The Zoo Keeper!

Most, if not all, of us have taken a trip to the zoo on more than one occasion. If you have been to the zoo before, then you have surely noticed a zoo keeper or two on the job. In professional terms, "zoo keeper" refers to an individual whose job description is to care for animals enclosed within zoo parks and aquariums. But, what many people do not know is that zoo keepers can also take on a variety of other roles, such as biologist, aviculturist, herpetologist, aquarist, mammalogist, and more. The point being, zoo keepers' roles are actually much more far-reaching than most people would expect. Without the crucial work of zoo keepers, the image you have in your mind of zoos and aquariums would be unrecognizable.

Through their positions, zoo keepers encounter all kinds of animals, including birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, fish, and practically any other type of animal. If it exist in a zoo, a designated zoo keeper is responsible for it! The level of expertise and specialty can vary widely among different zoo keepers. While some take on simple roles as feeding animals at specific times, other highly trained keepers work in the animal hospitals of zoos or focus their efforts on specific subgroups of animals like giraffes, exotic species of birds, lions, or others.

If all this sounds enticing to you, then maybe animal keeping is something you should look into as a possible career path. It sure sounds like a great deal of fun!