Another new face :)

S

Smeegs

Member
I am currently a keeper at the Santa Fe Teaching Zoo(AZA accredited), which means I am a student in the Zoo and Animal Technology Program at Santa Fe College.

I thought I wanted to be a vet until I did a short internship at one, then I realized that I wanted to know what the animal's normal behavior was instead of just seeing them when they were sick. At the age of 17 I did a 2 month internship at a Wild Animal Sanctuary. I lived in the middle of the Arizona desert in a trailer that had no heating or running water in the middle of winter. I had to take showers on the compound, which my trailer was right outside of the perimeter fence, so it wasn't too far at all. I even had a chamber pot, a very interesting experience to say the least to live that way.

I did the hardest work I have ever done in my life there as we needed 5 people for things to run smoothly and typically had 3 people. Though it was the hardest work I have ever done it was the most rewarding and fun experience I have ever had!

I love to hear any tips for getting into the field, such as what exactly zoos are looking for in new keepers! Any other tips are more then welcome as well!
 
Welcome! Sounds like you'll have plenty of good stories for future long evenings.

What do zoos want from new keepers? I'd guess that today a good education in animal management (and your vet experience won't hurt) plus, as zoos have always wanted, a team member that doesn't gripe. Of course, that's never what they get! :p
 
Welcome to ZooChat!! The huge number of resources on this site should interest all animal lovers.:)
 
Our director is always telling us that it is about being part of a team and at first all of us(the students) didn't completely understand why. Then when we started working with the animals we were put in teams that have to work together a lot. Being a great addition to any team is what we are striving to be. One person that doesn't want to work with the team can cause a good bit of headaches. Right now I am a head keeper of a area and I am very proud of the people I work with, we don't all get a long outside of the zoo, but in the zoo we work very well together.
 
Blackduiker

Welcome to ZooChat. When I trained in the L.A. Zoo's Animal Keeper's Class back in 1985, it was all about teamwork and the willingness to get down and dirty with things like picking-up elephant droppings and hosing out extremely smelly bear dens. Stuffing fish with vitamins to feed to the penguins and lifting heavy wheelbarrows into trash dumpsters. And it sounds like you've got what it takes, after reading about your experience in Arizona.

There's a lot of glitz and glamour in the zoo world, and much fulfillment for animal lovers. But it all comes with dedication and hard work; much of which is never seen or appreciated by the general public. I think you're well on your way. Much success to you!
 
Thank you so much, I am trying to become the best asset to any team that I can be.

It is always amusing when we get new students and there are the ones who seem completely apposed to getting dirty, they don't normally last long as we(the students) are the ones who do all the digging and dirty work.

I think the only smell that has ever actually bothered me and made me gag was one day when one of our prehensile tailed porcupines had some particularly rancid feces. I actually had to pause for a few seconds before picking it up. It has been almost a year since then though and my nose has become used to the smell of anything that comes from an animal.
 
welcome to zoochat hope you find what you want from the forums and get the job you want
 
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