How To Be A Wild Animal Keeper

COULD YOU BE A KEEPER AT PORT LYMPNE WILD ANIMAL PARK?

Being a keeper at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park is an exciting and rewarding career. If you want to be a keeper, you’ll already have an interest in animals and be passionate about the conservation of wildlife, but what else do you need? The answer is that you’ll need to be prepared to work long hours for relatively low pay and be reasonably fit as the work of a keeper is physically demanding. Our keepers give regular talks and presentations to the public, so it is important that you enjoy working with people as well as animals.

Although it is often hard work, a keeper’s job offers many rewards. Seeing your animals thrive and produce offspring which may be released into the wild in the future is the ultimate in job satisfaction.

QUALIFICATIONS

You will need: 5 GCSE passes preferably in English, Maths and science Experience of working with animals, either paid or voluntary but not necessarily with wild animals.

We accept volunteers for work experience who are already undertaking a recognised qualification, such as the City & Guilds Certificate in Animal Management.

WHAT IS INVOLVED?

Being a keeper means getting your hands dirty! A typical day starts at 8am and involves animal health and enclosure checks, mucking out and cleaning, preparing feeds and medication, making enrichment devices, enclosure maintenance and many more physically demanding tasks as well as accurate record keeping.

Still want to be a keeper at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park? Keep an eye out for our vacant positions on our Careers page, Cage & Aviary magazine or our local newspapers.