Connecticut Zookeeper Breaks Down Baseball Mascots Like a Wildlife Expert

Our wildlife correspondent Jen the Zookeeper likes to remind us that humans spend a lot of time pretending we’re different from animals. We wear shoes, we have jobs, and we argue about things like batting averages and bullpen strategy. But every once in a while she points out that the animal kingdom and the sports world actually have a lot in common.

Case in point: baseball mascots.

If you watch long enough, the teams that name themselves after animals often start behaving suspiciously like them. Some are chaotic, some are territorial, some are loud for no reason, and a few seem perfectly comfortable taking very long naps between bursts of activity.

With baseball season officially underway, Jen thought it would be the perfect time to look at a few MLB teams through a slightly more… zoological lens. Here is what she had to say....

Baseball season is back, which means spring has officially arrived. The days are getting longer, the grass is turning green, and millions of fans are once again emotionally investing in teams that—much like their animal mascots—sometimes behave in ways that are deeply predictable… and occasionally embarrassing. 

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Take the Chicago Cubs. Cubs are baby bears—adorable, energetic, and mostly stumbling around knocking things over. For more than a century the team leaned fully into that energy: lots of enthusiasm, plenty of chaos, and the occasional moment where you wonder if they understand how baseball works. Eventually, though, even cubs grow up, which the team proved when they finally won the 2016 World Series after only 108 years of practice.

Then there are the Detroit Tigers. Tigers are powerful apex predators… but also solitary and known to nap for long stretches. Detroit has mastered this ecological strategy perfectly—periods of terrifying dominance followed by long, peaceful hibernations somewhere near the bottom of the standings.

Bird teams bring their own special behavior. The St. Louis Cardinals are like real cardinals: always around, always chirping, and somehow surviving every winter while other teams freeze out of contention. It’s honestly a little suspicious.

Meanwhile the Toronto Blue Jays operate exactly like blue jays in the wild—loud, flashy, and extremely confident about stealing your snacks (or in this case, a fastball over the fence). Blue jays are also known for causing a lot of noise and occasional chaos, which feels scientifically accurate for Toronto’s dugout celebrations.

And then there are the Baltimore Orioles. Orioles are beautiful songbirds, which is fitting because their fans flock to the gorgeous Oriole Park at Camden Yards every spring hoping the team will sing. Some years it’s a symphony. Other years… it’s more like an enthusiastic but slightly off-key backyard bird.

But that’s the beauty of baseball. Every spring the animals return to the field—some majestic, some chaotic, and some still figuring out which end of the bat to hold. Nature, after all, is unpredictable. 

More on Jen the Zookeeper 

Jen has spent more than 30 years immersed in the fields of animal care, conservation, and science education. As the former Director of Animal Care for the New Canaan Nature Center in Connecticut, she oversaw the care of native mammals, reptiles, and birds of prey while educating the public about the important roles these wild neighbors play in our ecosystem. Her experience also includes time with both the Bronx Zoo and the Los Angeles Zoo, where she focused on the care of African and Asian wildlife and helped teach visitors about the delicate balance between humans and natural habitats.

Later, while working at a wildlife sanctuary in Half Moon Bay, California, Jen played a key role in training and handling nearly 50 exotic species. She also developed educational programs for at-risk and foster youth, helping historically underserved kids build trust, confidence, and healing connections with the non-releasable animals at the sanctuary.

In addition to her extensive wildlife work, Jen has experience in horse and dog training, animal control, veterinary care, and all things conservation education. Today, she owns and operates Jen Kotkin Pet Care, where she provides personalized care, exercise, and enrichment for dogs, cats, horses, birds, and more.