Jan McBurney Armstrong

Jan McBurney Armstrong

Mountain lions, orangutans and antelope are among the animals at the home of Jan McBurney Armstrong, Oregon State - Chi, Curator of Animal Health at the Kansas City Zoo. Fortunately, Jan’s home is on the Zoo grounds and the animals are a part of her family. She is an expert in the care of infant animals, and many newborns are given to her care. She thinks of herself as a zoo mother as much of her work is with these youngsters. She has raised from infancy a leopard, sea lion, gazelle, polar bear and others and often takes one with her when she presents a program to organizations. She is often the subject of feature newspaper and magazine articles. Two of her favorite activities are introducing children with disabilities to the animals and presenting programs at nursing or retirement homes. Jan was the 1974 Woman of the Year.