Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

Genesis 6:9 NIV

My daughter Beth has an interesting job this summer serving as an educator in the summer camp program hosted by the San Diego Zoo. She is working with second-graders, specializing in the area of birds. Her training has involved behind-the-scenes close encounters with zoo residents. One day, she called home to tell me that she’d been kissed by a sea lion — not the most pleasant experience, I’m told.

The passion for animals runs deep in my side of the family. My mom grew up with cats and, therefore, so did I, the bulk of which I lugged home and into the family. Most memorable was golden-eyed Goldie, a “plump” alley cat, who surprisingly graced us with five adorable blue-eyed, wide-eyed kittens (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Creampuff).

My husband, Rex, and I raised our kids with dogs — a good choice as both Beth and Matt developed allergies to cats. Over the years, our zoological menagerie also included gerbils, bunnies, parakeets, zebra finches, box turtles, tropical fish, and a guinea pig. Oops! I almost forgot the ant farm. There was also a close call with lizards when Beth went to the pet store to replace a pair of finches (who had died, may they rest in peace) and returned with two lizards (who were returned to the shop ASAP by a nasty mother).

So it goes without saying that one of our family’s favorite Bible stories was the ever-popular Noah’s Ark. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the most famous zookeeper of all time?

According to the San Diego Zoo Web site, animal keeper jobs are very popular, and the field is highly competitive. So what sets the modern-day Noah apart from all the keeper-wannabes?

• Education (college degree in a life science field preferable)

• Experience with animals

• Good work ethic

• A positive attitude about self and work

• Good communication skills with both people and animals,

• The ability to be innovative enough to find solutions to keep animals stimulated

• The right personality

• A realistic view of the job: “Animals get sick, they bite, they die, they hurt each other, and they can hurt you, too. And the work can be hard, dirty and tedious.”