Meet our Naturalists
Jared Baker
U.S. Director / Founder
Jared was born and raised in Mayfield, Kentucky where he now lives with his wife Christy and three daughters, Lily, Sarah & Leah. Jared holds a B.S in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and a Masters in Environmental Education both from Murray State University…
John Ham
Southeast Owner / Director of Operations
John was born in Pensacola, Florida and lived most of his childhood and teenage years in Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama. He began working at the Birmingham Zoo at the age of 16 being assigned to both the Children’s Zoo and Bird departments.…
Nicholas Petryk
Lead Naturalist - Tallahassee Region
We are proud to announce that Nick will be taking on programs in the Tallahassee and Greorgia regions! Nick is an FSU alumnus and professional naturalist. Growing up, he always had a fascination with the wild outdoors. The culmination of over a decade of working with animals has led to countless hours of studying the behavior and training methods of dozens of species. He has worked with several zoological facilities and nature centers, and his favorite animals have always been reptiles. In his spare time, you can find him outdoors in forests, parks, and around his home photographing and interacting with wildlife.…
Kaitlyn Thomas
Naturalist - Pensacola Region
Kaitlyn participated in Animal Tales Southeast’s internship program and later accepted the secondary main presenter position in 2021, after graduating with her Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from University of West Florida. Fun fact: Kaitlyn is a ‘natural’ because she assisted her father with reptile outreach programs in Central Florida when she was growing up!.…
Rachel Ham
LCSW / Creative Consultant
Social work and therapy may be Rachel’s main focus but volunteering behind the scenes with Animal Tales is an endeavor that she is incredibly passionate about. Whether it be through administrative tasks or maintaining animal care and training regimens, Rachel is always there to lend a helping hand. Check out her art in our “Creatures of the Galaxy” program or say “hello!” if you catch her at a demo!…
