ZooKeeper for a Day

• Education |
• Camps |
• Classes |
• For Teachers |
• For Homeschoolers

Register online today!

Have you ever dreamed of being a ZooKeeper? Here is your chance to work behind the scenes with a real ZooKeeper and discover this rich and rewarding career. You will spend the day shadowing and working alongside a keeper. You will experience how to prepare animal food, clean up, and interact with the animals. Learn about animal husbandry techniques and much more about the inner workings of a zoo. This program is designed for children ages 8 to 14. Please contact us with any questions.

EXPECTED DAILY SCHEDULE
Arrive at 9:00 a.m. Meet the Keeper and get ready to go to work. You may be asked to lift and carry tools, animal food, hay, and other items. You may get dirty!

Example of a ZooKeeper Day:

8:45 a.m. Arrive and meet the Keeper
9:00 a.m. Get ready to get to work
Cleaning of the Children’s Zoo Barn
Cleaning and caring for the Education Program Animals
Diet preparation in the Animal Nutrition Center
Lunch
Animal Handling experience with Level 1 Program Animals
End of an exciting work day at 2:00 p.m.

LUNCH
Lunch is provided. However drinks and snacks are not and your ZooKeeper for a day might want to bring a water bottle, a sports drink, some money to purchase a drink or a snack. Your ZooKeeper for a Day is welcome to bring their own lunch if they prefer, we have a staff refrigerator that they can use.

WEATHER
ZooKeeper for a Day will be held regardless of weather. In the event the zoo is closed due to weather, we will contact you. Clothing should be appropriate for the weather, be it hot or cold. Sunscreen and a hat is advised for warmer weather. Jackets, coats, gloves, or hats are advised for cooler weather. Bottled water or a sports drink would also be advised.

The ZooKeeper for a Day will be provided a lunch with their keeper, a Birmingham Zoo T-shirt, and Zoo name tag.

This is a work experience. Please wear Khaki pants or shorts (no jeans), closed-toe work shoes, and no loose jewelry. You may get dirty. Because you will be working around animals you must be able to follow directions. Yours and the animals’ safety are our main concern.

ZooKeepers for a Day must be between 8 years of age to 14 years of age at the time that they participate in this program. The cost is $100.00 per participant for members and $125.00 per participant for non-members. All participants must have a signed release form by their parent or guardian before they can participate.

Register online today!

CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS
If you need to cancel or transfer to another date, call the Education Department as soon as possible. The deadline for cancellation is two weeks prior to the date. A refund minus a $25.00 processing fee will be issued if the request is before the deadline. We will be unable to give any refunds once the deadline has passed. When possible, we will transfer to another date. However, we cannot guarantee any transfer requests.

For more information please call Carol Hendrickson at 205.397.3847 or

Register online today!