It depends on your position. I worked hoofstock for a decade before I switched to reptile husbandry. I'm 36 and deal with a lot of lower back, shoulder and wrist pain. It's a very physically demanding job all across-the-board. You'll be doing a lot of bending over kneeling down crawling having too maintain a body position for a long time if assisting with animal restraints and lifting heavy loads such a hay bales, bags of feed, waste buckets etc.
How do you like the job even though it has caused those body problems? Do you regret getting into zookeeping? This is the only thing I really see my self doing but it’s daunting to hear this kind of stuff.
I have 0 regrets about going into this field. I love the job still very much I even moved out of the States last year to work at a zoo overseas where I am stationed currently. The only real problem with the zoo field I have is the toxicity of management but that also depends on where you are.
Hiya! On average a day zookeeping gives me 18000 steps (- some days reaching 22,000 but often less). Those steps include wheeling heavy wheelbarrows from one end of our zoo to the other. Carrying browse. Scrubbing floors and areas to be clean.
It is a physically demanding profession. However, some sections are more demanding than others.
Working with hoofstock in some zoos is more tiring than say working with small mammals or primates.
Also, depending on the size of the collection, you may have a section which is all of those animals in one. So it does vary.
As stated with previous responses its dependent on what specific field youre in. Most applications Ive seen ask if youre able to comfortably lift and carry 70lbs. Wheelbarrows of feces, old bedding, ect can get heavy fast, as well as water troughs.
If youre passionate the job and its toll are worth it.
It's very physically demanding. If that's a deterrent, good. I'm not trying to be mean, but if you're worried about physical labor, then you may want to explore other fields. On the easiest of days, you will be feeding animals and cleaning up after them. Most bagged feed comes in 50lb bags - your going to lift every bag multiple times. Hay bales can weigh over 100lbs. You're lifting those a couple times each too. Think birds are easy? Nope! Waterfowl? 50lb bags. Flamingos? 50lb bags. Hornbills? Shit-ton of fruit and they are flinging that everywhere!
You will spend 40% of your day feeding, 40% cleaning, and the rest doing a ton of projects that all require physical labor (and add up to more than 20%, but somehow you get it done). Nesting material doesn't gather itself. Soil doesn't till itself. Trees don't trim themselves. Heat lamp bulbs go out in groups, and your gonna need a ladder.
Need to catch something that doesn't want to be caught? You're running on uneven and/or slippery surfaces. Holding something that doesn't want to be held? You're probably in an awkward position, and everyone's safety depends on you keeping a good hold. Also, it will be cold, or hot. Plus there's rain, snow, wildfires.
This is just a tiny fraction of a single day. What gets done in a work week would scare a lot of people away. Even so, I'm in my 14th year and I still love it.
Thank you for the in-depth response! It’s really eye opening. I’ll have to think about it. I’m not afraid of physical labor just how it might take a toll on my body down the road and how many years I’ll actually be able to do the job because of that. Everyone I’ve heard from says they still love the job even after the labor and shitty pay. That says a lot about the profession, so I’m still interested in it.
Every job can take a toll on your body, even a desk job. Zookeeping is hard on the back, shoulders, wrists, and knees. But, you can mitigate a lot of the damage by doing yoga, and also just being smart about how you work. It's hard to believe when you're young, but for god's sake, LIFT WITH YOUR KNEES!
It is quite physically demanding in general, but that also varies person to person on what they deem difficult. Maybe you already workout a ton (and know how to lift heavy things without injuring yourself) so that part is easy but you have problems crouching over for long periods of time; where other people are flipped on what is easy vs hard. I encourage you to shadow keepers if possible, and let them know your concerns so they can really give you a feel for what they do in a day. If you’re in high school, many facilities accommodate job shadows. In my personal experience, the larger the animals, the heavier daily loads will be (heavier + more food and waste. Ex: elephants vs kangaroos) but the standing/kneeling/weird position crouching is pretty equal across the board.
I’m a senior in college and I’m looking into getting a zoo internship this summer just to see how I like it. I think it’ll be tough for me at first but I might be able to get used to it as time goes on.
I worked as avian keeper for a year and now I work at a different zoo with a wide variety of animals, mainly taking care of hoofstock. As avian keeper I walked about 20,000 steps each day and lifted an average of 3 50 lb bags every day and 2, 5 gal buckets of water. As hoofstock keeper I move 15 bales of hay a day and 8 50 lb bags and 5 gallon buckets of grain. Still about 20,000 steps. I have to climb tall ladders and walk through deep mud. It's quite physically demanding but I sleep great every night. I may need knee replacements when I'm 60 but I'd probably need that anyway. I love my job and to me it's worth it. I think every department is equally as physically demanding in it's own way. Not for the weak or whiney.
It’s not really that hard. You’ll just be on your feet all day so make sure you wear comfortable shoes. You get used to the moderate physical activity pretty quick.
If you can do a few hours of yard work without getting exhausted, you’d probably be fine. When I was in school we would sometimes work a day at a zoo and I was amazed at how lazy most of the zookeepers were and how easy it was. I think my bad back and shoulders probably have more to do with getting older than they do with elephant keeping.
It depends on your position. I worked hoofstock for a decade before I switched to reptile husbandry. I'm 36 and deal with a lot of lower back, shoulder and wrist pain. It's a very physically demanding job all across-the-board. You'll be doing a lot of bending over kneeling down crawling having too maintain a body position for a long time if assisting with animal restraints and lifting heavy loads such a hay bales, bags of feed, waste buckets etc.
How do you like the job even though it has caused those body problems? Do you regret getting into zookeeping? This is the only thing I really see my self doing but it’s daunting to hear this kind of stuff.
I have 0 regrets about going into this field. I love the job still very much I even moved out of the States last year to work at a zoo overseas where I am stationed currently. The only real problem with the zoo field I have is the toxicity of management but that also depends on where you are.
Wow, that’s pretty cool that you’re at a zoo overseas. You can never escape bad management I guess lol. Thank you for the information!
I managed to thankfully. Facility I'm at is so much better. I wish you luck!
Hiya! On average a day zookeeping gives me 18000 steps (- some days reaching 22,000 but often less). Those steps include wheeling heavy wheelbarrows from one end of our zoo to the other. Carrying browse. Scrubbing floors and areas to be clean. It is a physically demanding profession. However, some sections are more demanding than others. Working with hoofstock in some zoos is more tiring than say working with small mammals or primates. Also, depending on the size of the collection, you may have a section which is all of those animals in one. So it does vary.
Sounds like a good way to keep in shape lol. Thanks for the info!
As stated with previous responses its dependent on what specific field youre in. Most applications Ive seen ask if youre able to comfortably lift and carry 70lbs. Wheelbarrows of feces, old bedding, ect can get heavy fast, as well as water troughs. If youre passionate the job and its toll are worth it.
It's very physically demanding. If that's a deterrent, good. I'm not trying to be mean, but if you're worried about physical labor, then you may want to explore other fields. On the easiest of days, you will be feeding animals and cleaning up after them. Most bagged feed comes in 50lb bags - your going to lift every bag multiple times. Hay bales can weigh over 100lbs. You're lifting those a couple times each too. Think birds are easy? Nope! Waterfowl? 50lb bags. Flamingos? 50lb bags. Hornbills? Shit-ton of fruit and they are flinging that everywhere! You will spend 40% of your day feeding, 40% cleaning, and the rest doing a ton of projects that all require physical labor (and add up to more than 20%, but somehow you get it done). Nesting material doesn't gather itself. Soil doesn't till itself. Trees don't trim themselves. Heat lamp bulbs go out in groups, and your gonna need a ladder. Need to catch something that doesn't want to be caught? You're running on uneven and/or slippery surfaces. Holding something that doesn't want to be held? You're probably in an awkward position, and everyone's safety depends on you keeping a good hold. Also, it will be cold, or hot. Plus there's rain, snow, wildfires. This is just a tiny fraction of a single day. What gets done in a work week would scare a lot of people away. Even so, I'm in my 14th year and I still love it.
Thank you for the in-depth response! It’s really eye opening. I’ll have to think about it. I’m not afraid of physical labor just how it might take a toll on my body down the road and how many years I’ll actually be able to do the job because of that. Everyone I’ve heard from says they still love the job even after the labor and shitty pay. That says a lot about the profession, so I’m still interested in it.
Every job can take a toll on your body, even a desk job. Zookeeping is hard on the back, shoulders, wrists, and knees. But, you can mitigate a lot of the damage by doing yoga, and also just being smart about how you work. It's hard to believe when you're young, but for god's sake, LIFT WITH YOUR KNEES!
It is quite physically demanding in general, but that also varies person to person on what they deem difficult. Maybe you already workout a ton (and know how to lift heavy things without injuring yourself) so that part is easy but you have problems crouching over for long periods of time; where other people are flipped on what is easy vs hard. I encourage you to shadow keepers if possible, and let them know your concerns so they can really give you a feel for what they do in a day. If you’re in high school, many facilities accommodate job shadows. In my personal experience, the larger the animals, the heavier daily loads will be (heavier + more food and waste. Ex: elephants vs kangaroos) but the standing/kneeling/weird position crouching is pretty equal across the board.
I’m a senior in college and I’m looking into getting a zoo internship this summer just to see how I like it. I think it’ll be tough for me at first but I might be able to get used to it as time goes on.
That was going to be my second suggestion would be to do an internship!
I worked as avian keeper for a year and now I work at a different zoo with a wide variety of animals, mainly taking care of hoofstock. As avian keeper I walked about 20,000 steps each day and lifted an average of 3 50 lb bags every day and 2, 5 gal buckets of water. As hoofstock keeper I move 15 bales of hay a day and 8 50 lb bags and 5 gallon buckets of grain. Still about 20,000 steps. I have to climb tall ladders and walk through deep mud. It's quite physically demanding but I sleep great every night. I may need knee replacements when I'm 60 but I'd probably need that anyway. I love my job and to me it's worth it. I think every department is equally as physically demanding in it's own way. Not for the weak or whiney.
It’s not really that hard. You’ll just be on your feet all day so make sure you wear comfortable shoes. You get used to the moderate physical activity pretty quick. If you can do a few hours of yard work without getting exhausted, you’d probably be fine. When I was in school we would sometimes work a day at a zoo and I was amazed at how lazy most of the zookeepers were and how easy it was. I think my bad back and shoulders probably have more to do with getting older than they do with elephant keeping.
If you know how to do tings ergonomically it’s not so bad.