Animal Care Specialist

The Animal Care Specialist is the primary staff responsible for ensuring the welfare of animals assigned to their respective section. This includes but is not limited to feeding, watering, cleaning, conducting welfare checks, and reporting abnormalities to supervisors. The Animal Care Specialist’s primary duty is to ensure the welfare of animals in their section while supporting the zoo’s mission to foster an appreciation for the natural world and to inspire the public towards a stronger environmental ethic and resulting behavior.

The Animal Care Specialist works under the supervision of the Animal Care Manager and is responsible for implementing animal husbandry, enrichment and operant conditioning protocols established by the Animal Care Department. While primarily an animal care position, the Animal Care Specialist will present Keeper Talks to educate the public about the animals under their care. As needed and in the absence of others, the Animal Care Specialist may be asked to facilitate education programs such as Wild Encounters and Animal Spotlights.

The full-time Animal Care Specialist will typically work 40 hours per week.  We currently schedule all full-time department staff weekend days off on a rotating schedule. Weekend, holiday, and evening hours may be required to support Department programs and zoo special events. 

Essential Duties
• Implement animal husbandry routines as established by the Animal Care Manager.
• Implement operant conditioning training programs as developed and approved by the Behavioral Husbandry Manager.
• Provide enrichment activities to the animals in the assigned section designed to stimulate natural behaviors and foster animal welfare, and document results.
• Provide feedback to the Animal Care Manager and the Behavioral Husbandry Manager on animal husbandry and operant conditioning training routines and programs to ensure maximum animal welfare and animal choice.
• Complete an annual animal welfare assessment on all animals in the assigned section and document results.
• Complete all required reports in a timely fashion.
• Administer all medications as prescribed.
• Provide recommendations to the Animal Care Manager for the Institutional Collection Plan.
• Assist with special events and other tasks as needed.

EDUCATION AND PRE-REQUISITES

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Associates or Bachelor’s Degree in biology, education, environmental science, zoology, or related field or equivalent of at least two years of exotic animal experience.
• Strong communication skills, both written and oral, and a firm command of the English language. Multilingual is a plus.
• Must be comfortable interacting and communicating with others in both one-on-one and large group situations, including over the phone, through email, and in person.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office, Google Docs and Sheets.
• Carries out duties and responsibilities in a safe and efficient manner to maintain a safe work environment. Responds to hazardous situations and/or potentially unsafe conditions by taking corrective action.
• Experience working with and handling animals.
• First Aid and/or CPR training is a plus.

General Requirements
• Must be willing to work a flexible work schedule that may include weekends and evening hours.
• Must be able to lift 50 pounds and regularly navigate the zoo paths, which includes a loop of just over 1 mile with occasional steep grades.
• Must be able to perform basic mathematics.
• Must have reliable transportation to the zoo.
• Must present a neat and professional appearance.
• Responsible for following policies and procedures outlined in Southern Tier Zoological Society’s employee manual.
• Must submit to and pass a background check.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Salary – $16.00/hr
Benefits include – opportunities for medical, dental and eye insurance; PTO (includes vacation and sick time); opportunities for career development; retirement plan