Puxton Park is looking for a passionate, experienced and enthusiastic Animal Keeper to join our busy animal team on a zero-hours basis. This is an exciting opportunity for someone with a genuine passion for animal welfare who enjoys working with a diverse collection of animals and engaging with the public to provide an educational, enjoyable and memorable experience. Our Animal Zone is home to a wide variety of species, including farm animals and hoofstock, domestic animals, small mammals and exotic species. Our animal team also deliver animal talks, feeding sessions, interactions and shows for our visitors. About the RoleAs an Animal Keeper, you will be responsible for supporting the day-to-day care, welfare and management of animals within our collection. Your duties will include:
- Carrying out daily animal husbandry and routine care.
- Preparing food and carrying out feeding routines.
- Cleaning and maintaining animal enclosures and surrounding areas.
- Carrying out routine animal observations and health checks.
- Recognising changes in animal behaviour, health or welfare and reporting concerns appropriately.
- Carrying out basic animal first aid when required.
- Supporting veterinary procedures and veterinary care where required.
- Maintaining accurate animal records.
- Providing appropriate environmental and behavioural enrichment.
- Planning, delivering and evaluating enrichment to encourage natural behaviours and promote good physical and psychological welfare.
- Carrying out animal training, using appropriate, welfare-focused and positive reinforcement methods where suitable.
- Supporting training programmes that assist with animal management, husbandry, health checks and veterinary care.
- Assisting with animal handling and management across a wide range of species.
- Taking part in public animal interactions, talks, feeding sessions, demonstrations and shows.
- Confidently communicating with visitors, families and school groups.
- Answering visitor questions and providing accurate information about the animals and their welfare.
- Helping promote animal welfare, conservation and responsible animal care.
- Maintaining high standards of cleanliness, health, safety and biosecurity.
- Following Puxton Park's procedures, risk assessments, Safe Systems of Work and animal-care protocols.
Animal WelfareAnimal welfare is at the heart of this role.The successful candidate must have a strong understanding of the Five Freedoms and how they are applied to the daily care and management of animals:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst
- Freedom from discomfort
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease
- Freedom to express normal behaviour
- Freedom from fear and distress
You will need to understand that excellent animal care is about much more than feeding and cleaning.A good Animal Keeper should be able to observe individual animals, understand their behaviour, recognise changes in their physical or psychological welfare, and adapt husbandry, enrichment and management accordingly.You must have experience providing species-appropriate enrichment and understand how enrichment can encourage natural behaviours, reduce boredom and support positive welfare.You should also have experience of training animals, preferably using positive reinforcement and reward-based methods where appropriate. Animal training should be used not only for public interactions but also to support good husbandry, animal management, health checks and veterinary care. Essential RequirementsApplicants must have:
- A minimum Level 3 qualification in Animal Management, or an equivalent relevant qualification.
- Relevant practical experience working with a range of animal species.
- Experience working with, or strong knowledge of, hoofstock/farm animals, exotic species and small mammals.
- Candidates must hold a full, valid UK driving licence and either have prior experience operating a tractor or be willing to undertake appropriate training to become competent in tractor operation.
- Experience in animal training.
- Experience providing and evaluating animal enrichment.
- A strong understanding of animal behaviour, husbandry and welfare.
- A good understanding of the Five Freedoms and how they apply to everyday animal care.
- The ability to recognise signs of illness, injury, stress, pain or abnormal behaviour.
- Experience carrying out routine animal health checks.
- Knowledge and practical understanding of basic animal first aid.
- Sufficient knowledge of the species within the Puxton Park collection, or the ability and willingness to develop this knowledge to the required standard.
- Confidence working directly with members of the public.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to confidently deliver animal information, interactions and shows.
- A professional attitude towards animal welfare and public safety.
- The ability to work independently while also being an effective member of a team.
- A willingness to undertake ongoing training and continue developing your animal-management knowledge.
Public Engagement!
- A key part of this role is helping our visitors learn about and appreciate animals. We need our candidate to be very confident in delivery talks, engaging public and get them excited about the animals that we have. You must be confident speaking to the public and comfortable working in front of groups of visitors. You may be required to: You should be able to communicate animal information in an engaging and understandable way to children, families and adults.
- Deliver animal talks and presentations.
- Carry out public animal interactions.
- Assist with animal shows and demonstrations.
- Lead or assist with feeding experiences.
- Answer questions about animal behaviour, care and welfare.
- Explain responsible animal ownership and conservation.
- Ensure that public interactions are safe, controlled and appropriate for the animals involved.
Working Within a Licensed Zoo Puxton Park operates under a Zoo Licence, and this means our animal team must work to the required standards associated with the operation of a licensed zoological collection. Working within a licensed zoo environment requires a high level of responsibility and professionalism. Keepers must have appropriate knowledge and competence in the species they are responsible for and understand the importance of animal welfare, husbandry, public safety, education, staff competency, record keeping, animal health and conservation. The Standards of Modern Zoo Practice require keepers to be suitably competent in the management and care of the species for which they are responsible, with appropriate training and continuing development. Because our Animal Zone also provides public animal interactions, talks, demonstrations and shows, keepers must understand how to balance animal welfare with keeper safety, public safety and education. Knowledge and understanding of the responsibilities involved in working within a licensed zoological collection is therefore essential to this role. The successful candidate must be willing to follow Puxton Park's zoo procedures, welfare standards, risk assessments, record-keeping requirements and staff training programmes. You should be able to communicate animal information in an engaging and understandable way to children, families and adults. Flexibility – Essential This is a zero-hours position, and flexibility is an essential requirement of the role. The successful candidate must be able to work:
- Midweek
- Weekends
- School holidays
- Holiday periods
- Busy periods and peak visitor days when additional animal team cover is required
The normal working day is:8:00am – 5:00pmApplicants should only apply if they are able to offer genuine flexibility around these requirements. Pay This is a zero-hours position, with pay in line with the applicable National Minimum Wage rate for the successful applicant's age. For this role, the advertised rates are:
- 18–20 years: £10.85 per hour
- 21 years and over: £12.71 per hour
Age and Experience Due to the Level 3 qualification, practical animal-keeping experience and level of responsibility required for this position, applicants will normally be 18 years or over. However, we will consider applications from younger candidates who can demonstrate that they hold the required qualification, have the necessary practical experience and can meet all of the essential requirements of the role. The successful applicant will be paid at the applicable statutory National Minimum Wage rate for their age. Who We're Looking For We are looking for someone who is: Passionate about animals | Reliable | Hard-working | Knowledgeable | Confident | Flexible | Welfare-focused You should be someone who genuinely enjoys working with animals and understands the responsibility that comes with caring for a diverse collection within a licensed zoo environment. You will need to be equally comfortable working behind the scenes carrying out practical husbandry, cleaning and health checks, as you are standing in front of visitors delivering an engaging animal talk or interaction. Most importantly, we are looking for someone who understands that animal welfare must come first and who is committed to providing excellent standards of care, enrichment, training and husbandry every day. If you have the qualifications, experience, flexibility and passion required for this role, we would love to hear from you.
Pay: £10.85-£12.71 per hour
Work Location: In person
