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HZHouston Zoo
Houston ZooZoo

Zookeeper I, Primates

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Work type

Onsite

Employment

Full Time

Experience

1-3 years

Compensation

Compensation not disclosed

Posted

2h ago

Summary and responsibilities

Role overview

Summary

The Zookeeper I, Primates supports the daily husbandry and maintenance of assigned animals and their enclosures, ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare and conservation. This role involves cleaning, feeding, exhibit upkeep, and maintaining detailed records, while also engaging with guests and participating in conservation efforts.

Under the direction of a Zoo Supervisor, the Zookeeper is responsible for supporting the day-to-day operations associated with the husbandry and maintenance of the animals and their enclosures. This role exercises the highest standards of animal welfare, conservation, guest engagement, and scientific research in alignment with the zoo’s mission.


Our Mission: Houston Zoo connects communities with animals, inspiring action to save wildlife.

Our Vision: Houston Zoo will be a leader in the global movement to save wildlife.


Job Duties and Responsibilities

  • Carries out all aspects of the daily care of assigned animals including cleaning, feeding, exhibit maintenance, and general upkeep of support facilities.

  • Maintains clean and organized exhibits, holding areas, service areas and equipment.

  • Prepares and feeds appropriate diets as per established feeding practices and diet sheets.

  • Administers prescribed medications, supplements, or treatments under the guidance of the veterinary and supervisory staff.

  • Records and reports any abnormal animal health or behavioral issues to the Zoo Supervisor.

  • Maintains daily reports, logs, training and enrichment records, research, or veterinary records, as appropriate and according to established guidelines; requires basic skills with record keeping programs like Species 360 and TRACKS and Microsoft Office software applications.

  • Understands and applies behavior-based husbandry; improves the quality of life of animal collection by providing enrichment and training opportunities.

  • As appropriate, maintains water quality through filtration, balance of chemical elements, and sanitation methods for aquatic or semi-aquatic animal species.

  • As appropriate, maintains live exhibit plantings to enhance exhibit aesthetics; eliminates weeds and toxic plants from animal enclosures.

  • In conjunction with the Pest Control team, assists in pest control using exclusion or traps.

  • Identifies potential maintenance or safety issues and reports them to the Zoo Supervisor.

  • Participates in keeper chats, tours, animal presentations or demonstrations, and/or other public interactions as requested by the Zoo Supervisor.

  • Assists with departmental research projects, conservation, AZA, or other industry activities as directed/approved by the Zoo Supervisor or Curator; provides support for Zoo projects.

  • Oversees work activities and/or provides training for interns, seasonal workers, or volunteers.

  • Exhibits good teamwork and communication skills both within the home team and when working with other teams or departments.

  • Required to safely operate a motor vehicle.


Education and Experience

  • Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) from four-year college or university; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

  • Minimum of one (1) year of experience in animal care at an AZA or equivalent facility, gained through employment, internships, or volunteer experience. Minimum experience can be waived with advanced degrees (master’s degree and above).

  • Experience with providing care for animals, in a conservation setting.

  • Must have or be able to obtain a valid Texas driver’s license.

  • Must be dive certified or the ability to be certified (select animal departments).

  • Must be active members of the dive team to do routine maintenance and cleaning of the aquatic environments, following all dive protocols (select animal programs).

Updated 2h ago

Candidate fit

Skills and qualifications

Additional skills

Species 360 • 1+ yrs
TRACKS • 1+ yrs
Microsoft Office • 1+ yrs
Behavior-based Husbandry • 1+ yrs
Teamwork • 1+ yrs
Communication • 1+ yrs
Animal Care • 1+ yrs
Exhibit Maintenance • 1+ yrs

Experience

1-3 years

Certifications

Texas driver’s license • Required
Dive Certified • Required

How this role is positioned

Role classification

Job domains

Operations

Industries

Wildlife & Conservation

Employment

Full Time

Contract duration

Permanent

Hiring type

Direct

Global hiring

Location specific

Offer details

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

Compensation not disclosed

VisibilityShared on listing
CurrencyUSD
PeriodHourly

Benefits and perks

Vision Insurance
Dental Insurance

Location, schedule, and role shape

Work setup

Work conditions

Primary locationHouston, Texas, United States
Work typeOnsite
Global hiringNo

Bandwidth profile

peopleMedium7/10
physicalHigh8/10
cognitiveMedium7/10
executionHigh9/10
creativityMedium6/10
uncertaintyMedium6/10
communicationHigh8/10

Context on the employer

Company snapshot

Company

Houston Zoo

Team size

Growing team

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Houston Zoo is made up of many moving parts with over 6,000 permanent residents (our animals) for whom we provide housing, meals, medical care and, yes, even education! There are over 2 million guests each year who come to experience our incredible variety of animals and ecosystems, as well as attend special private and public events and entertainment. Our dedicated staff works around the clock to ensure that the Zoo is always running smoothly for the safety and well-being of our residents and guests. We strive to ensure the protection of all the counterparts of the animals we have at the Zoo and in the wild.

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Zookeeper I, Primates

Houston, Texas, United StatesFull Time