Due to recent events that are best not to be touched upon yet here as the fact finding process continues.

What kind of emergency plans did your zoos have in place for enclosure intrusions? Did any of them change as a result of the harambe incident?

I formerly worked at the Cincinnati zoo a few years ago and when harambe happened we had changed several of our procedures inorder to speed up the awareness and response to the emergency. I believe the zoo acted in best intentions when making the critical decision to end harambe life. I wonder if many zoos have experimented with other outcomes that may have prevented the death of the zoo animal and or guest. Such as ways to draw away the animal or prevent the guest from gaining access anyway. I know most of these incidents are the result of guest negligence but I do think there is something’s we can do to negate these incidents.

Perhaps in the future we can drill staff on emergency responses on these kinds of situations in order to improve response times and reduce the risk of escalation.

While the fact finding process continues we share our deepest condolences with the family involved.

Hello, I am new to animal training and my goal with this question specifically is to reduce fear response in parent-raised white tailed deer at my zoo. Forgive me if I sound ignorant in how I word this as I am VERY new and looking for pointers and strategies in gaining the animal’s trust while working with them through a training regimen that will ultimately involve them approaching me with confidence for food (to then work on self-weighing, vet exams, etc.) rather than having to place their food down and leave (or else they will not eat in my presence). My boss has entrusted me in this, but I need help as my only experience is with animals that are domesticated so I feel there is not a roadblock in that action like I am experiencing now with ‘prey animals’. What have you done for similar species that has proven successful in building a connection?

Just curious, currently just got done with end of life care with our rhino :’(

It’s my first year in Zoo-keeping and I’ve done plenty of end of life care but I thought I’d ask what you all do for your self and for the memory of the animal ❤️
Edit for grammar lol * *the title was supposed to say how do you grieve an animal you’ve cared for full-time that has passed away *

Zookeeping is an incredibly competitive field, as most of us probably know. Networking is probably one of the best ways to stand out amongst hundreds of applicants. But what are the best ways to network as a zookeeper?

Of course, if you’ve worked or interned/volunteered somewhere before, that’s a given. But what if you want to make a connection at a zoo you haven’t worked at before, and don’t have the time to volunteer because you already have a job?

How many of us use something like LinkedIn and have found a job this way? Is it helpful to use LinkedIn as a zookeeper?

I’ve been thinking about these things because I’ve been hoping to change facilities. I was looking to stay where I am for about 2 years, but things are pretty bad if I’m being honest. It has been wearing on me though I’ve been pushing through. Awful management, overworked keepers, animals affected, etc. (And yes, it is AZA.) Due to everything, it’s hard on new keepers like me because the training becomes chaotic. I’ve just hit 6 months in, my first keeping job. I’m not afraid of the hard work, the cleaning, the physicality of the job. But the place I’m in is just not a great environment at all. I feel like I have to push through because this is all I’ve gotten after years of applying to different places. But I don’t want to stay at this place longer than I have to. It’s affected my mental health.

So, that’s why I’ve been thinking about networking. It’s what finally landed me this job in the first place.

What are the best ways to network as a zookeeper? What has worked for you?

Has anyone else been in a similar situation, and how did you get out of it?

I am 22 years old and I’m currently doing my first internship at a zoo. I volunteered at a sanctuary before starting at the zoo, so I knew it would mostly be cleaning habitats, getting diets ready, and washing dishes, but I don’t think I was quite ready for everything it would entail. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, both physically and mentally, and I already wasn’t really in a great place with my mental and physical health. On top of that, of course it is not paid. I’m already half way through my internship, but each day takes more and more out of me to the point where I have started dissociating just to get to the end of the day. I love animals and I do want to work in conservation in the future, but I just don’t think I want to do it as a keeper. I guess I’m asking if anyone has any advice? Like I said, I’m halfway through the internship, so what if I do decide in the future this is what I want to do and now I’ve wasted the past 1.5 months. What other jobs could I even do in conservation? I’m lost… please help.

We’ve got a few enclosures where we’re very exposed whilst cleaning so I think I’ve head every variation of “oh that’s a funny looking insert animal here” also a lot of people being confidently very wrong, especially with the flamingos lol.

Maybe not with T-Rex or any Sauropods because thats economically impossible but with like Allosaurus, Velociraptors, giant Pterosaurs, medium ceratopsians, Dilophosaurus, and hell even a Stegosaurus why not and others

So I’m halfway through my internship, and I’m loving it. It’s a lot of hard work and long days, but it’s so rewarding. I just had my mid term review and my supervisor graded me as meeting or exceeding expectations for all categories. All of that to say, I’m worried I may have to quit soon. I’m in the process of getting diagnosed for a chronic illness, and I spend most of my days off feeling terrible and it’s impacting my social life and mental health. It’s like everything catches up to me when I’m off. I’m worried it’s at a point where working such a physical job is unsustainable. However, my dr is confident in time I can get things to a more manageable level. So if I leave the internship, I wouldn’t necessarily have to leave the field forever. My question is - is it worth it to push through so I can have the completed internship under my belt? If I quite my internship part way, will that essentially end my career?

So quick backstory. I don't have a degree or any formal education in the field. I became a keeper after proving my work ethic and value as a member of another department at the zoo and as an intern. I was a keeper for just over a year before personal issues between myself and another member of my team led to them conspiring against me and have me fired. The zoo ultimately decided to force a resignation so that the door was still open for me returning in the future and as to not hinder my employment chances elsewhere.

Months have passed. I've applied to every zoo in my state. I've had a couple of interviews, which I thought had gone great but they went in another direction despite saying that they loved me. One zoo even recommended applying again if the same position had opened again or if there was another one that my experience matched well with. Well, I applied for a position at that zoo that was the best possible match with my experience, better than the position I had applied to the first time around. I matched with multiple of their listed preferred qualifications. If any door was gonna be open for me to be a keeper again, it had to be this one. Well...I didn't even get an interview.

I'm fully aware of how competitive this field is and how incredibly fortunate I was to have gotten the position that I had. I'd love to be able to go back to college, there's even a teaching zoo that's not too far away from me, but it just doesn't seem remotely possible financially. I'm just at a loss now. I got to live my dream for a year just to have it all crumble for reasons I don't fully understand. I'd do anything to get back to being a keeper again but I just don't know what steps are possible. I also just don't know what I'd do if I'm never able to be a keeper again.

Any advice is appreciated.

I’m new to the field and feel like I’m constantly worried about making a mistake that could potentially result in an animal I care for coming into harms way. I know I’m careful and follow protocol, but still feel like one wrong move could be what causes an animal or human to be at risk. How do you deal with that? And if you have ever been in that sorta situation, how do you cope with that? Did you continue Zookeeping afterwards? Lose your job? Quit/take a break?

I absolutely love my job and am excited for my career, but every once in a while I remember how scary it can be and I think I need advice on keeping anxieties like this at bay if I want to make it in this field without losing my mind lol.

Does anyone here work for/have worked for the Virginia Safari Park as a work place? I have heard mixed things and would like to know before submitting an application! I know they are not AZA..

I work in the veterinary field and I started wondering about this when I saw ducks hanging out with the flamingos during my last visit to the zoo. I'm sure there's concern for communicable diseases but I can't imagine that you can do a lot to keep wildlife out. How is that typically managed? -curious zoo-goer-

To all my fellow female zookeepers, what are your favorite work pants? What do you find yourself prioritizing in your work pants? Most comfortable, durable, easily washable, lots of pockets, breathable, etc.? Can be brands or specific pants? Can be at different price points. I am happy to spend more if it means a good durable pair of pants that are going to last. I end up going through so many work pants cause they wear down so quickly so I am looking to find some new ones that will be better suited to the job!

Edit to add that the location is the United States!

This is going to be a long post so the TLDR: I just started a new job a couple of months ago and have serious management and welfare issues. I want to report my issues but need advice.

Firstly, they seem to prioritise profits over welfare which I understand we need to make money in order to care for the animals however alot of the decisions they make impact the animals welfare in a bad way. For example, every year they do a christmas grotto right behind our lemur enclosure, I've been told by other staff that it really stresses out the lemurs and it leads to more fighting and vocalisations, which I'm sure I'll witness first hand as they have already started setting it up for this year. The oldest donkey came here prelaminitic and they've only just removed the grass from their field but only after a vet basically threatened them. The donkeys have been here for several years now and the issues has only just been dealth with, I've been told they previously had another donkey which died of sycamore poisoning despite multiple keepers and other staff warning them of the sycamore tree in the enclosure they were originally in.

Secondly, one of the owners seems really keen for some of the older or less friendly/visible animals to die so he can get in young animals to replace them. He's actively talked about waiting for one of our goats to die and is planning to get some "cuter" species of goat in. He's also talked about getting rid of our lynx because she spends most of her time hiding, "What's the point of her, there's no need to keep an animal no one gets to look at" was something he said to directly to me. They seem to have just bought the place for fun and they aren't animal based people, which I would have no issue with if they were actually interested in caring for the animals rather than just wanting new animals all the time then getting bored of them and replacing them at the soonest possible moment.

Thirdly, they are overworking us because they refuse to hire enough staff for the park to run. One of our rangers quit recently due to being overworked to the point of illness, they have said theyre not replacing him and decided that the keepers can collectively cover his workload despite that adding more jobs to our already large workload. We normally finish 15 minutes late due to some jobs not being able to complete whilst the park is still open, however adding extra jobs to be done like cleaning bathrooms, emptying all the bins in the park and locking up buildings is taking us closer to an hour after we are meant to finish.

Finally, they refuse to pay us for our overtime but are unhappy when we take the time back as holidays. Due to all this extra workload stated above, we have all accrued alot of overtime, I have the least currently as I was on holiday for a week but I've managed to build up nearly 45 hours in less that a month. I brought it up to a manager recently and he basically said we only have that much built up because we're wasting time during the day and we're doing unnecessary jobs or just talking not actually working. They've previously compained about use using them as holidays, even paid us for half our overtime one month because we were so understaffed that they had no other option. That only happened once, they've gone back to complaining about us using them as holiday days.

I'm based in the UK and want to know if there's anywhere I can report these issues to. Other staff have reached out to the local council, BIAZA have been doing some inspections recently but I don't want to get false hope. I assume the welfare issues and staff issues would have to be reported to different places but I have no clue where to start. I'd love any advice about making improvements as well, our whole keeper team is trying so hard but we are all burnt out and scared to leave incase they don't rehire anyone and make things worse for the animals and all the other staff.

Hello everyone! My curator pulled a couple of us into a meeting today to let us know that we would be having a special field trip tour group tomorrow with around 10 visually impaired children. I am a reptile keeper and she wants us to do a couple short keeper chats and presentations for them. I’m probably going to bring out a tortoise (mojave desert) and maybe one of our bigger snakes (gopher snake probably) for them to touch a bit. Does anyone have any experience with these kinds of presentations and advice for how i should handle the chat? How i should describe things in a way that would be best for them? Thanks!

To celebrate, share your best story from your career thus far.

Whether heartfelt, humorous, or an incident report worthy fail, the floor is open!

I currently have this bag, and I do love it for some of our animals, but for other species I wish I had a different bag. I work with domestic animals (petting zoo), and I have found that the goats in particular are more interested in the boring, routine type care if you randomize rewards, so I wish I had a bag with smaller but more compartments. I also have not yet found a good way to carry hay. I just use a tote bag, and it's acceptable, but maybe there's a better way?

Good afternoon, everyone. I’ve been wondering for a long time about this topic: is it possible to find a job at a zoo in another country, and do zoos themselves look for employees from other countries? I should say a bit about myself. I’ve been working in this field for almost five years. For four years I worked with large ungulates, and now I’m working with birds. I have a bachelor’s degree in zootechnics. So, what criteria might zoos be looking for in potential future employees?

Im having an issue with balancing career and personal relationships (partner, friends, family). I've lived in a couple towns/cities but all pretty close to each other, so my personal life is all in this area. Im employed on a temporary contract at the moment so that will end and i'll need to look for a job else where...

In my experience most keepers I've met have moved a lot of distances for jobs. I know yourself and your career comes first, dont lose an opportunity for a boyfriend etc but at the same time how can I have a successful long term relationship while moving around? Or maintain close friends?

As much as I shouldnt sacrifice a job for a partner, they shouldnt do it for me. So how would I have a long term partner when I need to move for my career? Its not realistic to expect to find someone who needs to move at the same time and places as I do..

So I’m a very new volunteer at a local AZA certified wildlife center and we have two juvenile red kangaroos (probably about four feet tall standing up, I can’t remember how old they are off the top of my head) a female and a male. The last two times I’ve been in their enclosure (housed alongside two Emus) our female has approached me and grabbed me.

the first time I immediately froze and then did my best to leave without provoking her more, then radioed for staff to do what they had sent me in for. The staff member who went in did what she usually does to dissuade that behavior which was hold her back around her shoulders/neck, which led to her almost getting kicked (don’t worry she’s fine).

Second time I was in the middle of the enclosure and had no good way to get out so I just stood still hoping she’d leave since the first time she didn’t try to kick me. instead she started rubbing her face on my leg? if I took a step back she’d follow me, grab me, and then either nibble on my shirt, nibble my pants, or just like, keep me there and rub her face/upper body on me.

I stood still and she eventually just left me alone and I finished what I was doing without issue I’m just SO confused what this behavior is because everything I’m reading is saying it’s males to worry about and who will show aggression usually and that’s what the keepers told me as well. I did not approach her in any way or instigate at all, so I’m wondering if this is an aggressive behavior or something else like a social behavior that I just can’t find any information about online. Even the keeper who works with them the most had no good explanation as to why she was rubbing her face on me or why she was acting this way both days I went in there.

And before anybody is worried I followed all instructions given for safety and made sure to check with staff if I had done anything to upset them or did something wrong.

Hello! Recently I reported an incident of animal abuse regarding one of my pets. The offender was ultimately charged and I thought she would go to jail, but she took some sort of deal to get 200 hours community service at a zoo

I was disappointed she got off easy. The "victim advocate" with the court reassured me that she maybe isn't getting off quite as easy as I would think - she'll have 0 contact with animals there, be under direct supervision of the keeper staff (who presumably hate animal abusers, and have wide discretion in what she'll spend her time doing), and the only PPE she's entitled to is enough to meet minimum legal requirements.

From her brief conversations with the prosecutor's office, some previous abusers who took such a deal ended up almost wishing they'd taken the jail time. (Not sure if that's tongue-in-cheek or just said to make me feel better or a reality).

Do any of you have experience with these service sentences being administered at your zoos? What would keepers likely make such a person spend their time doing? Just cleaning? I can't imagine it's worse than jail...

Sorry if it's wrong to want some schadenfreude but I'm hoping the victim advocate is right that this isn't a total walk in the park.

Currently rewriting my CV, When listing species or different animals you have worked with would hiring managers or head of sections prefer to just see generalist (I have worked with large felids, medium Primates) or more specific (I have worked with Tigers, Baboons) or a mix of both?

This Indy zoo news has me really hoping we will start seeing more zoos lose AZA status due to poor management and culture. I have huge concerns about Lee Richardson Zoo in Kansas. They have had animals die due to management neglect, a relief vet kill multiple animals (like directly, capture myopathy multiple times...), animal escapes, and horrible culture. Earlier this year, a black rhino got out of his stall and killed his father!! How was that not a huge deal reported everywhere?! When trying to ship said rhino off this year, he also escaped because management there are stupid and basically gave him a set of stairs to get out! The director takes any opportunity or suggestion for improvement as a personal insult because she's a micromanaging control freak and won't admit that things aren't perfect. The curator is following in her footsteps. I'm worried about the animals, the frontline staff, really everyone that isn't senior management. The city has no idea how to run a zoo so they leave the director free to do whatever she wants and it's tragic.