Tommy Egan ’16

For Tommy Egan ’16, his goals were set at a young age. “I always wanted to work with animals. I grew up going to the Philadelphia Zoo with my parents and grandparents. We had all sorts of pets, so I’ve never really been afraid of animals,” he recalls. By age 14, he was a volunteer summer camp counselor at Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown. After two years in that role, he moved to work in the education department for two summers. 

During his time at the Prep, Egan played hockey and squash; but what truly left a lasting impact were his biology class with Mr. Brian Martin ’95 and his senior environmental science class with Mr. Joe Hendrzak. “To this day, Mr. Hendrzak is the best teacher I’ve had,” Egan explains. “At the time, I already knew I wanted to work with animals and I was applying to schools for zoology and animal science. I remember writing Mr. Hendrzak a letter thanking him when I graduated because he helped me stay focused on my aspirations and helped me realize that by being a positive person with a drive and a passion to protect the natural environment, you can really make a difference and change how people make informed decisions.” 

Egan went on to study animal science at Penn State, and, inspired by Mr. Hendrzak’s lessons on recycling, Egan served as an EcoRep for the housing department and worked at the school’s recycling center. Following his graduation, Egan took a job at the Philadelphia Zoo in a guest engagement role. He soon transferred to the conservation education department before accepting an animal training internship at the Miami Seaquarium. 

Egan was hired full-time as an animal trainer before the internship ended and worked mostly with seals and sea lions. His day-to-day duties included diet prep, medical treatment, and various training sessions for the animals. “It was a lot of doing examinations, making sure they were getting all the vitamins and medications that they needed, and ensuring they were eating high-quality fish — nothing you wouldn’t be comfortable eating yourself,” Egan recalls. “It’s all about keeping them mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy, which are the three facets of animal welfare that are the most important.” All of this ensured that the animals were getting the best care so that the public is seeing truly happy and healthy animals.

Egan always had a desire to work with larger mammals, so when he was recently offered a job at the Bronx Zoo as a wild animal keeper, he was quick to accept. “Zoos naturally offer a more diverse collection of animals compared to aquariums,” he says. “For the first six months of this job, I will learn to work with all kinds of animals — from little mice to elephants.” 

Being at a zoo in an urban setting is important to Egan as well. “In a city, not many people are going to have the opportunity to see these animals in the wild,” he says. “I think it’s important for conservation that all people have face-to-face interaction with the animals. These interactions create a sense of vulnerability, and that is when someone is most impressionable. With that impression and encounter, a person might make more conscious decisions based on the effects they have on these animals.” 

When asked to give advice to the recent graduates from the Class of 2023, Egan offers, “First, don’t be afraid to do things on your own. I’ve done a lot of solo traveling around the world. I try not to let the lack of someone else being there with me stop me from getting these cultural experiences and seeing what I’m really interested in. We really are not here for that long, so if you have the opportunity to travel, especially when you’re young, take it. Second, if you’re passionate about something, do it. I love what I do and I love going to work every day. It’s very fulfilling.”