Seasonal Animal Keeper

Africa Alive Zoological Reserve

East Anglia Closing date for applications is: 30th Apr 2025

About us:
The Zoological Society of East Anglia (ZSEA) is the charity which operates Banham Zoo and Africa Alive, two of the most loved visitor attractions in Norfolk and Suffolk. Our mission is to connect communities to nature and conservation by offering a fantastic day out for our visitors. Our dedicated teams work tirelessly together to provide the very best welfare for the animals in our collections whilst inspiring and educating visitors about the importance of conservation.

About the role:
We are looking to recruit Seasonal Keepers on a Full-time, Fixed-Term basis to work within the Animal team at Africa Alive. The role involves working with a variety of animals in a Zoo environment and is primarily based at Africa Alive; however, it will provide adhoc additional cover and support to the team at our sister site Banham Zoo, as needed.

This is a physical role that requires passion and dedication. The main priority of the role is to provide the highest levels of animal welfare and husbandry to the species within our collections by understanding the importance of daily observations, record keeping, communication, training, enrichment, and breeding programmes, assisting with animal handling if required. The role will also interact with our visitors on a daily basis by hosting a selection of our exciting and informative animal experiences or talks to ensure they have an amazing time.

About you:
The successful applicant must be hardworking, reliable, and able to work in a responsible, safe, and efficient manner. You must be able to work confidently around exotic animals and therefore you will ideally have at least one year’s experience of paid work within a zoo environment. You will have a passion for evolving husbandry and management techniques within zoological collections, including positive reinforcement training for behavioural management and varied methods of enrichment for a range of species. You will have a working knowledge of techniques used to handle specific animals should veterinary procedures be required and be able to demonstrate initiative with a proactive approach to completing tasks beneficial to the section/department, without always waiting to be asked.

Excellent customer service and communication skills are essential as you will be interacting with our visitors, as well as working independently and as part of a team.

Flexible working will be required for this position, working two out of three weekends, Bank Holidays, and out of hours if required. You must be prepared to travel between Banham Zoo and Africa Alive to support the team when requested. A full, clean manual driving licence is essential.

Benefits:
• Free entry to Banham Zoo and Africa Alive
• Complimentary day tickets for friends/family
• Employee discount on food and in retail
• Employee discount on experiences
• Free on-site parking
• Company events
• Company pension
• Statutory sick pay
• Limited temporary onsite accommodation available at Africa Alive

Apply for this job:

Applicants will need to email their CV and covering letter (detailing relevant experience and skills, stating why they want the position) to recruitment@zsea.org by close of business on 30th April 2025.