story time sessions are geared towards younger children, and an emphasis is placed on fostering a sense of wonder and appreciation for our natural world, as well as teaching the proper touching and handling techniques so that animals are later approached and treated with respect.
For the older children, Jose teaches Fauna’s Herpetology Club sessions as well as holding a Zoology Club, where his goal is to build relationships with children that show a real passion for reptiles and pet care, in general. He sees a lot of potential in his Herpetology Club members, and he aims to share his enthusiasm for this branch of science, perhaps having an impact on the kind of young adults they become and what educational paths they choose.
Finally, he handles outreach programming in schools as well as presentations for birthdays, where animals are utilized to put on fun, hands-on demonstrations focused on exposing young people to the various, sometimes odd but always fascinating creatures that inhabit the planet right alongside us.
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