Parks and rec student cares for Kreher Preserve animals

Cooper Anderson, a first-year student in Auburn’s Parks and Recreation Management program, may not know exactly where he wants to be in five or 10 years, but he has a general idea.   

“I still have a lot to figure out, but I know I want to be outside,” he said. “I have always dreamed of a job where I’m outside all day.” 

And that’s exactly where he is when he’s working as the animal caretaker at the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center (KPNC), the university’s 120-acre forest preserve that offers nature trails and educational programs. Anderson is at home there, having spent much of his childhood playing, learning and hiking the many trails. 

Anderson started spending time at KPNC at the age of 4, when his parents enrolled him in Forest Friends, a nature education program for preschoolers. He soon graduated to the annual Summer Ecology camps for grades 1-7, where he loved catching lizards and bugs, practicing archery and taking a canoe out on the pond. Once he aged out of the camps, he became a counselor-in-training and then a counselor.  

Anderson, who describes himself as having been a “really anxious kid,” said being a camper made him a better counselor. 

“I know how it feels when I see a kid who’s nervous about trying something new,” he said. “I like to be there for the kids that need a helping hand or some reassurance when they’re anxious.” 

 After years spent playing and leading camps at KPNC, Anderson was hired as the facility’s animal caretaker. While snakes are his favorite critter, he is responsible for the care and feeding of all the reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and fish housed at the center, whether they’re outside, in the pavilion or at the new Environmental Education Building.  

“I have always loved caring for animals; I can’t really remember a time when I wasn’t interested in animals,” he said. “I really love observing and building habitats for animals, including the many lizards and turtles I’ve owned over the years.” 

In the community, KPNC is perhaps best known for hosting a young alligator, on loan from an alligator farm in south Alabama, each summer. And as animal caretaker, Anderson is now in charge of “Reptar,” this year’s baby gator. 

“The baby gator can be a handful! Sometimes he can be pretty relaxed and chill, but if he doesn’t want to be picked up then he’ll let you know, for sure,” he said. “He’s a ton of fun though, and he always catches everyone’s attention.”  

When Anderson enrolled at Auburn last fall, he declared a major in culinary science. However, he quickly realized he missed the outdoors, so he began exploring majors in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment.  

“None of the other majors in the college really stuck out to me like parks and recreation did,” he said.  

In addition to working as the animal caretaker, Anderson remains a summer camp counselor. While he may not know exactly what he wants to do after graduation, Anderson feels he’s at least on the right path. 

“My career goals are still a work in progress, but I have always enjoyed working with kids and animals, so some kind of educator or naturalist position would be really cool,” he said. “But working in the state or national park service also sounds amazing to me.”  

Sarah Crim, KPNC’s education director, said she remembers that even as a preschooler, Anderson showed a keen interest in the natural world and all its animals, especially lizards. 

“It has been so much fun watching him grow up out here and seeing how he has applied his natural connection to animals to his work as our animal caretaker,” Crim said. “It has been a very natural progression from his days as a preschooler catching lizards to now taking care of all our educational animals. He was always kind to everyone and everything in the woods.”