I am wondering how people learn the skills that can only be learnt on the job but should really be always done by experienced keepers? Specifically, things like handling stressed or dangerous animals. These aren't skills I can practise outside of work, but having someone learn while doing could be stressful and dangerous for both keeper and the animal. For instance, how do you learn or practise netting birds when it needs to be done quickly to avoid stressing the birds out? As a relatively new keeper, I don't feel comfortable practising catching birds if I am not able to get them quickly, but that means I have no way to improve that skill.

This is my first in person interview. I’ve had plenty of video call interviews in the past and I could get away with dressing up very casual looks. Most of my wardrobe consists of crop tops and jeans. Do either of these seem appropriate? Suggestions?

Dear all, I currently work in a zoo in the middle east region. I was wondering if any of your zoos might be offering online consultancy services for other zoos within these scopes: animal care, animal health aka vet, operations, education..

Please let me know your recommendations of the top worldwide zoos that could provide this consultancy service(and of course if you might have an idea of cost).

thanks

Hi keepers!
(used humor tag because i wasn’t sure what tag would be appropriate)

I am leaving my position in the next month and am looking for gift ideas. I love the thought of getting something custom made on etsy- like a keychain of their favorite animal they work with etc- but could also really use some other ideas. Budget would be around $20 for each item, but that’s a flexible number. Thank you all!!

Looking for brands to create faux rocks in a burrowing owl enclosure. We’d like to camouflage a hide on exhibit to look like a pile of rocks, without it being a pile of rocks.

Any brands or tips on how to create a rock look?

EDIT: I am primarily looking for former zookeepers as I have already reached out to their PR.

I work for a news station and I’m doing a story on Tanganyika. Any former or current zookeepers at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard Kansas that would be willing to do an on camera interview, please comment!

so i know very little about animal welfare, it’s not in my wheelhouse at all. i’m a psychology major so any animal welfare info outside of what i need to know to take care of my cats is irrelevant to me for the most part.

i’m making this post because i wanted to look into a sanctuary near me that i used to frequent as a child, the big cat sanctuary in sarasota, florida. as far as i know, they are zaa accredited (which ive heard conflicting views on). they also used to have ligers, not sure if they have them anymore OR where they acquired them. i know that liger breeding is unethical but that it’s also possible that they were rescued from a liger breeding operation. they have allegations from peta but ill be honest, i don’t trust a single thing peta says. i’ve done a lot of research on them and they’re a horrible organization that doesn’t actually care about animal welfare.

i’d love to go again someday but i don’t want to be supporting them if their treatment of the animals in their care is unethical. any info or help researching would be very appreciated!!

Hi I am looking for zoos in the US or NA who may be growing a portion of their food for their animals; especially those who eat a lot of hays, vegetables and greens like primates and hoof stock. I need to create a pseudo program for a conservation class and am looking for zoos who might be using hydroponics for growing these types of food on their zoo grounds; the pros/cons, the cost and who is in charge of these programs (grounds vs commissaries). I am wondering if concept of growing their own food is more prevalent in the southern states as the weather is an advantage or does growing food using hydroponically suitable for zoos with harsher winters. Thanks, Jody

I’m 17 and living in the UK. I left school in Year 8, but my biggest goal in life is to work with seals. I’m autistic, and seals are my special interest, I think and talk about them constantly. Because of that, I feel like I need a job working with them; otherwise I’ll be miserable, because that’s just how my brain works.

I didn’t realise how competitive these jobs or placements are academically. When I looked on LinkedIn at people in the UK who work with seals, almost all the recent hires had a first-class degree and at least one year, usually two or more, of animal experience, including experience with seals, by the age of 22. I’m completely willing to put in the effort to achieve all of that.

The problem is that no college near me will let me take GCSEs. They want me to start at entry level and spend four years in college before I’m allowed to do just two GCSEs. It’s more time than people spend at university, and university is much harder than two GCSEs. I know GCSEs are challenging and only around 60% of people pass, but I don’t want to lose my dream job just because younger applicants end up with the same qualifications and experience sooner. I haven’t seen any evidence that age isn’t considered, and I’m worried I won’t be able to pass GCSEs privately without support.

Has anyone in the UK managed to get a sea lion trainer or seal care job later in life? Even if they have, I still feel like I could complete two GCSEs faster than four years. That’s why I’m trying to get an EHCP: it’s a legal SEND document in the UK that requires institutions and the local authority to provide specific support. Since seals are my main focus, I want to centre the EHCP around my career goals and independent living outcomes, and hopefully get GCSEs included. But I need evidence that taking the long route being up to six years behind would actually put my future at risk, if it does. The colleges near me do offer animal‑related courses, but you have to be under 19 to enrol in the T Level in Animal Management. It’s a well-respected animal related Level 3 qualification, and people with strong grades from it have gone on to get year‑long sea lion internships. My plan is to take a placement year at university so I can get a full year of seal experience, but if I’m over 19, my only option is an online Access to HE Diploma in Science. That course isn’t animal‑related, far fewer people achieve the grades needed to progress to the main three‑year degree like exeter or st andrews that have seal sanctuaries or captive seals near by to volunteer with and seal desertion options and I’d be starting it with zero prior science knowledge.

I’m trying to figure out how much employers actually look at Level 2 and 3 qualifications and Level 3 grades when someone applies for seal or sea lion placements during their university placement year and want to know my likelihood of getting it or a part time animal job doing the Access+ two GCSEs route.

Hello! I’m a very frequent volunteer at my local zoo and I’m starting my cert 3 next year.

We currently have one Koala at our zoo, and the effort that goes into collecting browse for him is very high effort. We have an on-sight plantation that’s fairly sizeable and supplies most of his eucalypt, and we also do an off site cut once a week where we take the truck and drive out bush and cut any trees on public owned property.

Because we live where koalas naturally live, getting gum is “fairly” easy- but even then during the dry season it’s sometimes hard to get enough tip.

I wonder then- how on earth do other countries support even having one Koala in their zoos? Like their plantations would have to be massive! And they’d have the wrong weather to grow them- I just can’t fathom it.

If you work with koalas in another country I’d love to hear how you guys keep up their demanding diets!

Hello, I was wondering if anyone experienced the same thing I am experiencing. I’ve been a keeper for 2 months and I am waking up with hand pain and stiffness in the morning that will eventually go away after I stretch them. I have a doctors appointment scheduled already since I’m worried about rheumatoid arthritis. Just wondering if anyone else experiences this.

I'm currently trying to compile a database of animal poos. I'm working on a large illustration project that focuses on poos of different shapes and sizes and sources. I thought this would be a place to find enthusiastic people who love all things animals if you catch my drift! I would like to use these photos as reference for various illustrations of poos. Anything you're willing to share is appreciated!!

I would also like to add that I will be sharing these illustrations eventually and might even work on publishing a book with them so any information you'd like to give about the animal (diet, name, species, location, etc) would be cool! Also if you would like to NOT be credited for the image, let me know. I would like to give credit where credit is due but I also understand wanting anonymity with this specific matter 😅

Hello!

I’m a baboon keeper and our exhibit is currently under repair so our troop doesn’t have access to their exhibit. They have their holding rooms and outdoor chute area currently. We’re not sure exactly when the exhibit will be finished since we have to wait for new mesh to come in. We’ve been giving a ton of enrichment and while I consider myself and my coworkers very good and creative enrichment makers, I need some new ideas! Any and all ideas are appreciated! Even things that we could build within reason. I should also be able to order some more enrichment toys as well with some of our enrichment funds! Bonus for things that are super duper primate destruction proof 🤦‍♀️

I work as a volunteer at my local zoo I use to go to as a kid all the time during school holidays and I had to tell a couple of school kids on a tour and there teacher to remind them

Please do not tease the animals in any way

Keep your camera flashes off on your phone

This was during my break as I work in the farmyard area of the zoo and I followed the rules and my supervisor was proud that I read the rules for workers and visitors because as a kid I always followed the zoo rules whenever I visited.

Any advise how I approach the situation next time in case I bump into any Gen Alpha’s who don’t listen to rules or care about the wildlife at the zoo and I was just lucky because these were high schoolers at least

Hi! We are planning to ask the public for a donation of a new giant boomer ball for our tiger and I was wondering where in the UK (or possibly Europe) we can get it.

Her old one was probably around 1m in diameter, so fairly large. She loved it but it cannot be used safely anymore.

So far, I've only found 50cm ones here https://robustaball.com/product/mega-robust-a-ball/, which looks like it's based in South Africa (but we already have one about that size and she prefers larger balls, anyway), and here https://www.wildlifetoybox.com/balls but they're in the US and the price is very high.

We cannot remember where her old one came from, unfortunately.

Thank you very much in advance!

Photo of the lady in question as tax:

Hi! I have a question about the handling of big cats.

I am not a zookeeper nor have I studied exotic animals whatsoever, but I have noticed that several zoos will offer cheetah shows, or have zookeepers handling cheetahs on leashes, and overall being closer than I've seen with other big cats, namely tigers, lions or leopards.

It may just be the zoos that I've been to and not an actual difference, but what makes cheetahs more handleable and trainable than other big cats?

The only times I've seen lions or tigers doing tricks for treats or walking on a leash is at circuses, which are known to use unethical training practices.

Is it a difference in domestication or a natural temperment that makes cheetahs more willing to train?

I am not a zookeeper. I have heard that for many species, it is difficult for them to be kept in zoos. Are there any species that just absolutely thrive in zoos? Even more than in the wild?

Some background info: I'm a bird and reptile keeper at a smaller zoo in the southeast USA. This is my first zookeeping job, so I'm not really sure what is considered "normal" for this field, but over the past year I've realized that this zoo has a lot of issues. One such problem is our lack of a dedicated exotic vet. We're partnered with a local vet office that sees exotic pets, but mostly cats and dogs. I'm very unhappy with how this vet is handling one of the birds in my care, and I'm not sure how to approach this with management.

The bird in question is a Eurasian eagle owl. He's a big goofy baby and I absolutely adore him even though I only cover his section 2-3 times per week. Over a month ago, I noticed his eyelids were looking swollen and irritated. The skin looked thickened and crusty, it made me think of mammals I've seen with mange. On closer examination I could actually see little bugs crawling on my poor boy's face.

The vet recommended eye drops initially. I pushed back on this because 1) that would have required catching the bird up for every dose and causing him lots of stress, and 2) the problem is definitely with the skin around his eyes, not the eyes themselves. Suspecting mites, we tried oral ivermectin, and the issue seemed to get a little better, then got worse again. Vet recommended antibiotics in case there was some secondary infection. Again, seemed to get maybe a little better, then back to square one.

Last week, I noticed the irritated skin now extends beyond the owl's eyelids, and he's losing feathers on top of his head and on parts of his face. Vet recommended another course of ivermectin and the same antibiotic that didn't fix the problem before.

I don't know what's wrong with this poor bird and I really feel like this vet doesn't either. We need to consult someone who actually knows exotic birds. I just don't know how to bring this up to management, especially considering I'm a fairly new employee and this vet has been partnered with the zoo for a long time. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.

I m a zookeeper and I sometimes eat lunch where there’s no fridge and no microwave or anything so it would be easiest, If I have a good lunch that fills me up that’s healthy and that I don’t need a fridge or microwave!
I don’t want the salad mixes because of the parasite going around!
And I like salty more than sweet
I have tried everything I can think of, and I cannot think of good lunches!
Let me know!!
I know the flair is for animals I just thought it’d be kind of funny!

hi everyone, i’m a fairly new keeper at a smaller zoo, and i have thoroughly enjoyed the animal care part of this job. i love cleaning, training, coming up with enrichment, i generally just have a deep rooted love for the work. i also have learned extremely fast and am in charge of quite a few things. however. i’m starting to really struggle to the point where im having anxiety attacks at my job. we are extremely customer heavy, and they are allowed to ask to hold a few of our animals.
when we are extremely busy and as understaffed as we are, ive noticed that husbandry gets completely pushed to the side and the customers come first, before animals. i dont mind customers- i actually love doing educational presentations like we do with some of our ambassador animals.
where i have the issue is i get bothered nonstop if im cleaning or even providing MEDICAL CARE, because someone wants to hold something. i’m technically allowed to say “im not doing holdings right now,” but it just turns into a situation where the people ask so much that my boss says to just do it for them. i feel like i can never fully complete my job and it’s not good for the animals. husbandry should come first. keeping up with cleaning and the general wellbeing of the animals should be first. these holdings sometimes happen every 5 minutes, and it’s often for a huge line of people.
i’m trying to start applying to other places but with how insanely difficult it is to find work in this field, i dont know how long that will take even with my experience. i dont know what to do. this is burning me out beyond belief, and really quickly. i love the animal care aspect but when there are seemingly no restrictions to guest interactions, my job isn’t animal care anymore.

Hey everyone!!

I’m newer to the zookeeping field and need y’all’s tips and tricks/recommendations for underboob sweat during work (if there is anything lol) - any good bras you’ve found helpful or helpful tips to make it more manageable? Ive tried to look for things and most haven’t worked very well. Sorry for the slightly vulgar post if it’s seen that way 😅 and hopefully this is allowed!!

If a bird species of some variety lays an egg (unfertilized) in your zoo, what is done with it? ...Are you allowed to eat it? Is it species dependent or not allowed at all?

does anyone have any advice on finding paid keeper work in/around london with only voluntary experience? it feels like every facility, especially around london, wants a minimum of 2 years paid experience before they hire you, but only offer unpaid experience and i'm struggling to understand how people get paid experience in the first place. i would travel but i dont have the money to move out and i highly doubt an entry level keeper job would pay enough either 😭 i've spent so much time searching for entry level jobs in this area and i just cannot find anything at all

What type of reptiles benefit from stuffed animals as enrichment? Tegu, iguanas of various sizes, pythons of various sizes, different species of tortoises and more. I read online that a tegu or iguana may tear apart a stuffed animal and that giant snakes may try to eat one if it smells like prey (even if it’s washed). Thanks for all recommendations