PITTSBURGH — It’s not like future veterinarian Lauren Schaper’s Adams Township home was filled with furry and feathered creatures as she grew up.

“My dad is actually allergic, so I never even had a pet,” she said.

That didn’t stop the 2014 Mars High School graduate from pursuing her dreams and enrolling at Findlay University in Findlay, Ohio, as a double major in biology and animal science with a preveterinary emphasis. She also minors in chemistry.

This summer, Schaper was selected to serve an internship at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.

Two days each week, Schaper travels to the zoo’s education building in Highland Park to care for the animals in the morning, and prepare for the three Safari Amphitheater Shows presented in the afternoon near the lions and leopards exhibits.

There, she and a small team from the education department show three of the 62 animals housed in the education building that are not on public view at the zoo.

Wednesday’s show featured a blue-tongued skink, an American kestrel and a pancake turtle.

Schaper carried the slick, feathered and shelled stars to the small natural stage at the outdoor amphitheater as the master of ceremonies called for them.

Thanks to Schaper and her team, the crowd learned that the skink is a very slow lizard whose blue tongue protects him from predators, the kestrel can be found balancing on local posts and fences bobbing its tail, and the pancake turtle is the fastest of the species with a top speed of 10 mph.

“Ever since I was little, this is what I wanted to do,” Schaper said. “Steve Irwin was my hero, so I get to walk in his shoes a little bit.”

She said when she was initially looking at internships she wanted to work at the San Diego Zoo with the giraffe population. But she is now thrilled that she stayed local.

“People love the shows,” Schaper said. “The kids are really interested. Every time we bring an animal out, they’re like, ‘Wow!’”

After describing the animals to the rapt visitors and answering questions about the animals’ age, diet, natural home and speed, Schaper and her team allowed crowd members to line up to pet the turtle and skink.

She explained that the animals must be touched with two fingers, and on the back or shell only. Occasionally, Schaper had to admonish a few overzealous tots.

“Oops! Not his head!” she said, still smiling.

Other animals displayed in the amphitheater shows include owls, snakes, armadillos and alligators.

Beth Inches, a senior education specialist in conservation education at the zoo, said each department in the education wing acquires its own summer interns.

Inches said she received about 35 intern applications in her department, and eight of the most qualified were chosen.

“Lauren is absolutely wonderful,” Inches said. “She’s incredibly positive and outgoing, and she really enjoys what she is doing and we can see it in her work every day.”

Inches said the process of selecting interns is taken very seriously at the zoo, and department managers try to get the best.

“We look at interns as future coworkers and supervisors, so we want to make sure they are dedicated and have a good experience here so they are ready for the future.”

Schaper is staying at her childhood home with her parents, Judy and Bob, for the summer while she serves her internship.

“My parents said I watched Animal Planet religiously when I was little,” Schaper said. “I loved it.”

She hopes to become an exotic-animal veterinarian or an emergency animal surgeon who can operate on the more complex problems beyond spaying and neutering.

“Some days, the vet comes to the zoo, and I get some (exposure),” Schaper said.

She said many people ask her how she could become a veterinarian when euthanasia is a part of the job.

“But there are many more positive cases,” she said.

On Wednesday, she explained to the crowd at the zoo’s amphitheater that Yabo the skink does not feel slimy, as many would expect. But it was hard to tell who was more excited about Yabo, Schaper or the audience members.

“His back feels like corn on the cob,” she said. “So the next time you eat corn, you can think of Yabo.”