Full- Time Zookeeper

About the Role

Responsible for the daily care and continuous improvement of welfare of an assigned group of captive animals, while contributing to conservation, education, science, and customer service.

Responsibilities

• Maintains secure enclosures at all times by using latches and locks, and checking those to ensure animals cannot escape or people enter.
• Participates in the care and feeding of the animal collection, which may include mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and invertebrates.
• Prepares diets according to specifications, checks foodstuffs for spoilage, feeds animals according to procedures, records food intake, and makes recommendations for diet changes based on food intake, behavior, and general appearance.
• Cleans exhibits and adjacent public areas to ensure sanitary and safe conditions by hosing, scrubbing, sweeping, raking, shoveling, and disinfecting to remove manure, unconsumed food, litter, poisonous plants, and foreign objects.
• Trains other staff and shifts animals in adjacent stalls, pens, or dens for feeding or cleaning purposes.
• Observes animals for unusual behaviors or appearance, signs of illness or injury, aggression, breeding, births, egg laying, hatching, deaths, and eating habits. Maintains daily records of this information and reports problems to supervisor.
• Assists in the artificial incubation of eggs and handraising of young by maintaining equipment and applying appropriate techniques to ensure viability, health, and survival of eggs and hatchlings.
• Continuously monitors, evaluates, and seeks to improve animal wellness. Develops objectives, strategies, and tactics to satisfy and enrich the animals, providing approved items and methods in accordance with zoo policy.
• Conducts approved operant conditioning sessions to continuously assess and improve animal wellness through husbandry and health of the animals.
• Assists Curators, zoo veterinarians, and veterinary staff in capture and restraint of zoo specimens for medical procedures or animal transfers using appropriate techniques and equipment.
• Medicates animals according to the veterinarian's instructions, including measuring out medication or putting medication in food or water, and notes levels of medication to inform supervisor of refill needs.
• Acclimates animals to exhibits, stalls, chutes, crates, halters, or perches for use in medical procedures, transfers, or educational demonstrations.
• Participates in transfer of animals by capturing, restraining, crating, and transporting.
• Adheres to ZNE Sustainability Policy and incorporates sustainability efforts into daily routines. Supports and promotes ZNE conservation initiatives.
• Maintains exhibits, public areas, off-exhibit holding areas, and grounds. Monitors heating systems, records temperatures, makes minor repairs, uses power tools and landscape equipment, and fabricates minor exhibits and enhancements.
• Removes snow to provide access for staff and animals.
• Interacts with and answers questions of zoo guests by providing information about zoo animals and policies, conducts tours, and interviews as needed.
• Monitors working laborers and contractors for animal safety and watches animals for signs of stress. Checks exhibits upon completion of work for safety hazards.
• Trains and oversees new employees and volunteers assigned to exhibit areas and/or research projects. Mentors interns.
• Attends safety training and other professional development programs when offered, with supervisor's approval.
• Participates in formal and informal programs to educate the public.
• Conducts and assists in research projects designed to improve animal care as assigned by supervisor.
• Participates in integrated pest control management, including setting and clearing traps, reporting problem areas, and problem-solving for exclusion.
• Carries a two-way radio as assigned and handles it responsibly.
• Assists in department record-keeping by maintaining and submitting daily keeper reports, individual care charts, census forms, enrichment calendars, ASRs/event reports, and training logs.
• Uses collected information to compile reports as needed.
• May be assigned to work in any area of either zoo.
• Inventories and submits requests for zoo equipment, supplies (including uniforms), feeds, and repair and maintenance materials to supervisor as needed. Ensures supplies are properly rotated, labeled, and stored.
• Participates in departmental meetings and makes recommendations regarding husbandry, exhibition, and development of standards and procedures.
• Informs coworkers and supervisors of operational and/or procedural changes to maintain good communication.
• Shares skills, knowledge, and exhibits a positive attitude to enhance the performance of co-workers.
• Identifies and submits requests for work orders to supervisor as needed.
• Annually submits ideas for evaluation goals and completes set goals in a timely manner.
• May mentor and assist in the review of work performance and attendance of interns.
• Completes a minimum of 4 weeks rotation in each of the 5 Animal Care areas.

Physical Demands

• Constantly moves about on foot from one animal area to another.
• Frequently raises, lowers, transports, and positions heavy objects such as bags of grain and bales of hay weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Frequently reaches, pushes, pulls, and throws objects with hands to open/close doors/gates or deliver feed to animals.
• Frequently uses good balance to climb, ascend/descend stairs and ladders, works atop rockwork, and traverses uneven or slippery exhibit terrain.
• Frequently stoops, kneels, or crouches to work, such as to clean, feed, or observe animals.
• Frequently converses with guests, co-workers, and contractors to exchange accurate information for animal welfare, education, and safety purposes.
• Must be able to inspect, detect, and identify animal health and welfare concerns and safety issues using hearing (radio), sight (including color identification), and smell (to detect moldy foodstuffs, changes in stools, etc.).

Work Conditions

• Constantly working in outdoor climatic conditions including rain, extreme cold or heat, and humidity.
• Frequently working around moving mechanical parts such as hydraulic doors, fans, pumps, and heaters.
• Frequently exposed to and working in close contact with a variety of exhibit animals (including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects), animal waste, dander, feathers, hay, dust, allergens, and contagious diseases.
• Frequently working around electric fencing.
• Occasionally working in small spaces with loud animals.
• Frequently handling toxic and/or hazardous materials for cleaning enclosures and medicating animals.
• Occasionally working in confined or cramped spaces.
• Frequently working from an elevated position.
• Occasionally assists in emergencies and copes with high-stress situations (e.g., fire, hazmat, animal incident, human health or injury, natural disaster, criminal incident, resource loss, or emergency assistance to guests).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or 2+ years of experience working as an animal care professional.
• Must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
• TB tested negative within the last 12 months before starting if working regularly in primate areas and tested every 3 years thereafter.
• Good work history.
• Must speak and read English and possess written and oral communication skills to understand instructions and information of a technical nature.
• Must have a valid driver's license in good standing and be able to drive a full-size vehicle on public roads.
• Ability and willingness to enhance the knowledge and skills needed to provide professional animal care.
• Ability and willingness to function independently and as a member of a team.
• Ability to work for extended periods in harsh climatic conditions.
• Ability to work safely around dangerous animals, chemicals, and animals with contagious diseases.
• No allergies, diseases, or conditions that would prevent working in any area of the Zoos.
• Capable of basic math.
• Must be able to withstand physical hardships associated with duties, including animal restraint.
• Must be able to lift at least 50 lbs.
• Ability to use hand and small power tools.
• Must be able and willing to work weekends, holidays, and overtime.