[1][2] Not long after graduating, Reed applied for a veterinarian position at the Los Angeles Zoo.
She completed and passed written and oral examinations[3], flew to Los Angeles for an interview, and was hired soon after.
[3] She earned an annual salary of $16,000 working five days a week and remaining on call for emergencies.
[2] She was responsible for 2,635 zoo animals,[2] including a California condor she helped rehabilitate,[3] and was assisted by Dr. William Hulsinger.
[2] To overcome her fear of spiders, while working at the zoo Reed kept a Mexican tarantula in a glass cage on her desk.