Mary J. Wilson

Mary Jeannette Wilson (January 2, 1937 – May 25, 2020) was the first African-American senior zookeeper at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.

Early life Mary J. Wilson was born in West Baltimore, Maryland. She had two siblings, one older and one younger. Her parents were Willie Wilson and Mary Henry. Her mother Mary died of diphtheria when Wilson was only five years old. While most women zookeepers at the time were assigned to work with smaller animals, Wilson worked with mammals from the beginning of her career, specializing in gorillas, cats and elephants. The zoo still has two otters named after her: Mary and Wilson.