Animal Care Keeper - Desert Wilds Float

LIVING DESERT DBA THE LIVING DESERT•Palm Desert, CA

20h•Onsite

About The Position

The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens Animal Care Keeper is responsible for providing the highest quality daily care, husbandry, and behavioral advancement of a defined portion of The Living Desert’s (TLD) animal residents and habitats. The Animal Care Department is expected to support the Zoo in its mission “to support desert conservation through preservation, education and appreciation.” The team embraces a forward-thinking vision of a modern zoo and inclusive culture. The Animal Care team strives to be a strong, cohesive team working to deliver uncompromising excellence in animal care and wellbeing, and guest engagement while working for the greater good of the zoo and its mission. Each Animal Care Keeper is encouraged to lead from where they are, bring innovative ideas forward and provide a high level of well-being for each individual in their care. The Desert Wilds keeper oversees animals across multiple focused routines located throughout the zoo and supports the Animal Department’s culture of providing conservation connections with our guests through demonstrating the natural behaviors of the animals. Specific taxa in the section include but are not limited to wallabies, echidna, prairie dog, coati, non-venomous snakes and lizards, waterfowl, kookaburra, herons, hawks and eagles, and tawny frogmouth. This position is also expected to cross-train throughout the Desert Wilds section making communication, problem solving, and excellent animal care standards a must and may include working with a variety of small/large carnivores, avian species including birds of prey, and hoof stock, and a variety of reptiles, including venomous snakes and lizards. Cross training requirements and timelines may change based on operational needs. The Desert Wilds team is also in planning for Lion Ridge- a dynamic African lion and small carnivore habitat which presents a unique experience for staff in this development. This is a key guest interactive position that requires an outgoing, creative, confident, self-motivated team player who is willing to make significant commitment to the organization. This position requires an enthusiastic individual with strong guest engagement skills, and the ability to work in a fast-paced work environment. This individual must value fun and have some prior experience with animals in a guest setting. This team member should foster enthusiasm, demonstrate strong guest engagement skills, have an energetic presence, and be able to work in a fast-paced environment. The Animal Care team demonstrates skills in both formal and informal presentations throughout the park, taking the time to interact with guests and provides excellent animal care through enriching experiences and habitat management practices. Duties will include, but are not limited to, learning the husbandry and care of mammals, reptiles, and birds, using operant conditioning in the behavioral husbandry of animals to improve their wellbeing, communicating the mission of The Living Desert to guests through public keeper connections, maintaining records, using USDA guidelines to prepare diets. This position reports directly to the Assistant Curator of Desert Wilds. Join us in elevating animal care and guest connections through forward thinking programs! This posting is a summary of the typical duties of the role, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties.

Requirements

AA, AS, BA, or BS degree in Zoology, Biology, Animal Science or other related degree preferred.
One year of exotic paid animal experience is also preferred.
Experience with animal training and public presentations a plus.
Will substitute training and experience that provides the required knowledge, skill, and abilities.
Must be insurable on The Living Desert's automobile policy.
Must provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 including booster if eligible.
Standing, walking, twisting, climbing, crawling, kneeling, reaching motions, lifting up to 50lbs.
Exposure to extreme heat, chemicals, and dust/airborne materials.
Work with potentially dangerous animals (i.e. large ungulates, carnivores, venomous animals).
Holiday and weekend work required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with animal training and public presentations.

Responsibilities

Providing the highest quality daily care, husbandry, and behavioral advancement of animal residents and habitats.
Supporting the Zoo's mission of desert conservation through preservation, education, and appreciation.
Delivering uncompromising excellence in animal care and wellbeing, and guest engagement.
Overseeing animals across multiple focused routines and supporting conservation connections with guests.
Cross-training throughout the Desert Wilds section, potentially working with carnivores, avian species, hoof stock, and reptiles (including venomous species).
Engaging with guests through presentations, talks, and informal interactions.
Learning the husbandry and care of mammals, reptiles, and birds.
Using operant conditioning in behavioral husbandry to improve animal wellbeing.
Communicating the mission of The Living Desert to guests through public keeper connections.
Maintaining records and preparing diets according to USDA guidelines.
Representing The Living Desert in a professional manner.
Utilizing critical thinking skills to troubleshoot issues and find solutions.
Performing diet/meal preparation, feeding, and restocking of feed supplies.
Daily cleaning and general maintenance of animal habitats, service areas, holding units, and support areas.
Continuous education on animal residents, including research and creating environments that induce breeding and welfare goals.
Participating in daily behavioral husbandry, operant conditioning, and enriching experiences.
Conditioning behaviors for animal management, welfare advancement, and educational programming.
Providing and accepting feedback professionally and effectively.
Accurately reporting daily information written, orally, and with computer programs.
Providing knowledgeable and engaging tours/talks for guests, staff, and donors.
Participating in guest education programs, formal and informal animal presentations, and keeper talks.
Assisting with the development of connection messaging.
Performing emergency response handling to avoid injury to self, others, and animals.
Remaining calm and professional in unpredictable situations.