The definition of zoo keeping has changed dramatically in the last two decades, and for a much longer period, many zoological facilities were places of entertainment. There has been a dynamic shift in the profession as the conservation era gathers pace, and the work of every animal care professional now requires a broader understanding of their roles in the wild and how that can affect the job. in question. And while there are many zoos that still focus on the entertainment aspects of seeing wild animals, there is a growing proportion that have made it part of their mission to educate their visitors and spread the word that these living creatures they encounter they are a finite resource. , one that needs to be protected.

Down and Dirty: What’s the Job?

Being a zookeeper is certainly not for everyone. In some specialized programs in the United States, prospective zookeepers face a 60% or higher failure/dropout rate, and these programs only accept a few dozen students with each other graduating class. From the heavy workload to the high level of responsibility and security, it can be a very stressful job.

First, zookeepers spend most of their time providing daily care for their section of animals, a task that is spent almost entirely cleaning the enclosures, which, depending on the animal, can be as brief as a quick look around the tank of a boa constrictor. or as complicated as sticking a rhino scavenger for half an hour in a dump truck. After cleaning, or sometimes during distraction, serving portions of each animal’s planned diet can be part of the daily routine. Appropriate dietary needs will often be determined by a nutritionist, but it is up to the daily keepers to ensure that each animal is being cared for properly.

Animal care professionals must also have a keen sense of conscience when working with each animal. They need to understand natural behaviors at work, how these behaviors can manifest themselves, and what abnormal behaviors are common in captivity. On top of this, while veterinarians are regularly relied upon to make an accurate diagnosis, wild animals don’t always show obvious signs of illness, and it’s up to the person who cares for them each day to spot when something might go wrong.

On the Up and Up: What’s so good about it?

All that hard work has to pay off somehow, doesn’t it? Just as each person has their own characteristics that make them unique, similar characteristics can often be found in the exotic animals of each facility. Understanding how these traits work with your natural instincts can be very rewarding, especially when working with enrichment. Enrichment is an established program of novel or interesting items that are not harmful to the animal, but provide additional mental stimulation, keeping the animal engaged and, in the case of food enrichments, well practiced in its natural feeding activities.

It is a very rare experience to be able to see an animal released into the wild, something that many people do not even appreciate. Thanks to conservation efforts by zoological facilities, these events no longer occur once in a blue moon. In the case of species like the endangered Florida panther, injuries sustained in the wild, even at a young age, no longer permanently relegate them to a zoo exhibit. Specialized programs have been established among zoological facilities that allow keepers to help these animals maintain their natural instincts, provide care from a distance, and then return them to their natural habitat when they are ready.

So what does it take to be a zookeeper?

As part of the mission of many zoological facilities, education has taken a backseat to conservation efforts, and this has resulted in increased opportunities, even for the untrained. Volunteering, becoming a docent, or applying for a more complex internship can be an easy way to get to know the zoo field. For a permanent position, many zoological facilities prefer that their employees have a bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences such as Biology, Zoology, or Psychology. This preference can also be exchanged for any number of years of work in zoological facilities, and supervisors will occasionally choose new hires from among their volunteers, docents, or interns.

Zookeeping is not an easy path, and it is not one that can be easily recommended to a prospective student. It requires drive and passion for wild animals, and the will to improve every day you enter. However, if you try hard enough, you get to a point where you smile at yourself as you watch the animals in your section having fun with your hard work and think, “Did I ever have the best job in the world?”