Zookeeper

Essential Job Functions 

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. 

Duties & 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. 


• Participates in procedures designed to meet the nutritional needs of animals.  This includes preparing diets according to specifications, checking foodstuffs for spoilage, feeding animals according to procedures, recording food intake and making notes on changes, making recommendations for diet changes based on food intake, behavior, and general appearance.  


• Cleans exhibits and adjacent public areas to insure 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 stall, 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 on this information and reports problems to his/her supervisor. 


• When applicable assists in the artificial incubation of eggs and handraising of young by maintaining equipment and applying appropriate techniques to insure 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.  Provides approved items and methods in accordance with zoo policy. May serve on the enrichment committee to represent their area. Conducts approved, and cooperates with existing, operant conditioning sessions to continuously assess and improve animal wellness through husbandry and health of the animals. 


• By assignment of Assistant Curator, attends veterinarian on rounds through assigned area. Assists Curators, zoo veterinarian 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 to ensure adequate health maintenance of the collection including measuring out medication or putting medication in the food or water.   Notes levels of medication and informs 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; records operation of equipment, makes minor repairs, uses power tools once trained, uses landscape equipment and machinery once trained, fabricates minor exhibits and enhancements to provide attractive, safe and comfortable exhibits for zoo specimens and public areas for zoo guests. 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 to meet the education and guest relations needs of the zoo. 


• 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. Allowed to mentor interns. 


• Attends safety training as required.  Encouraged to attend keeper training and other professional development programs when offered, with supervisor approval. 


• Participates in formal and informal programs to educate the public. 


• As assigned by his/her supervisor, conducts and assists in research projects designed to improve animal care. 


• Participates in integrated pest control management as directed by the Pest Control Manager.  May include, 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, training logs to ensure consistent, and professional communications regarding all aspects of the collections maintenance.  Uses this information to compile reports as needed. 


• May be assigned to work in any area of either zoo. 


• Performs related work as required and/or assigned. 


• Inventories and submits requests for zoo equipment, supplies (including uniforms), feeds, and repair and maintenance materials, to his/her supervisor as needed.  Ensures that supplies are properly rotated, labeled and stored. 


• Participates in departmental meetings and makes recommendations regarding husbandry, exhibition, and development of standards and procedures. 


• Responsible for informing coworkers and supervisors of operational and/or procedural changes in order to maintain good communications. 


• Shares skills, knowledge and exhibit positive attitude, affect, attitude, articulation and affability, which will serve to enhance the performance of co-workers. 


• Identifies and submits requests for work orders to his/her supervisor as needed. 


• Annually submit ideas for evaluation goals, as well as complete set goals in a timely manner.  May mentor and assist in review of work performance and attendance of interns. 


• Completes, at minimum, 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 from truck to ground, from ground to barrels or pallets grasping with hands and arms, to maintain food stock and supplies. 


• Frequently reaches, pushes, pulls and throws objects with hands such as to open and close doors/gates, or deliver food stuffs to animals at a distance. 


• Frequently uses good balance to climb, ascend/descend stairs and ladders, works atop rockwork, and traverses uneven or slippery exhibit terrain to clean enclosures and feed animals. 


• 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). 


• Frequently inspects, detects and identifies animal health and welfare concerns and safety issues using, sight (including color identification to see blood in stools), and smell (to detect moldy food stuffs, change 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, heaters, etc. 


• 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 assist in emergencies and cope with high stress situations, e.g., Fire, hazmat, animal incident (Animal Recovery or Crowd Control Unit), human health or injury, natural disaster, criminal incident, resource loss or compromise, or emergency assistance to guests as directed. 

Minimum Job 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 drivers' license in good standing and be able to drive a full-size vehicle on public roads. 


• If qualified, may be asked to train volunteers and others in safely working with zoo animals. 


• Must have the ability and willingness to enhance the knowledge and skills needed to provide professional animal care. 


• Must have the ability and willingness to function independently and as a member of a team. 


• Must have the ability to work for extended periods in harsh climatic conditions. 


• Must have the ability to work safely around dangerous animals, chemicals, and around animals with contagious diseases. 


• Must have no allergies, diseases, or conditions that would prevent working in any area of the Zoos. 


• Must be capable of basic math. 


• Must be able to withstand physical hardships associated with duties, i.e. 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. 

Zoo New England is an Equal Opportunity Employer by Choice

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