Zookeeper

Would you like to become a zookeeper? If you love animals and enjoy spending time with them, your answer might be ‘YES’! Zookeepers are important for animals. Sometimes they’re the parent, doctor, teacher and fitness instructor at the same time. They care about zoo animals’ being healthy and feeling happy. Let’s take a look at a typical day of a zookeeper.

Every zoo is different, but many zookeepers start their day with a meeting with the zoo manager. They talk about news, updates or developments such as pregnant animals or exhibition areas. The vets also attend the meeting so they decide on the daily jobs. When the meeting ends, the zookeepers go to their areas and the work begins.

After the meeting a zookeeper checks the animals if they have any problems. When an animal seems unhealthy or aggressive, the zookeeper takes notes and reports it to the manager and the vets. Then they decide on what to do to help the animal. Next on the daily list is cleaning the animals’ areas. The zookeeper replaces dirty bedding with clean bedding and washes the animals. Cleaning is very important for animals’ health and for attracting the visitors. The zookeeper is also responsible for food preparation and feeding animals during the day.

Another role of a zookeeper is playing with the animals. When the animals play games, they feel happy. Games of hide and seek, using toys and food, water showers, or tossintg balls might be some of the things a zookeeper does to keep the animals happy and healthy.

Many zoos also provide special guides and tours for people, schools and groups, and the zookeeper might be the one who talks to visitors and takes them around the different exhibits.

Even after the work day is over, a zookeeper does extra research to stay up to date with the latest zoology and animal-care news. So, being a zookeeper has a lot of roles which are not easy but enjoyable!