Part-Time Zookeeper

City of Atascadero; Atascadero (CA); On-site; USD 18,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

City of Atascadero is seeking a Part-time Zookeeper to perform routine animal husbandry, feeding, cleaning, and exhibit maintenance at the Central Coast Zoo. You will assist in animal care, restraint, and veterinary procedures, and help prepare diets and enrichment while engaging with visitors and supporting educational outreach.

The role involves working weekends/holidays, lifting up to 50 pounds, and performing related duties as needed in an outdoor zoo environment.

Qualifications

• Familiarity with zoo records and basic reporting.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Ability to handle physical tasks and safety procedures.

Responsibilities

• Perform routine animal husbandry including feeding and cleaning of exhibits.
• Assist in animal care, restraint, and veterinary procedures as directed.
• Maintain exhibits, records and assist in enrichment activities.
• Prepare animal diets and support grounds maintenance and events.
• Interact with zoo visitors to support education and outreach.
• Assist with security of buildings and grounds and operate light equipment as needed.

Skills

Public relations

Customer service

Animal care

Record keeping

Job description

PART- TIME ZOOKEEPER

The City of Atascadero is excited to open recruitment for a

ABOUT THE ZOO:

The Central Coast Zoo is a small, 5-acre AZA accredited zoological facility located in and managed by the City of Atascadero, which is a beautiful California central coast community located in San Luis Obispo County. We have a population of 30,000 residing in an area just under 27 square miles. Our community is a great place to live, work and raise a family! We are situated along Highway 101, halfway between the metropolitan areas of Los Angeles and San Francisco. The community is located in the Paso Robles wine region and is a short 20-minute drive to the beach and Highway 1. We are within a three-hour drive to Yosemite National Park and two hours to Monterey or Carmel. For those that enjoy the outdoors, we are close to four local lakes, a national forest and endless hiking and biking trails.

The Central Coast Zoo is home to hundreds of animal species from around the world. Many of the zoo residents are part of globally managed programs to preserve animals and their habitats. The Central Coast Zoo is truly dedicated to the conservation of local and exotic species.

GENERAL PURPOSE:

To perform routine animal husbandry work in support of the activities and operations of Central Coast Zoo; to include but not limited to cleaning, feeding, and daily maintenance of zoo animals. Positions in this classification may be assigned to all areas of the zoo, may be assigned to perform work at the zoo or other city functions or events, and/or may be assigned to a specific section. This job class functions at an entry-level of classification. As knowledge, background, and skills increase, promotion to the next higher classification may be reasonably expected.

• Performs a variety of facility and exhibit maintenance tasks to include feeding, cleaning of exhibits, performing routine animal husbandry, and other keeper maintenance duties.
• Assists staff in animal care and restraint.
• Assists Curator of Education with animal presentations to groups.
• Maintains assigned areas, facilities, and equipment in clean and orderly condition.
• May operate small-to-medium sized automotive or specialized equipment related to assignment.
• Assists in more complex and specialized maintenance of exhibit and off-exhibit areas

appropriate to assignment. Learns the operation of large and specialized equipment

as assigned.

• Assists in maintaining animal records related to duties performed.
• Assists staff in behavioral enrichment of animal collection.
• Assists staff and veterinarian with medical procedures.
• Prepares animal diets.
• Performs related duties similar to the above in scope and function, as required.
• Helps maintain zoo grounds, sets up and supports special events.
• Locks and unlocks doors and gates to ensure security of zoo buildings, grounds and related areas.
• Interacts with zoo visitors on educational or Zoo issues.

• Possess good public relations and customer service skills.
• Some knowledge of animals, facilities, materials, methods and procedures used in exhibit and zoo grounds maintenance, construction and repair activities.
• Ability to read, write and maintain zoo records at a level sufficient to successfully perform required duties.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to safely and effectively operate and/or learn to operate automotive and/or specialized equipment as assigned; learn zoo keeping, animal husbandry, and zoo maintenance techniques; practices, procedures, and techniques pertaining to assigned area.
• Skill in the operation of some of the listed tools and equipment.
• Ability to perform heavy manual tasks for extended periods of time; ability to work safely; ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing; ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, other departments and the public; ability to understand and carry out written and oral instructions.
• Ability to work outdoors in inclement weather; ability to lift at least fifty (50) pounds.
• Ability to work weekends and holidays, as well as relief coverage.

The work environment characteristics described here are representatives of those a Zoo employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee occasionally works in outside weather conditions. The employee occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and in high, precarious places and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, or airborne particles. The employee will be working with or near potentially dangerous animals.

The noise level in the work environment is occasionally moderate-to-loud in the field.

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