Some people have wild stories about their coworkers. Jill’s, though, are unique.

Jill Erzar is a zookeeper at Como Zoo in St Paul. Her coworkers are giraffes, bison, reindeer, kudu, zebra, and other hooved animals of all shapes and sizes.

Growing up, Jill always loved animals. She considered becoming a veterinarian, and was studying animal health in college before she took an internship at Como Zoo.

“By Day Two, I was a goner,” Jill said. “I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

Last year, Heather Lynch and Emily Erpelding got some disturbing news. The morning began like most other days for these young moms and classroom assistants at the University of Minnesota’s Child Development Center: Emily spent the day caring for kids in the infant room, while Heather spent her day off with her son, who was home for a snow day.

Then, Emily’s supervisor entered the room and told her, “Go check your email”. At home, Heather also noticed she had a new message. They were both shocked to learn that the CDC was closing – and their jobs would soon disappear.