This week across the nation people and animals have been celebrating those brave souls that have chosen to work in the zookeeping field. National Zookeeper Appreciation Week is a chance for people to show a little extra appreciation for the challenging work zookeepers do every day. In honor of that, I wanted to take a little closer look at why on earth anyone would want to be a zookeeper.

To start, let’s examine what qualities make someone a good candidate.

1. You love to scoop poop. No matter what species you care for, you are not going to be able to avoid this because, let’s face it, everyone poops. And they are going to do it more than once, and it is not always going to be pretty, or easy to clean up.
2. You don’t mind a one-sided relationship. Let’s be honest, even though we like to think our animals love us as dearly as we love them, unfortunately, animals don’t process human emotions. So sometimes they are a little less appreciative of all our hard work than we would like them to be. Basically, don’t be expecting a thank you at the end of the day for completing all the housework.
3. You don’t judge a book by its cover. There is no avoiding the cold facts here. Animals sometimes do undesirable behaviors that do not feel very loving. As a zookeeper, however, you know to look past that behavior to see the animal for who they are on the inside and not just how they act. Just like humans.
4. You have no desire to ever be a millionaire. You enjoy living on the edge and don’t want to have to worry about having too much money laying around. You’re a much less attractive target for a robbery this way, and that’s a pretty big plus in my book.
5. You secretly wish you were an extremophile, meaning you enjoy extreme living conditions. Feels like the sun is going to burn your flesh off? You throw on some sunscreen and whistle on your way out the door. Seems cold enough that your toes might fall off? You get excited about a chance to try out your new mukluks. Despite the weather, every day is a walk in the park… or the zoo.

This sounds pretty intimidating. Are there any perks to being a zookeeper? There sure are! Let’s explore what some of those are.

1. The connection you form with the animals you work with is indescribable. It is no small feat to earn an animal’s trust and to form a bond with them. This requires a lot of research, time, understanding, and above all else, patience. So once you do earn that trust, it is such a rewarding experience, but it is also an ongoing process. We never stop learning from our animals, and we must never reach a point of complacency with them.
2. At the end of a long day (one of those magical days where everything went at least moderately well and worked out in the end), it can be very satisfying to look back at all the hard work you did and to feel like you made a difference in the lives of the animals you work with. The work is often very physically and mentally demanding. So when you feel proud of the work you did and feel like you are helping your animals live their best lives, it is a very gratifying experience.
3. The work zookeepers do doesn’t just help the animals they work with directly, however. It also can have a huge impact on animals that live in the wild. By educating guests about the challenges the wild counterparts of our animals face, we can help inspire people to help support critical conservation efforts. As the only humans on the planet, it’s our job to help protect the animals that live here. Zookeepers play an important role in showing people why they should care about these animals and in motivating them to help protect them.
4. It can be a lot of fun! This isn’t your typical 9-5 day job. There are days that you are going to have unbelievable experiences working with your animals (some good, some not so fun), but every day will be different. Sometimes it can be boring to go through the motions and work a desk job that has no variety. Working with animals guarantees that you are never going to be able to predict everything that will happen during your day.
5. Because you aren’t here for the money, chances are you love your job and that your coworkers do too. This really has an important impact on your work environment and the relationships you have with your coworkers. When you all are working toward the same goals and all want what is best for the animals in your care, it changes how you work together. Zookeepers are often some of the most passionate, nerdy, hardworking people you will ever meet (even if quite a few of them might be introverts).

The zookeeping profession is often underrated and underappreciated. Zookeepers face a lot of challenges in their personal lives because they choose to work at a job that does not have a super high pay scale and requires them to work every day despite weather conditions and often means missing out on holidays and important events with their families. What many people don’t realize is that they face a lot of professional challenges as well. The job can be quite difficult, as we have already outlined, but sometimes people who are not familiar with the field can also be harsh toward zookeepers and the work they have dedicated their lives to. If you take anything away from this, please remember to be kind to zookeepers and to thank them for what they do for the animals. The world is a better place because of them, and our animals would certainly agree with that. Happy National Zookeeper Appreciation Week to all zookeepers out there, but especially ours! We couldn’t do what we do without every single one of you.

Written by Tara Mlodzienski
Education Specialist
Lehigh Valley Zoo | Schnecksville, PA

   Back to blog posts