Meet The Team
Danny Oostdyk– Director Of G&G Animals
Growing up, Danny would work with his uncle at the Bronx Zoo where he found an appreciation for the Gorillas. As the original founder of G&G Animals, he has seen all of our animals grow and has been working with animals since 2003. After some time in the army, with the support of volunteers from the local college and family, he was able to jump start G&G Reptiles which would later expand to G&G Animals. In addition to the wildlife in the zoo, Danny also works with rehab animals and helps run a summer camp in Oswego.
Jordyn Dala – Director of Enrichment
Jordyn has been with G&G Animals since 2018 – with dedicating almost 7 years of her time here, there is no question of her commitment to the animals. She graduated from SUNY Oswego in 2019 with a Bachelors Degree in Zoology where she also spent a month in Tanzania, Africa experiencing wildlife conservation firsthand. She has since obtained experience working at both AZA Accredited and Private Zoos. She started as a volunteer, then interned through the college, then completed our apprenticeship program where she committed to 1000 hours of work. She works very closely with our college interns and volunteers, sharing her experiences and helping to prepare them for a career as a zookeeper. Her favorite work activities include creating enrichment, socializing with the animals, and educating the public about wildlife conservation education. Her favorite animals are Cocoa, our Coatimundi, which she was able to bottle raise and bond with, and her Panther Chameleons she breeds and has on display at our festivals and fairs.
Emily – Apprentice
Emily has been a huge help over the years and when Staff can’t make it in she is always there to help. She is an amazing dog trainer and just over all huge help.
You May Also Spot some of our volunteers at shows!
Beverly Murtha
Beverly Murtha began working with Danny and the animals at G&G Animals in 2016, alongside her daughter, Megan. She is currently starting her 35th year as a Speech Language Therapist at Leighton Elementary School in the Oswego City School District, but enjoys spending as much of her free time as possible caring for and showing the animals.
Billy Sullivan
Billy has been with G&G Animals since 2022. He obtained his Bachelors Degree in Wildlife Science from SUNY ESF in 2021. He currently works with NYS Parks and helped us to partner with NYS Parks for educational wildlife presentations within State Parks. He previously gained 2 years of experience as a Zookeeper, working at a Private Zoo. Billy’s favorite work tasks include educating the public about Chameleons, socializing with the animals, and creating enrichment.
Daniel Grevelding
Along with helping out with animal care and events at G&G Animals, Daniel Grevelding is currently attending ESF! He started while attending Oswego as a computer science major, but G&G Animals motivated him to pursue a Wildlife Biology path! With this coding background, Daniel even redesigned the G&G Website this year!
Megan Murtha
Megan Murtha started working with Danny at G&G Animals in 2016, with her mother Beverly. She just started back for her sophomore year in college at CCC, but enjoys spending her time caring for the animals and helping Danny with his shows.
Each semester we run internships and we rely very heavy on them as they are a huge part of our staff. If you are interested in doing an Internship you can learn more here:
