SCHEDULE
Five (5) days a week; Friday – Tuesday
Regular Days Off: Wednesday and Thursday
Hours vary between 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES
This position is the 5-day demand keeper for the 3 strings in the Australia/Painted Dog section – the koala, devil/wombat and painted dog strings. Experience with marsupials, monotremes, carnivores, hoofstock, birds and eucalyptus are encouraged but not required.
The ideal candidate would exhibit qualities such as being an effective team member, while also being proficient in working independently with proper time management. An effective communicator is a must with seniors, keepers and veterinarian staff verbally, on ZIMS, reports and emails. This individual would be expected to understand approaches in operant conditioning, enrichment, animal welfare evaluations, and general and specialized animal husbandry. Identifying, collecting, and processing browse, especially Eucalyptus species, is an essential duty of this position.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
1. The equivalent of one year of full-time paid experience (2,080 hours) in the care and maintenance of exotic animals with a facility similar to the Los Angeles Zoo whose core function is the exhibition of a variety of exotic animals; or
2. (a) Successful completion of the Animal Keeper Training program conducted by the Los Angeles Zoo; or
(b) An equivalent program at an accredited school or college providing classroom and field work on the basic structure and function of exotic animals; basic nutritional requirements; recognition of the symptoms of animal diseases; sanitation measures; and aspects of animal behavior.
EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT
An emergency appointment is not a regular appointment. It is a temporary appointment which does not require that you successfully compete in the Civil Service examination process. The appointment may not exceed one year and must be terminated immediately when a regular appointment can be made from an eligible list. (City Charter Section 1013).
