Paulsen twins appreciate trip to San Diego Zoo
Levi and Landan Paulsen’s interest in conservation came to the forefront when the Hawkeyes visited the San Diego Zoo on Wednesday.
Iowa offensive lineman Levi Paulsen laughs looking at a two-toed sloth during the teams visit of the San Diego Zoo on Wednesday, December 25, 2019.
December 25, 2019
Some members of the Hawkeye football team engaged with animals at the San Diego Zoo on Dec. 25, though not the farm animals that populate the state of Iowa.
This was new.
Levi and Landan Paulsen, along with teammates Nick Niemann and Cedrick Lattimore, interacted with a two-toed sloth, pygmy falcon, and legless lizard when the Hawkeyes visited the zoo.
That meant a lot for the Paulsens, because the experience brought out the importance of conservation for the brothers.
“The conservation efforts that these zookeepers are taking part in is unbelievable,” said Levi Paulsen, an environmental-science major. “Our success as a planet depends on it.”
The Paulsen twins enjoy hunting, so the visit allowed them to spend some time with animals they aren’t so familiar with.
Landan Paulsen said the pair are fascinated by author and conservationist Steven Rinella’s work with wildlife and watch his show, “MeatEater,” on Netflix regularly.
That familiarity helped them appreciate what zookeepers do.
“[Rinella’s] been really influential for us in talking about wildlife,” Landan Paulsen said. “We watch all of his stuff. Anytime he has something new come out, that’s what we do.”
Levi Paulsen said he and his brother have a cousin who worked at the San Diego Zoo before moving back to the Henry Doorley Zoo in Omaha.
The relationship they cultivated after traveling to Omaha to visit allowed them to appreciate the trip in San Diego even more.
“It’s cool to go experience that with him,” Levi Paulsen said. “Just unbelievable conservation efforts that these guys are going to to provide for a more sustainable future for all of these animals and the world in general.”
Along with hunting, the Paulsens’ interest in animals and conservation stems from their father’s work.
Dan Paulsen, Landan said, has been a soil conservationist for around 30 years, so the trip to the zoo to see the wild animals hit home.
But while the brothers both have similar views on the importance surrounding the animals, they wouldn’t choose to be the same creature.
“I’d be a lion,” Levi Paulsen said. “Just the prowess of them. They could be taking a nap, wake up by the scent of a gazelle, and within a split second, be on their feet running 35-45 mph to have dinner. I think that’s absolutely astounding.”
Landan Paulsen agrees with the pick for his brother but has a different opinion for himself.
“If I were an animal, I would probably be a rhino,” he said. “I just think that they’re not overweight animals, but they’re big animals. I feel like I’m not really overweight, but I’m kind of big.
“We actually both like lions a lot. In high school, we had this debate about if the lion was the king of the jungle actually, and I think we both came to a consensus that it was. But if he wants to be a lion, he can be a lion. I’ll be a rhino.”
View more photos from the Hawkeyes’ visit to the zoo
