Keeper, WildCare Park

The Saint Louis Zoo’s mission is to conserve animals and their habitats through animal management, research, recreation and educational programs that encourage the support and enrich the experience of the public. We are passionate about our commitment to conservation and achieve success by pursuing three keys that are important to us – Animals Always, People Matter and Operational Excellence – and by operating according to our Core Values of Community, Creativity, Openness, Integrity and Life-Work Balance. Summary: The Saint Louis Zoo is seeking a team member to advance its mission and values by directly supporting the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park team. At the 425-acre WildCare Park in St. Louis County, the animal care team is cross-trained as generalists, overseeing a variety of taxa, including ungulates, marsupials, birds and native wildlife. In addition, the WildCare Park team oversees the animal care and facility maintenance functions of the 355-acre Saint Louis Zoo Sears Lehmann, Jr. Wildlife Reserve in Franklin County where the Zoo’s non-public facility for American red wolves exists. This keeper will be a part of a team that is responsible for the daily operations of the animal areas of both facilities, as detailed below. In addition, this keeper will receive cross training to perform duties in partnership with other departments. Intern mentoring, guest interaction and community engagement are also key components of this position.

Essential Functions:
• Understanding of the Three Keys and Core Values of the Saint Louis Zoo and modeling these Keys and Values on a day-to-day basis.
• Serving as an ambassador for the Saint Louis Zoo, WildCare Park, the Wildlife Reserve, the animals and the community at all times, including to donors, guests, neighbors, coworkers, media, AZA and other outside agencies; • Thinking innovatively, working collaboratively, communicating proactively with internal and external stakeholders in a fast-paced environment to contribute to the design, development and operation of WildCare Park and the Wildlife Reserve;
• Thriving in a teaching environment and mentoring WildCare Park animal care keepers, interns and vol-unteers with positivity, patience and professionalism, including classroom teaching and on-the-job train-ing;
• Achieving the highest standards of animal wellbeing through exemplary animal care, training, enrich-ment and social management as appropriate for the goals of the different programs, as well as tracking and documenting these activities;
• Performing behavioral observations and wellbeing assessments in person and using video surveillance to enhance individual animal and group wellness;
• Managing animals according to safety, wellbeing and reintroduction protocols, as needed, for herd management, recovery/reintroduction programs, veterinary health care and research purposes;
• Maintaining and enhancing outdoor and indoor animal living spaces;
• Ordering, receiving and handling dietary items and other supplies for the animals, as well as monitoring the quantity and quality of these items on a prescribed schedule;
• Assisting with the successful implementation of AZA SSP, AZA SAFE and USFWS program recom-mendations;
• Transporting animals between campuses and other animal care facilities;
• Creating and maintaining departmental records and assisting with animal transport paperwork;
• Monitoring, studying and managing native wildlife and native habitats at WildCare Park and the Wildlife Reserve, including data management for several ongoing collaborative projects;

-Receiving training and performing shared duties across both campuses in partnership with other de-partments, such as repairs, mowing, heavy equipment operation, tree maintenance, snow removal, fence assessments/repairs, security monitoring, housekeeping, education classes, donor tours, and construction meetings;

• As needed, addressing the horticultural, facility and custodial needs of both campuses, as well as moni-toring the overall guest experience at WildCare Park;
• Participating in and raising awareness for WildCare Institute Centers and Programs, recovery/reintro-duction initiatives and AZA SAFE programs related to the animals at WildCare Park and the Wildlife Reserve.
Qualifications:
• A bachelor’s degree or higher in an animal-related field and previous animal care experience are de-sired. Successful candidate is likely to have at least two (2) years of paid hands-on experience in the care, management and propagation of ungulates, wolves and/or birds. Applicants with equivalent com-binations of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job are encouraged to apply.
• A successful candidate will be a leader and have a positive, can-do attitude. They should expect a team-based approach and be ready to participate in cross-departmental collaborative team activities, in addition to performing duties within the WildCare Park Animal Care department. They should be curi-ous, ready to learn and forward thinking. They should have the ability to solve complex problems effi-ciently and the ability to make good decisions during emergencies. They should be a self-motivated in-dividual who can identify tasks that contribute to the function of the programs at WildCare Park and the Wildlife Reserve and complete them independently. They should be open to a level of flexibility that sometimes requires a changing schedule based on the seasonal requirements of the job relating to ani-mal care and facility maintenance needs.
• A successful candidate will be an effective communicator and have good writing, public speaking and storytelling skills. Interaction with donors, guests and the community will be frequent in this role, so a passion for public speaking and excellent presentation skills will be essential.
• A successful candidate is likely to have experience with animal management in large spaces, including animal introductions, multi-species habitats, animal transports and propagation of ungulates, American Red Wolves and/or other taxa, as well as a working knowledge of animal behavior and natural history, operant conditioning, field conservation and related subjects. On the job training will be made available for these activities, as needed. • Confidence with technology, including ZIMS, database entry and analysis, PowerPoint, video/audio re-cording and video surveillance systems will be useful in this position. Training will be made available for these activities, as needed.
• Experience operating small equipment, such as weed eaters and leaf blowers, and large vehicular equipment, such as animal trailers, trucks, tractors, mowers, skid steers, and forklifts would be benefi-cial in this position. Training will be made available for these activities, as needed.
• A successful candidate must have a good safety record and be able to perform all duties and responsi-bilities with safety as a priority.
• A successful candidate will have the physical ability to perform required duties as assigned, including standing for long periods, walking, lifting, bending, driving, and working in all types of weather.
• A successful candidate must have a clear driving record and will be asked to get a Class E driver’s li-cense.
• A successful candidate will be required to submit to a criminal background check and a drug test.
• COVID vaccinations are required for this position.

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