On this week’s episode of the One O‘ahu Podcast, this year’s City and County of Honolulu Employee of the Year, Rebecca Choquette, a zookeeper at the Honolulu Zoo, joins host Brandi Higa to reflect on her award, explain how she got into this field of work, and shares some stories about the animals she works with.
City Employee of the Year
On Nov. 7, 2024, Mayor Blangiardi presented Rebecca Choquette, of the Department of Enterprise Services, the award for Employee of the Year for the City and County of Honolulu during a ceremony at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center.
“Honestly, I was thinking how cool it was to be up there with all those wonderful, accomplished people,” said Choquette on the honor. “I didn’t think for a minute that my name was going to be called. So, when I heard it, there was that moment of shock and disbelief. And, ‘did I really just hear what they said?’”
Each year, the Mayor’s Awards Program recognizes City employees who have performed their jobs in an exemplary manner, as well as those who have dedicated 25, 35, 45, and 50 years of service to the City and County of Honolulu.
The path to get here
Choquette, a graduate of Konawaena High School, went on to study zoology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa before applying for a Zoo Animal Keeper I position at the Honolulu Zoo.
“I applied and I got the job,” replied Choquette. “It was amazing. It was an opportunity I never thought I would be able to be offered. I had always wanted to work with reptiles and amphibians, and this was a chance to do it and stay here in Hawai‘i too because, as you probably know, there aren’t a lot of places where you can actually work with reptiles and amphibians here in Hawai‘i.”
Choquette, who has now been with the City for over 30 years, also contributes to the zoo’s conservation efforts through its propagation and breeding programs, which have successfully helped preserve two species native to Hawaiʻi.
Animals with personality
As part of her job, Choquette is responsible for the day-to-day care of animals, including feeding, cleaning, and observing them. As she shares on this episode of the One O‘ahu Podcast, it is their personalities that make the animals she works with so interesting to be around. She talks about the zoo’s Burmese python, George.
“When he gets the most active is when we give him piles of leaves,” explains Choquette. “He loves to explore and investigate piles of leaves. So, if you come and you see a pile of leaves by the window, you are likely to see George, the Burmese python, poking around and tongue-flicking to pick up all the scents that are in those leaves.”
Rebecca goes on to share about the Komodo dragons, Native Hawaiian butterflies and snails, and a coconut crab.
