Zookeepers are the people who look after the animals. Zookeepers work on shifts and must come to work every day of the year, without vacation. Sometimes however, if the keeper gets sick, he or she must take the day off in order to prevent germs from making the animals sick. Here is the description of the day in the life of a zookeeper.

Beginning the Day...

The night keepers have finished their shift. The day keepers, who works from 6 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. have arrived and begin the day by checking on all the animals in the charge of this group of keepers.

The keepers use a syringe to collect urine samples of the animals, then stores them in the freezer for pickup by the research experts. These samples are used to analyze the hormone levels of the animals. The animals must also be weighed at different times during a month.

Feeding and Recording

Food for the first feeding come in and must be weighed carefully so the animal's weight can be logged accurately on the keeper's report, the nutritionist's diet log and the "red book", a notebook kept in the keeper area. If the animal is scheduled for observation on a certain day, keepers will record their every movement. Sometimes, animals will sleep for a long time while other days, they will become playful.

Informing the Audience

Some keepers are responsible for standing in front an exhibit and informing the audience about a certain type of animal. They answer questions, talk about their experiences with the animal, and lectures on the behaviors of the animal.

Dirty Work

Although zoo keepers enjoy handling the animals, they must also clean enclosures every day. Animal areas are sprayed with disinfectant, scrubbed with a broomlike scrub brush, rinsed, squeegeed, and dry mopped. It's a great deal of hard work and dedication.

Do you have what it takes?

To become a zookeeper, you must know a great deal about animals. Studying biology and zoology in college will allow you to gain a vast knowledge on animals. Zoos like people who have experience with being in a zoo. That's why volunteering at a zoo or becoming a veterinarian assistant can help whey you try to apply for a job. Since zookeeper jobs are rare, you must also work hard at becoming better than your peers.

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