Zookeeping

Zookeeping it real. A blog about a zookeeper. Stories, experiences, and things I have learned from working with exotics, domestics, and wildlife. Also a lot of my dog, and life. Bachelors of Science in Zoology. Currently employed as a Zoo Keeper at an AZA accredited zoo.

[zookeeping]

I'm basically just a seal slapping my belly at anyone who dares to fucking look at me the wrong way

[zookeeping]

Hi! I’m sorry if you’ve already answered this before; I’m 19 and getting ready to do an access course to Uni (21 by the time I can go), as a result I have a lot of time to prepare. I’m wanting to get into Zookeeping one day but I’m unsure what degree path to go down. Is Zoology (my original choice) more research related or can I work in Zoos with that degree? Or are there different routes I can take? It’s all new to me and I’m really unsure where to start looking or preparing

Hey!

Depending on where you live it would be helpful to check job descriptions and see what jobs typically ask for..

AZA

AAZK

ZAA

All have job boards you can check out.

If you're not in the united states let me know and I can help point you in the right direction.

Most of the time it's not too important about WHICH degree you get just that you get a degree. Biology, zoology, wildlife biology all work just fine for zookeeping. I've also heard psychology or various interpretive/education related degrees can work but def check out job descriptions and requirements to learn more about that.

If you have the flexibility in hours get yourself involved as soon as you can - volunteering, internships, paid seasonal positions are also a big part of getting a zookeeping job. If you don't have a zoo near you check for wildlife rehab, education outreach, or domestic animal opportunities.

Happy to answer more if you have any follow up questions

[zookeeping]

"It feels okay..."

[zookeeping]

[zooophagous]

Kind of prompted by that tigers/cat picture... a lot of zoos in the states have a feral cat problem. Do you think that zoo employees are obligated to do anything about it?

I’ve never personally seen a cat just roaming loose in any zoo, and I’ve been to a lot of them. Many AZA accredited zoos don’t even allow peacocks to free roam inside of them anymore. Feral cats spread distemper, rabies, and other diseases that wild animals are susceptible to, let alone the risk of them getting in to outdoor aviaries and killing rare birds.

There’s also a clear and obvious risk of any predator quickly turning an errant cat into an “enrichment item.” A kitty in a bear pit or a wolf pen wouldn’t last long. So yeah it should go without saying that you shouldn’t allow free roaming feral cats to hang out in your zoo.

I’m really curious as to what zoo you’ve seen feral cats in because I’ve been to no fewer than five distinct zoos in at least 3 states in the past year and a half and never once have I seen a dog or cat in one.

[speciesofleastconcern]

I hazard to guess that every urban zoo has a feral cat problem but they don’t publicize it, and the cats are mainly active at night.

[speciesofleastconcern]

And it’s not all feral cats. A LOT of them are just pet cats that have wandered. Those ones end up back at the shelter.

[zookeeping]

I work at a small AZA zoo with residential homes and an elementary school near us. We have had problems with pet cats on ground, one even somehow landed herself into a small carnivore enclosure - luckily for her she hid and the animals recalled into holding. We knew where the cat lived and talked with the owners multiple times always ending with "Haha! We cant keep her inside" we ended up calling our local animal control to talk to them because we did not want this cat to get hurt etc.

That was during the day. Trail cams have shown that in my section alone, 2 or 3 distinct cats come around at night. Most likely pets , possibly feral. If we ever caught one if they dont have a collar we just call animal control.

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

Hi! Sorry if you answer questions not like this, but what do you if you find a baby rabbit in your back yard? When I was in my back yard I heardsquealing and my dog hovering over something. I realized he was hovering over a baby rabbit! I was mortified to find 4 young rabbits littered around near the nest mauled. 😱 Should I leave the last one alone? I put it back in its nest. I feel terrible. I wanna scream at my dog! I won’t let him near the yard anytime soon.

I think putting it back in the nest was a good choice. Obviously, that doesn’t guarantee its survival, but it gives it the best chance without bringing it into human care.

Baby bunnies are time intensive to raise and many rehabilitators won’t take them because they take resources away from less common wildlife that are more likely to be successfully released, from what I understand. Putting it back means that if mom comes back to the nest - which isn’t guaranteed after a predation event - it’ll be there for her to find. It’s hard to think that it might have still died, but in those cases, there’s very little you could have done to help. I know people will say take it to a rehabber if you can find one, but that’s also not guaranteed that they’ll take it or that it’ll survive, and then you’ve removed any chance it had if you’d put it back.

Baby bunny season leads to lots of incidents like this with dogs. I’d suggest checking your yard for nests occasionally, and keeping your dog on leash and away from the area for a while if you find one. Their movement and noises frequently trigger intense prey drive / predatory drift in a lot of dogs, so proactive monitoring and avoidance is your best option.

[zookeeping]

You can also always call a wildlife rehab to ask for help in assessing the best thing to do. Sometimes the right thing is put the animal back, sometimes it's bring it into care and we will stabilize then arrange for it to go back, and sometimes it's bring it into care and we will raise it.

I disagree with the statement that a rehab may not take in something just because it's common. You can always call and ask if they handle X type of animal but assumptions is how sometimes we get animals in days, weeks, or months late that now are malnourished, habituated, or living with a horrible injury that needed to be dealt with sooner. So please learn what resources are in your area and call them if you have questions.

[howtocan]

Baby bird season is incoming and I’d like to remind everyone that birds do not have a significant sense of smell. Bird parents will not reject birdlets because you have handled them.

If you see smol birbs with few or no feathers on the ground, you can safely put them back into their nest, bird parents will still care for them.

If you see smol birbs with some or most feathers on the ground, please leave them there, as bird parents are probably nearby watching and feeding.

[jumpingjacktrash]

nakey bird = accidentally fell out, is cold and scared, put back in nest! if you can’t reach the nest, try to put it on a wide branch or fork so predators can’t get at it as easily.

scruffy feather bird = starting to try the fly thing, not very good at it. only put in nest/branch if predators abound, i.e. you have four outdoor cats and they’re licking their chops.

fluffy feather bird = smol fly guy! do nothing. can probably get away from predators and will flip its shit if you pick it up.

[thefingerfuckingfemalefury]

Reblogging this because I’d always heard the ‘Don’t touch a distressed bird its mom will reject it’ thing treated as fact before now, I didn’t realise it wasn’t true…

[illogical-bullshit]

Spring is coming, time to reblog this again.

[zookeeping]

Also worth noting for nakey baby and slightly nakey should be monitored from a distance to see if parents are around. This can take 30+ minutes, if either are super cold or lethargic contact your local wildlife rehab. Do not feed just keep warm dark and quiet.

For real though if you ever have see wildlife and aren't sure if they need help or not contact your local wildlife rehab they happy to help evaluate.

[zookeeping]

[zookeeping]

.

[fbwzoo]

This is Ditto & she needs a new home!

Ditto was rescued as a stray that was hanging around my apartment complex last year, September 2017. She was estimated around 10 months & had already had a litter of kittens. We got her spayed & vaccinated & fell in love with her. Unfortunately, we already have a cat & despite a year of working with both cats, doing slow introductions, building up tolerance to seeing each other, and working with a behaviorist, they’re not gonna get along – Ditto is cat-aggressive & tries to attack our other cat as soon as they’re in the same room. Since other kitty was there first & we need to keep her safe, we need to find a home for Ditto.

About Ditto:

- very people-focused

- high energy & loves to play

- good at downtime when given regular playtime

- favorite toys include packing paper, ball tracks, ping pong balls, feather wands (particularly Easyology Kittystick), and her cat wheel

- sleeps well at night

- not terribly cuddly, but will sometimes make an exception at night

- LOVES to climb!

- loves to scratch appropriate surfaces – sisal rope towers/cat tree legs & cardboard scratch pads

- talks a lot & makes lots of noises

- partially harness trained, but very nervous about Outside (after all, lots of bad things were out there)

- eats both wet & dry food currently, would be very happy to eat all wet food

- has no known major health issues; crooked tail & a missing dewclaw toe (left front paw) were both determined to be congenital by a vet & not due to trauma

Her bad habits include shredding toilet paper and plastic bags that contain food, and climbing into cupboards. We just keep the first couple things away from her & have mostly resigned ourselves to the second, but child locks would likely do the trick if you want to keep her out!

Requirements for adopting:

* indoors only, outside only on harness or in catio

* NO declawing

* must have a vet reference

* no other cats or dogs in the home

- other pets are fine, but must NOT be within reach of Ditto – she is quite prey-driven & will chase/attack

- only older kids – Ditto has gotten much better about not biting or using claws, but is not tested around kids & not likely to be terribly tolerant of inappropriate petting/handling

- must be able to provide 1-2 play sessions a day

- willing to include at least one meal of wet food a day

- must have:

        -  at least one 6ft cat tree (prior to adoption)

        - multiple scratching options (cat tree, cardboard scratchers, etc.)

        - minimum of 2 litter boxes

        - ability to ensure vet appointments (wellness & emergency)

        - hard sided carrier for transport

Ditto’s rehoming fee is $100 and she comes with her cat wheel & a 5ft cat tree (and likely a few other things). We are located in Kansas City, but I’m willing to travel some distance for the right home for her. She deserves the best home I can find for her.

[zookeeping]

.

[zooophagous]

I'm sure you know a lot about them since you've had them for so long, but do you know any good sites/information for beginner rat owners? I'm looking at possibly getting some after I move in a few years c:

Specific sites, no, but the good news is that rats are easy to keep and there’s a lot of good care sheets out there.

There is a website called the rat cage calculator that allows you to measure how many rats can happily live in a designated space, and lots of pet rat facebook groups with specific info.

[zookeeping]

Health : http://ratguide.com/health/

Debbie the Rat lady has some good info

Ratfanclub also

[silverhawk]

the guira cuckoo is such an aesthetically pleasing bird that lots of people dont seem to know a lot abt despite the fact that from some angles they look like Literal Dinosaurs

….but then from other angles

…..fluffy angry dinosaurs

[zookeeperproblems]

Does anyone have these at their zoo because I need to see one

[zookeeping]

I work with 0.4, they're some of my favorites in the aviary and I'm solidifying a behavior where they recall and catch stuff from the air.

[zookeeperproblems]

I feel like I'm afraid to pursue a zookeeping job because it's pretty competitive and isn't exactly top paying, but the degrees in psychology or biology seem like they're expensive.. But at the same time I'm worried if I don't pick one of those things as my major really soon, I might not ever get a chance to get into zookeeping.. Do you think volunteering or getting the qualifications are the sort of thing you can do later in life or is it more of a now or never set kind of deal?..

In the zookeeping world, experience matters more than the kind of school where you got your degree - so I would look into community college to avoid getting an “expensive” degree. Especially one that is near a zoo where you could volunteer or get internships during college! It’s possible to do later in life, but way easier if you’re getting into it right out of university. 

[zookeeping]

Additionally, give volunteering a try and see if it's even a career that you would enjoy! You could always have a different career (that potentially makes more money) and just volunteer at zoos, rehabs, conservation events just for fun/support. I know many people do who that as well and it's sort of the best of both worlds in a sense.

[wheremyscalesslither]

So you want to work at a zoo

Yes, it’s an awesome and desirable job, but where people desire to work there will be a lot of competition. Here’s a start up guide on becoming zoo staff.

What many people neglect to understand is there is more to zoo life than zoo keeping. Zoo keeping and animal training are arguably the most difficult and competitive careers to get into because- let’s face it- damn near everyone wants to be a zoo keeper. Zoo keeping may also not be for everyone! I tried it and I decided it was not for me. For those of us like me, you can also try other things, such as the education department or guest services. There is a whole slew of other jobs out there.

In order to work in a full-time position at an AZA accredited facility, you need a MINIMUM of a 4 year degree in an animal or psychology related science. I am currently studying Conservation Biology which focuses on techniques to prevent extinction. For zoo keeping, you also will need a MINIMUM of a year’s paid experience, though I’m finding that two years is becoming more and more common as a requirement. 

Let’s think about that for a second. The basic requirements that you have to meet is a college degree and paid experience AT THE LEAST. Remember how I told you how zoo keeping is super competitive? That means everyone that applies has at least those requirements. Now, I’m not sure about other bigger zoos, but my dinky city zoo had over 500 people apply for an entry level zoo keeping position. 500 people had met the minimum requirements. So now what?

Many people think that a good education is the only important aspect of getting into working at a zoo. That is where people go wrong. A degree levels the playing field but by no means will that help you stand out to potential employers. If you truly want to explore the zoo as a possible future career, you need to start volunteering yesterday. Oh shoot, you forgot to apply? well get on that ASAP! Volunteering is the most important part to opening your future.

I meet college interns every year who think they are a shoe in for a zoo keeping position because they decided to start volunteering “so early.” I feel bad for those types because what they don’t realize is the woman in front of her has been there for a year, and the woman next to her has been there two years and so on. Volunteering is crucial but you can’t wait until the last minute. If you want to look good in the future, start now. Four (out of 25) of the zoo keepers I know got their position because they had been volunteering since they were 13-16. 5 other zoo keepers were volunteering in some other capacity at the zoo for years. 8 out of 14 of the education staff were volunteers before being hired. That’s almost half of our hired zoo keeping staff and more than half of ed staff. The reason volunteering is so valued is because zoo people like to hire within themselves. Hiring from previous volunteers is very common because it allows employers to judge whether or not they would work well with that individual. It also creates networking opportunities and allows for you to show your worth. Interviews and resumes are great- but ineffective in accurately judging the potential employee. Additionally, volunteering allows you to figure out what capacity of the zoo you enjoy working in. As I mentioned earlier, I tried zoo keeping and didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. So here I am as education staff.

By volunteering you can show how dedicated you are, or, aren’t in some unfortunate cases. You can create connections and build relationships with your employers while also learning about yourself as well.

Like I said, zoo work is extremely competitive. Anything you can do to improve or learn more and get experience with is just as important as the educational aspect. So go ahead, and aim for your degree, but apply to be a volunteer immediately! 

[zookeeping]

I'd like to also throw out some other great resume boosters.

1. Join AAZK , or similar professional groups. If you can find a local chapter great! If not join national for their benefits which include a monthly animal keeper forum magazine, transcripts of previous conference posters and papers, and even discounts to awesome things like San Diego Zoo Global.

2. Attend workshops, seminars, or conferences. AAZK, AZA, TAG, ZAA etc all hold various conferences throughout the year. There are also tons of training based ones, or species/order specific ones.

3. Volunteer/intern: wanted to add if you don't have a zoo near you, look into wildlife rehab, aquariums, farms, horse stables, domestic animal shelters, outreach facilities etc etc. Make sure you are comfortable with their ethos and reputation, not all places are necessarily a benefit to your resume. AZA lists internships on their website as well.

4. Other: add some desirable skills by self researching or taking classes at school regarding: Psychology Animal training, positive reinforcement Plant taxonomy Woodshop, or construction Autoshop, or metal work etc Weightlifting Public speaking Interpretation Etc!

Also don't be discouraged, it is competitive, keep applying and improving and be open to other positions within a zoo as well.

Good luck out there future animal care folks.

[zoossavingspecies-blog]

Zoos help, support, and lead conservation efforts. In doing so they save species from extinction. #BringBackTheWild

To learn more about these species or how you can #JoinZoosAndSaveSpecies please go to this facebook page. Each photo has its own information link and how to help link! https://www.facebook.com/ZoosSavingSpecies/

[zookeeping]

Honestly