Elephant Care & Behavior Keeper

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 33,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Union pay rates

200 PTO hours first year

Competitive benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is seeking an experienced Elephant Keeper to join the Elephant Department in Cincinnati, OH. The role focuses on daily care, behavioral management and long-term success of a multi-generational elephant herd.

Qualified candidates will have hands-on experience with protected contact management, operant conditioning, and behavior observation. The position is full-time with union pay scales and extensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years professional elephant care experience in the last 10 years.
• Experience working with elephants in a protected contact management system.
• Demonstrated experience with operant conditioning and positive reinforcement training.

Responsibilities

• Provide daily husbandry care including feeding, habitat maintenance, enrichment and behavioral observation.
• Participate in protected contact elephant management following safety protocols.
• Monitor elephant behavior and welfare and report abnormalities to supervisors and veterinary staff.
• Maintain clean and safe indoor and outdoor elephant facilities.
• Support exercise, enrichment and environmental management programs that promote natural behaviors.

Skills

Elephant care experience

Operant conditioning

Positive reinforcement training

Protected contact management

Teamwork

Education

Degree in Zoology/Biology/Animal Science or related field

Job description

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is seeking an experienced Elephant Keeper to join the Elephant Department in Cincinnati, OH. The role focuses on daily care, behavioral management and long-term success of a multi-generational elephant herd.

Qualified candidates will have hands-on experience with protected contact management, operant conditioning, and behavior observation. The position is full-time with union pay scales and extensive benefits.