1. Employment Profile: What exactly does a n Animal Keeper do? |
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 What field is your job in?
Zoo
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What is your job title?
Animal Keeper
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Please provide a brief description of the firm or organization that you currently work for
(size and general description of what type of organization it is)
Mid-sized zoo.
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How long have you been employed in this position?
30 years
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How many hours do you work a week on average?
40+
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Please provide a BRIEF description of your duties and responsibilities. (job description)
All aspects of care for captive wild animals, including cleaning, feeding, medication as needed, shipping and receiving, conditioning (training), capture, restraint, environmental enrichment, facility design, media work.
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What was your gross income last year? Please include any bonuses or incentives received.
$50,000
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What is your expected gross income for this year? Please include any bonuses or incentives you expect to receive.
80000
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Please
list any benefits you have (Please include number of weeks vacation,
sick leave and type of health insurance, retirement plan 401k)
5 weeks vacation, 2 personal holidays, unlimited sick leave balance, PERS, 401(k), 95% health care
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Do you feel you are under/well/over compensated at your current position?
reasonable, for the most part.
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2. Work environment! |
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Does
your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this
something you like/dislike about your job? Explain
I prefer to work alone, but must supervise other staff. In addition, interaction with guests goes with the territory.
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Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
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Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
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Describe
your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what
you like/dislike about working in it
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Please rank in order of importance from 1-8 (1- most important 8- least important) Assign each number once.
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4 Income
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7 Work Environment - co-workers
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6 Work Environment - supervisors
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3 Benefits
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2 Hours
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5 Level of responsibility
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1 The actual "work" you do at your job
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8 Job Title
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3. How should someone new to the workforce get a J-O-B like yours? |
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If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Education: college grad with major in biological sciences. At this point, I'd have to recommend some level of internship in order to gain familiarity with the things you don't learn in college.
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What
skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a
position like yours? Please be specific and explain why (e.g., social
skills, organization skills, technical skills)
Social skills are important if you want to advance into management. If you want to work with endangered species, social skills are less important than organizational and technical skills.
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Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
No. Some of the worst animal care staff believe that they've learned all they need to know in college.
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What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
As it happens, you must have a college degree in order to be considered for a position in most accredited zoos. Bear in mind that college didn't prepare you for actually dealing with live animals.
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