Father-Son Zoo Road Trips Build Bonds, One Elephant at a Time

When Ed Wolff's son Jake was small, he would set up train sets in his room. Jake would always build a zoo around them. 

“I couldn’t have imagined it would go as far as it did,” Ed reflects. "It was something he loved from the time he was three or four.”

Now 20, Jake is transforming that childhood passion into a zoo & conservation science degree at Drake University and a summer job working with elephants at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium – rated No. 1 zoo in the United States by USA Today for three consecutive years. 

Hondo the baby elephant at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, where Jake is working this summer as a seasonal elephant keeper. (Photo: Jake Wolff)

For Jake, elephants are the heart of his passion. His love affair began at Houston Zoo, which runs one of the country’s largest elephant breeding programs – and which, incidentally, has a train. “Growing up, we always had the babies coming through,” he explains. As a member of the Zoo Crew teen volunteers, he spent weeks working with the elephant team, learning about their complex social structures. “You kind of get to see every facet of elephants and of their care in zoos.”

What captivates Jake about elephants is their ability to connect with people. “They’re so smart that you can so easily kind of pick up on what they’re doing because it’s very similar to stuff that we as people do,” he says. “And so I think it really helps people want to take care of them.” 

His mentor elephant is Thailand, Houston Zoo’s massive bull who turned 60 this year and ranks as the second oldest in North America. “He's the size of an African elephant, but he’s still an Asian elephant,” Jake explains. “He's a very gentle giant. He's definitely my favorite.” 

Zoos were a recurring theme throughout Jake’s childhood, but when Jake headed to college at Drake University in Des Moines, the formal zoo road trips with his father began. 

Showmen’s Rest in Hugo, Oklahoma, where circus performers from around the world are laid to rest. (Photo: Jake Wolff)

The journey from toy elephants to real ones has been paved with countless miles of highway, shared music playlists, and visits to more than 60 zoos across the country. What started as college visits has evolved into elaborate father-son road trips that have strengthened their already close relationship, while preparing Jake for his career and opening unexpected windows into the world of conservation.

“Jake’s always driven, so he wanted to take his car to school, and I was not comfortable with him driving 800 miles alone,” Ed explains. The solution became an opportunity: drive together but make strategic stops along the way.

This summer, we caught up with the pair on their latest road trip to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, as Jake prepared for his summer job as a seasonal elephant keeper. They reminisced about their journeys as they drove across the Texas Panhandle and crossed over into New Mexico, grassy plains turning into slowly rising mesas on the horizon. That was the day they were slated to wind through Colorado, adding the Pueblo Zoo and Colorado Springs to their growing list before finally landing in Omaha. 

Playful baby tigers at the Saint Louis Zoo.  (Photo: Jake Wolff)

Their first major zoo-focused trip took them through Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Wichita, and Omaha. “That was the first trip where each day, we were focused on getting somewhere to go to their zoo,” Jake says. “One day it was two zoos. It takes getting up early in the morning, being there at 9 a.m., and being finished with that zoo by noon so we can be at the next one within two to three hours.” 

The ambitious pace has led to some memorable marathon days. On one trip returning from New Orleans, Jake plotted a route that allowed them to visit Baton Rouge Zoo, Alexandria Zoo, and Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin – three zoos in one day – and still make it home by 6:30 p.m.

Their travels have taken them to some of the country’s most renowned facilities. Jake holds a special fondness for several: Houston Zoo, where his passion began through five years on the Zoo Crew and then a stint as a camp counselor and guide; Brookfield Zoo outside Chicago (“which uniquely has no elephants,” he notes with a laugh); Memphis Zoo, where he completed an internship; and Little Rock Zoo, built by the New Deal’s Civilian Conservation Corps with stunning 1930s rock work.

Lions at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa.  (Photo: Jake Wolff)

The St. Louis Zoo provided one of their most memorable experiences. After driving from 4 a.m. to arrive at opening time, they stayed the entire day, meeting with elephant keepers and learning about Raja, the famous bull elephant born in St. Louis.   

These trips have become much more than sightseeing adventures. Jake’s growing reputation in the zoo community has opened doors that transform ordinary visits into behind-the-scenes educational experiences. “Everywhere we go, somebody knows Jake or somebody he knows, and he has gotten us behind the scenes of almost every zoo we’ve gone to,” Ed marvels.

At the Tulsa Zoo, they received a three-hour tour of the new elephant barn from someone Jake met at the Elephant Managers Association Conference. In St. Louis, a zookeeper Jake had connected with at a conference gave them a private tour and introduced them to the elephants. These connections aren’t just enriching the trips – they’re building Jake’s professional network for his future career.

“It's been really, really neat and it’s also building relationships for him that will be really valuable in the future,” Ed observes.

The trips have evolved into more than zoo visits. They’ve discovered unexpected treasures like Showmen’s Rest in Hugo, Oklahoma – the circus capital of the world – where cemetery headstones feature photos of performers with their elephants, clowns, and trapeze artists. “That was definitely one of the more unexpected experiences, but we talk about it all the time. We wouldn’t trade it for just about anything,” Jake says.

Jake with Baraka the Black Rhino at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. (Photo: Jake Wolff)

Spontaneity often creates the most memorable moments. In Kansas City, they arrived during a Chiefs preseason game. “Jake went on his phone, found two $13 tickets, and we ended up at the Kansas City Chiefs game,” Ed recalls. “It’s the things that you do spontaneously that you end up remembering the most.”

For Jake, education and conservation are inseparable. “Conservation is something that you can really enjoy,” he emphasizes, pushing back against the perception that caring for the environment requires sacrifice or guilt. Through his zoo work, he’s learned to create “lightbulb moments” – those instant connections when people suddenly understand their role in conservation.

Some of the many conservation tips he would share with zoo visitors included encouraging them to plant native and pollinator-friendly plants; turn off the lights at night during migratory periods (Houston is in the middle of the central flyway, which is a migratory route for hundreds of millions of birds each year); and recycling cell phones and old electronics to help save gorillas and other animals who live in the areas mined for parts. (The Houston Zoo will take them!) 

Jake in his first year volunteering at the Houston Zoo. (Photo: Jake Wolff)

When he was volunteering in Houston as a part of the Zoo Crew, he would talk to parents and their children, he recalls. “They’d tell me, Jake, I spoke to you two years ago. You told me about this. I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting to apply and here I am.”

The road trips have also deepened the father-son bond. “I feel like we’ve always been close. It just has certainly solidified that relationship,” Ed reflects. The hours of driving provide uninterrupted time for conversation about everything from music to life goals.

Their travel style emphasizes flexibility over rigid planning. “I think you over-plan a trip and that destroys the vibe,” Ed says. “If you go with the flow, you can say, we have three days to get there, but outside of that, everything else is fine.” 

For Ed, the chance to be on the sidelines and watch his son interacting with professionals in his field and the animals themselves is something he has treasured. And for Jake, it’s meant validation of his career choice. 

Baby Rojo the jaguar at the Houston Zoo. (Photo: Jake Wolff)

“It is something that's difficult to explain to people,” he said. “They say, ‘Oh, so you’re scooping poop for the rest of your life…’ There's a lot more nuance and importance that people don’t pick up on. And I’m really, really glad that that’s not something I have to worry about, not only with my dad, but with my whole family.”

Jake’s mother, Katy, and his twin sister Tenley joined them in Omaha to celebrate Ed and Katy’s 26th anniversary – and to get a glimpse of Jake’s summer job setting.

“Everyone needs to take the time to spend with family, doing something,” Ed concludes. “It doesn’t have to be these long road trips. It can be a staycation. It can be at home in your own city... There are things you can do at home that are just as impactful.” 

But for the Wolffs, the road keeps calling, and the zoos keep teaching, one mile and one elephant at a time.

Jake, Ed, Tenley, and Katy with Asali the elephant at the Memphis Zoo. (Photo: Jake Wolff)

Tips from Our Travelers

By Ed and Jake Wolff

Worth the splurge: Omaha Steak Dinner! The Mississippi Aquarium. 

Don’t miss: When visiting zoos, always ask what the schedule is for keeper chats that day and check out behind-the-scenes options.

Favorite restaurants: Kazama Ramen, Tulsa, Okla.; 801 Chophouse, Omaha, Neb.; Dio Mio Italian, Denver, Colo.; and Town Topic Hamburgers, Kansas City, Mo.

Don’t forget: A good playlist, a good attitude, and the willingness to be flexible.

Local favorite: Downtown Memphis, specifically The Pyramid, The Peabody, cable cars on Main Street, River City Records, The Rendezvous bar-b-que, and Redbirds AAA Baseball game. Memphis is great! 

Safety tip: Be willing to stop when tired. 

Not really worth the trouble: Imo’s Pizza in St. Louis; also Branson, Mo., as a whole…The truth is that ratings are not always the best way to find things. Both of these are highly rated and yet were among the worst experiences we have had.

Unexpected hit: Showmen’s Rest in Hugo, Okla. We were told to stop by a graveyard in rural Oklahoma and it was one of the best things we have ever done. It’s the resting place for circus performers from all over the world.