r/Zookeeping

I hope this is the right place to ask this, but I’m at a loss here. So far in the last two years I have been to:

-Dallas Zoo
-LA Zoo
-Houston Zoo
-Omaha Zoo

I have seen a bull Asian elephant at the LA zoo. I was in awe at the size of the unit. I must have stood there for about an hour just watching it exist. I’ve always loved elephants as a kid and wanted to see a bull African elephant.

Is there any in the US? I enjoyed the Omaha and Dallas elephant exhibits but did not see any bulls.

Thank you in advance and sorry if this is on the wrong subreddit.

I was wondering if anyone would be willing to let me know how you like working there? The zoo has such a fantastic reputation and lots of accolades, but sometimes those facilities still end up treating their keepers like garbage 🫤

I've applied for a position with the elephant department and would love to hear some candid opinions on the culture, what you think of the executive team and leadership, how are your vets, is there a lot of internal politicking, how are the professional development opportunities, or anything else you'd like to share.

I'd also appreciate hearing about what its like moving to and living in Omaha.

Thank you!

I’m super excited to be my team’s mentor to our intern this summer. What are some things that you have done as a mentor, or have experienced as an intern, that stood out as great ways to learn? What have you done to help your interns feel appreciated for a job well done? Thanks!

i know this is probably a really common question on here, but i am a 2nd yr zoology student in the UK looking to one day become a zookeeper.

i've tried applying for a volunteering opportunity at a zoo near enough to my university, but i haven't heard anything back and i'm not really hopeful. their page is very outdated so i'm not even sure if they take applicants anymore.

a lot of people on my course all have a lot of background experience, a lot of them lived on farms growing up, did animal management courses at college.
i feel as though i am already behind - i am from a large city and i did a levels.

i have no idea what to do or where to go. i'm on track to get a 2:1, hoping i can boost this to a 1:1 next year, but i've heard that the difference is basically negligible when applying for keeper roles. they want hands on work experience.

i don't know where to look ! or who would be open to taking me on as an apprentice. i have one absolute dream apprenticeship in mind, but i know they are so competitive. i don't know what to do to make my application stand out when applying for these roles after my degree.

are there any paths that i might not have considered? did anybody do any 'weird' / uncommon volunteering that was valuable for their zoo keeping application?

thank you so much for your time

I am currently 29 years old and a sous chef but looking to switch career paths. I always loved animals and wanted to be a vet growing up but was discouraged because of my grades and just kind of ended up cooking.

I dont have the savings to go to school so was hoping I could find a beginners position where I can learn and make atleast full time hours, making above minimum wage would be nice but as I havent worked with animals before I wouldnt expect it and would be happy to make my way up if I got to work around animals. (I never expect to make a lot working at a zoo, i expect to eventually get some raises but not expecting to become rich]

The zoo in the city I live closed a decade ago or I would look into intern or volunteering part time to get experience. If I want to work for a zoo I need to move which I am fine with but am trying to do more research and figure out what the jobs are, what I should apply for, if I even have a chance.

Would appreciate any info or advice

For some possible clarity on the topic or least a viewpoint of 'choice and control' would recommend a recent Zoo Logic podcast episode with guest speaker Ken Ramirez.

When c and c began as a shiny new term and process to be implemented by zoo management at AZA's behest there were questions from experienced staff that lead to frustration mostly because the messaging and interpretation was murky at best. This was partially because those handing it down didn't seem to have a good grasp and it came off as essentially "if the animal chooses to not respond they get a free pass". There was some general agreement in principle but some nuances of an individual animals behavior history were largely ignored. Could go on but I gave the podcast a listen and found it informative and hopefully so might you.

(Don't know if this is the best flair?)

One of the most interesting aspects to me about the field is how animal care departments are divided at institutions. At pretty much every institution I've seen, there will be a primary method of department division that either leans towards taxonomic organization (birds, herps, antelope/hoofstock, etc.) or zone/geographic organization (africa, rainforest, aquatics, etc.). I was curious to discuss peoples opinions on each, and how each can be improved to create more interdisciplinary zoo environments and communities.

Of course, like everything in the field, there are benefits and drawbacks to each. One huge benefit of taxonomic organization is that the understanding of care techniques for one species are more easily transferrable to other species you're working with. A tube-feeding method for a macaw is more easily translated to that of another bird species rather than that of a monkey or other non-related rainforest species for example. This creates a workspace where expertise in one species can pay off if you are having to move around a lot within your department to work with all sorts of other species that are closely related to the most common species you work with. However, one of the downsides may be that staff may be more underprepared for scenarios where they'll have to work with species of other taxa - I'm thinking situations like understaffing and habitat infiltration from non-taxa species. This is especially true for smaller zoos where staff may be more codependent on each other from multiple different departments where a more "all-hands-on-deck" scenario may require more knowledge than just one specific taxa.

The benefits of zone/geographic organizations seem to come most from a humanitarian perspective; the close proximity of daily duties makes emergency reaction much quicker, allows for opportunities to be educated on a wider plethora of taxa, and can create a more well-rounded understanding of care requirements for a wide variety of species that can be beneficial for advancing the future careers of keepers. Knowledge from one species to the next might not be as transferrable but it is certainly something that can be built on for the wider array of species worked with if one retains enough information delivered. Additionally, for those who are early into setting up their careers like myself, getting to work closely with species of multiple taxa can provide a solid perspective on what species young in-the-making keepers want to work with and inform them on how to care for a wide range of species when the time comes.

Anyway, just thought this was an interesting topic. My zoo does primarily taxonomic division and I have worked almost entirely with birds, but I am considering expanding my taxonomic experience to other species before I graduate school so I just wanted to spark up some discussion and see what other people have to say!

I currently work as a sous chef at a hotel, been cooking since i was 20, I am 29, turning 30 this year and always wanted to work with animals.

Im thinking of looking at being a cook at any zoo, but not entirely sure what i need to know. I understand how to cook, small portions or large banquet style portions. But what is the difference for cooking at a zoo? Do I need to go to school and learn about animals to cook for them or can I just apply as an entry level cook?

I’ve seen a lot of discussions about what kind of people are attracted to a certain job: firefighter, police, doctor, etc.

So what different kinds of personalities would you say are attracted to being a zookeeper?

Also; if the flair is not correct, please let me know and I’ll change it

I’m finally getting a long weekend after working 11 days straight due to some exceptional circumstances (this is not a standard for my facility). I was for sure feeling it at the end but now I’m curious about where 11 days in a row ranks on the scale compared to other folks.

I just started a new internship in a department with over 100 animals and don’t have a ton of knowledge on certain ones. Right now I’m focused on sloths, armadillos, tortoises, and owls. I would appreciate any good resources I can look at to learn more about these animals. I’m also not the most creative, so drop your enrichment ideas below!

Hey,

So I've been at a facility for almost 7 months and unfortunately work on a pretty toxic team. They thrive on tearing other staff to shreds behind their backs and do that or just waste time when basic husbandry is done rather than pursuing to better our area's enrichment, train animals, work on projects, etc. I feel like I'm in middle school 😫

I've tried to stay out of it, but I'm tried of being in that environment. Its really not who I am to do that sort of thing, and I was known for doing the complete opposite at my two previous facilities. I got glowing reviews at both facilities and am still in contact with many of the keepers. Both of those facilities have positions open that I want to apply for. I really want to stay at least a year, but I really miss working on a professional team that strives to really do well.

I guess my question is this worth leaving a job early for? I think I could tolerate staying here for a year to apply to facilities that I haven't worked at before (take more of a gamble again like I did with the place Im at now, if you what I mean) But as far as my resume goes, I know I would stay at either of the two zoos I was at before for quite a few years if i got a job 😅

EDIT: Thank you everyone! I should clarify, I'm not considering leaving with nothing else lined up. Just was wondering if its not terrible to leave for another job if I get one

I've been working at a small facility for 9 years now. The first 4, we had a team of 3 to care for around 300 animals. At the start of COVID, we lost a team member and went down to 3 until 2023 where I then became the only keeper. For two and a half years, I've been feeding, cleaning, building nutrition plans, monitoring health changes, overseeing breeding, and trying to offer at least some amount of enrichment whenever I can to 78 species as well as handling all guest experiences. I'm struggling with burnout constantly to the point where I've begun to resent the job entirely.

My questions are for people who are in smaller facilities like mine. What is your team member to animal ratio like? I feel extremely burned out all the time and I can't tell if there is something wrong with me, or if this level of work is unsustainable for one person. Any tricks to manage burnout? Can I manage this and fight through it for the animals in my care that I love so much, or should I be looking for an exit strategy?

Hi everyone,

I’ve recently landed my dream job as a zookeeper at a local wildlife park and I start next week. I’ve got a degree in Animal Biology and have studied animal behaviour as a module, but I know theory only gets you so far and experience is the real teacher.

I’m mainly looking for advice on dealing with difficult or aggressive animal behaviours. I’ve been told one of the animals I’ll be working with is a very territorial male Greater Rhea that has a habit of going for keepers when they enter the enclosure for daily tasks. Does anyone have any tips for safely managing or reducing this kind of aggression, or is it more about learning the individual animal and working around its behaviour?

I’d also really appreciate any general advice for a first-time keeper — things you wish you knew when starting out, good habits to get into, common mistakes to avoid, etc. I’m planning on spending the weekend reading up and preparing as much as I can before I start.

Thanks in advance!

Hello!

I am posting here again, as I feel I need some advice. I am a new to the industry, still in first year. I got into the job understanding the low pay, ect. I was fine with all that, and I was aware of the manual labour and all that and that is fine. I do not mind that at all! I volunteered for a few years at a facility, and I studied and did placement.

But I have been thrown in the complete deep end with rounds which I was told were not beginner friendly (as stated by higher ups.) I feel extremely burnt out all the time, emotionally and physically. I moved across the country for this job, and I've put my all in it every single day but it is hard to separate work from life when I'm constantly stressed and feeling exhausted at the idea of going to work.

I've worked full time jobs before, and I've worked well in school and uni ect, so intense every day to day work (and mental challenges) is absolutely fine, its just this job.

Its super upsetting because I really love the animals and a few people at work, but I'm really feeling like moving so far away for this job was maybe a big mistake and I should have waited and applied for something closer to home. Not to mention the pay is not so great and I've had better pay and felt much less burnt out at other jobs (such as event organising and hosting.) Even though the pay was never a deal breaker for me (and still isn't) just with a bit of a toxic work environment and the emotional burn out and stress I feel as though its icing on the cake.

I'm a new zookeeper so I'm not sure if thats probably adding to it as well and if I am better to really stick it out! If anyone has any advice I would love some because I almost feel like giving up on this dream.