May 15, 2016

Brian O’Doherty, who works at the Maryland Zoo, won’t say what his favorite animal is.

It’s not that he doesn’t love animals: he spends all day with them. But to name a favorite, he says, is to risk personifying it, to make a wild animal out to be a cuddly little creature that you might want as a pet, when really it’s a big old rhino.

(But the rhinos do act a bit like big dogs, he says.)

: The Zoo’s camel gets its daily cleaning — in the form of a leaf-blower. (Brian O’Doherty).

: Though O’Doherty won’t name a favorite animal, he says he’s drawn to giraffes for their grace and beauty. “Giraffes are pretty phenomenal,” he says. “They’re gigantic, gentle vegetarians.” (Brian O’Doherty)

: Though the animals are in confinement, O’Doherty says, “We have lots of space because its in Druid Hill Park. It’s easy to have a very natural-looking Zoo.” Pictured here are three lions — two of them siblings, the other adopted — that have grown up together. (Brian O’Doherty)

: A chameleon at the Baltimore Zoo. (Brian O’Doherty).

: The Baltimore Zoo following a snowfall. (Brian O’Doherty)

: A visitor to the Baltimore Zoo peers at a lion. (Brian O’Doherty)

: A peacock at the Baltimore Zoo. (Brian O’Doherty)

: The Zoo’s polar bear, Anoki, loves the snow, O’Doherty says, and becomes even more playful than usual during a blizzard. (Brian O’Doherty)

: Zoo staff training a a Red ruffed lemur. In the wintertime these animals can be shifted into an indoor exhibit more easily after being trained. (Brian O’Doherty)

: Chimps can be very serene one minute and then energetic the next. “It’s collective,” O’Doherty says. “They all get rowdy and worked up at the same time… They’re very aware of each others emotions and energy.” (Brian O’Doherty)

: A Zoo worker walking through a field at the Baltimore Zoo. (Brian O’Doherty)

: The Zoo’s polar bear, Anoki, loves the snow, O’Doherty says, and becomes even more playful than usual during a blizzard. (Brian O’Doherty)

: The Zoo’s polar bear, Anoki, loves the snow, O’Doherty says, and becomes even more playful than usual during a blizzard. (Brian O’Doherty)

: A worker cleans a trailer at the Maryland Zoo. (Brian O’Doherty).

: Some of O’Doherty’s friends surprised him at work one day dressed in animal prints. (Brian O’Doherty)

: This photo captured a peaceful moment as O’Doherty was leaving work in the evening. “There was a sense of calmness,” he says. Chimps can be very serene one minute and then energetic the next. “It’s collective,” O’Doherty says. “They all get rowdy and worked up at the same time… They’re very aware of each others emotions and energy.” (Brian O’Doherty)

: Chimps can be very serene one minute and then energetic the next. “It’s collective,” O’Doherty says. “They all get rowdy and worked up at the same time… They’re very aware of each others emotions and energy.” (Brian O’Doherty)

: Children watch a peacock at the Maryland Zoo. (Brian O’Doherty)

: Chimps can be very serene one minute and then energetic the next. “It’s collective,” O’Doherty says. “They all get rowdy and worked up at the same time… They’re very aware of each others emotions and energy.” (Brian O’Doherty)

: An ostrich seen from across a fence at the Maryland Zoo. (Brian O’Doherty)

: A crocodile submerged in water at the Zoo’s reptile house. (Brian O’Doherty)

: Construction of a penguin exhibit at the Baltimore Zoo. (Brian O’Doherty)

: Goats at the Zoo’s petting zoo hide for cover in the snow. They hate getting wet, says O’Doherty. (Brian O’Doherty)

: The Zoo after a snowfall. (Brian O’Doherty)

: The Zoo’s polar bear, Anoki, loves the snow, O’Doherty says, and becomes even more playful than usual during a blizzard. (Brian O’Doherty)

: Regular upkeep at the Zoo. This photo shows some of the daily work that goes into maintaining the grounds — in this case, cleaning a clog in the Zoo’s pond. (Brian O’Doherty)

: Donkeys get a medical check from some of the Zoo’s staff. (Brian O’Doherty)

: Two young lion siblings play with one another. (Brian O’Doherty)

: A pig warmed by a heating lamp at the Zoo. (Brian O’Doherty)

Workers at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore try hard not to “imprint” animals — to overexpose them to humans — so that they don’t lose their wild characteristics. When that happens, and animals form attachments to their human caretakers, it becomes harder to get them to mate, for example. To that end, Zoo stage may even avoid even telling visitors the animals’ names at times.There are exceptions — ambassador animals, like certain penguins, who travel around and meet students.

O’Doherty, who grew up in Baltimore, has been working at the Zoo for the past five years. His title is a cross between laborer and exhibit specialist. A lot of his work is building habitats for the animals — a cave for the porcupines, for example. To do this he needs to consider what kinds of material the animals find naturally in their environment, and also what looks aesthetically pleasing.

He got into photography as a teenager, and now shoots weddings and other events professionally. While working at the Zoo, he just shoots spontaneous moments with his smartphone. His photos capture a rare portrait of life at the zoo — it’s not quite wildlife photography, but it’s still pretty wild.

To see more of Brian’s work, follow him on instagram @odohertyphoto

Baltimore Street Photographer: At the Maryland Zoo with Brian O’Doherty

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