Game of Zoos: Zoofinders, Zookeepers Quiz

Answer: Tuesday

The lion was found before the elephant (clue 3), which was found before the two men found their animals (clue 4). In other words, three animals were found after the lion. So the lion can only be found on Monday or Tuesday.
But wait, at least one animal was spotted before the lion (clue 6). So the only day that fits is Tuesday.


Lions are the second-largest species of big cat (behind tigers). Wild lions are found mainly in the southern and eastern parts of Africa. Although sometimes called the "king of the jungle", lions are actually found only in the savannas, scrublands, and open woodlands of sub-Saharan Africa.

Answer: Wednesday

In question 1, we determined the lion was found on Tuesday. (See clues 3, 4, and 6.) The elephant was found later in the week than the lion, so that eliminates Monday and Tuesday. But at least two animals were found after the elephant (clue 4). The only day that fits is Wednesday.


Despite depictions on TV to the contrary, elephants do not like peanuts. African elephants also won't eat from a certain acacia tree that is the habitat of ants. They don't want to get the ants in their trunks, full of sensitive nerve endings.

Answer: Thursday

Both men found their animals after the elephant (clue 4), which was found on Wednesday (question 2). This means they found theirs on Thursday and Friday. Jack found an animal before at least one other person (clue 5), so he must have found his animal on Thursday.


The Tiergarten Schönbrunn, or Vienna Zoo, is the world's oldest zoo still in operation. Although the Baroque architecture has been carefully preserved, despite bombing raids during World War II that destroyed several buildings, the Tiergarten views its primary mission as conservation center for animals and nature in general.

Answer: Friday

The two men (clue 1) have to be Thursday or Friday, since they found their animal after Wednesday's elephant (clue 3 and question 2). Jack is Thursday (question 3), so Don is Friday.


Once state-run, the Vienna Zoo was privatized in 1992 following severe financial crises in the 1980s that almost led to its closure. It fared better than the Jardin d'Acclimatation, a zoo in northern Paris that during the Franco-Prussian War, when the Prussians tried to starve the Parisians in the siege of 1870, was forced to sell many of its animals as food (but not the hippo).

Answer: Don

Clue 5 states that Jack found his animal before someone found the seal. Well, Jack found his animal on Thursday (question 3), so the seal was found on Friday. Don found his escapee on Friday (question 4), so Don found that slippery seal!


Seals can be divided into three families: true seals (the earless seals), eared seals (the sea lions and fur seals), and walruses. Generally speaking, though, in common parlance, when one says "seal" one means a "true seal". The largest true seal is the southern elephant seal (up to 8500 lbs), and the most abundant is the crabeater seal (up to 75 million individuals).

Answer: Jack

Well, a male zookeeper spotted the giraffe (clue 2). It wasn't Don, who found the seal (question 5). So it must be Jack, the only other man (clue 1).


Being the tallest land animals in the world, giraffes also have the highest blood pressure, so that the blood can go up their long necks to their brains. They are so large that adults are usually not attacked in the wild. Instead, lions or hyenas prefer to go after the very young, the sick, or the very old. On the other hand, Nile crocodiles have been known to chomp on the head of an adult giraffe who was bent down to drink, and drag it underwater.

Answer: Val

Val found one of the animals before the lion was found (clue 6). The lion was found on Tuesday (question 1). Therefore, Val found her animal on Monday.


All seals are hunters who use their whiskers, eyesight, and hearing to find prey. Most seals eat squid or fish. Leopard seals will eat penguins and, on occasion, other seals (of other species).

Answer: elephant

Clue 7 tells us Ann found her animal the day after the lion was found.
The lion was found on a Tuesday (question 1), so Ann found her animal on a Wednesday, and we've already figured out in question 2 that the animal found that day was the elephant!


Elephants are gentle vegetarians, but they will defend themselves. At birth, the baby elephants are blind, and they depend on their trunk and their mothers to help them. Very shortly, however, they stand up on their feet. Elephants cannot jump, but they can swim long distances.

Answer: Sue

Don found the seal (question 5).
Jack found the giraffe (question 6).
Ann found the elephant (question 8).
That leaves Val and Sue.
The lion was found on Tuesday (question 1), but Val found an animal on Monday (question 7), so she's out. Sue found the lion.


Ancient Egyptians venerated the lion as a war deity. In modern times, the lion is national animal of Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, England, Ethiopia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Singapore. In religion, the lion has been used to represent various figures including Jesus Christ and (with wings) St. Mark.

Answer: Val

Don found the seal (question 5); Jack found the giraffe (question 6); Ann found the elephant (question 8); Sue found the lion (question 9). The only zookeeper left is Val. She found the hippo, and it was on Monday (question 7).

In summary:
Monday - Val - hippo
Tuesday - Sue - lion
Wednesday - Ann - elephant
Thursday - Jack - giraffe
Friday - Don - seal


A hippo is very social and seeks the company of others, so it is not so surprising that it was found on the first day! Hippos are stocky and have short legs, but they can run up to 30 km/h for short distances. They are more suited to the water, where they might run along the bottom of a river bed or a pond. Hippos rarely come ashore, mostly to eat grass, and they can store up to three days' worth in their stomachs.