Zookeeper and Animal Trainer

what are some of the welfare issues associated with human- animal interactions and how do these differ between zoo visitors and keepers?

Asked by kimberley over 9 years ago

Hi Kimberley, I'm not an expert on this, but I read a really interesting article about it a couple of years ago. It was written by Geoff Hosey from the University of Bolton in the UK, and I actually found the full text for you here: http://www.appliedanimalbehaviour.com/article/S0168-1591(07)00142-6/fulltext

Hope this is helpful!

How does a zoo determine how long an animal will remain at the zoo?

We're a 1st grade class in Milpitas, CA and we're working on PBL. We are looking for experts to answer some of our questions. Thank you!

Asked by Burnett Bulldogs - 1st grade almost 11 years ago

Hi Burnett Bulldogs, and good luck with your project! Some facilities serve as rehabilitation centers, which means the animal will only stay at the facility for a certain amount of time (while healing from an injury, for example) before being released back into the wild. Other facilities provide permanent homes for animals that have been deemed "unreleasable." This means the animal was either born in human care, orphaned or permanently injured in such a way that the animal isn't capable of surviving on its own out in the wild. These animals will remain in human care for the duration of their lives, and their zookeepers will work hard to ensure they receive the best possible, nutrition, veterinary care, exercise and opportunities for "fun" in the form of environmental enrichment, toys, games, puzzles, etc. 

Please let me know if you have any more questions. I'm happy to help!

Do you get a good amount of time to just stay and watch the animals do there thing, and bond with them ? (after you've fed and cleaned up ofcourse)

Asked by Milan over 9 years ago

Hi again, Milan! The amount of time you get to bond with your animals and do enrichment definitely varies by day, by animal, and by shift. Sometimes, you finish all your husbandry duties early and have lots of time for training and enrichment. Other times, you are so busy making sure everyone is fed, cleaned, watered and healthy that you barely have time to breathe. (Thankfully, everything is fairly cyclical, so the "good" days definitely outnumber the "bad!")

What is the best and worst part of being a zookeeper? Also, are there any health benefits or other perks to the job?

Asked by Potato :3 over 9 years ago

Hi Potato, and thanks so much for the question. The best part for me--hands down--is the relationships I have been able to form with the animals in my care. Outsiders don't often realize animals have preferences for different keepers just like we have preferences for different animals. To me, there is no better feeling in the world than when an animal you love "chooses you," too.

The worst part, unfortunately, is the salary. You have to be prepared to sacrifice a LOT in order to work as a zookeeper in the long-term. Either that, or you need to work a second job or rely on some financial support from your spouse or family.

Afternoon! after i get my zoology cert, what do you recommend i do next? end goal is to be a zoo keeper

Asked by lily over 3 years ago

what are some of the tools used to manage undesirable behaviour in zoos? how can a zookeeper assess the effectiveness of these tools?

Asked by Kerry Thompson almost 8 years ago

Can you tell me what is most important to an animal and the actions he uses to get or protect what is important to him?

Asked by braydeng almost 8 years ago