The loss of Kayla St. George has left the Capron Park Zoo community grieving a woman whose love for animals was not simply a profession, but a lifelong calling.
According to the remembrance shared by the zoo community, Kayla developed her passion for animals as a child after watching Free Willy. That experience inspired her dream of building trusting relationships with animals and helping them participate in their own care.
She pursued that dream through education, volunteering and internships before eventually becoming part of the Capron Park Zoo family.
Kayla was especially fond of whales and warthogs and had a remarkable ability to recognize the individual personalities of the animals she cared for. Everett, a warthog she considered her “heart animal,” held a particularly special place in her life, while Kela, a beluga whale she worked with at another facility, was also among the animals she cherished.
At Capron Park Zoo, she formed meaningful relationships with the Reeves’ muntjacs and took pride in their distinctive behaviors.
Professionally, Kayla served as Vice Coordinator of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Reeves’ Muntjac Species Survival Plan Program, reflecting her commitment to conservation and animal welfare.
Her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed in the information available, and no speculation should be made about the circumstances.
Kayla St. George will be remembered for her compassion, patience, curiosity and deep respect for animals. Her legacy lives on through the animals she cared for, the conservation work she supported and the colleagues and friends whose lives she touched.