A Day in the Life of a Keeper
- autumn
- Mar 11
- 3 min read
A day in the life of a Tiger Creek Keeper consists of many things; jingling keys, gentle chuffs from the big cats, and greeting tours to list a few. No two days are exactly the same, but lets dive deeper into what a keeper does in their average day-to-day routine!
Morning Duties
The day of a keeper begins by preparing the diets of the omnivore and herbivore residents. These diets are formulated by our veterinarian and are specific to the health and nutrition of each individual animal. The feeding schedule is specific to each species.
Once everyone is in their private room for breakfast, we are able to safely enter each yard to complete our morning duties. This consists of ensuring fences are secured, placing enrichment, collecting biological matter, and weighing leftovers if there are any to report. Reporting this information daily allows our veterinarian to see if an animal isn't feeling well or how they may be responding to a new medication. Accurately reporting these findings is so important to the health and welfare of each animal in our care!
Once yard are closed up and locks are double checked the real fun can begin- play time! Well, for the residents at least. In order to ensure each animal is properly stimulated, they receive enrichment every day to encourage natural behaviors. For some of our residents, like our primates, this could mean receiving a new toy. For our big cats, they become especially invested in new scents showing off their powerful sense of smell! Enrichment is rated on a scale to ensure each animal is receiving proper enrichment that targets specific behavioral needs.
Cleaning
Before breaking for lunch, our team completes any cleaning duties that have been assigned for the day. Cleaning is a big part of the job and one that may be overlooked by those who are not a part of this niche career. Making sure to wear the proper PPE, diluting cleaning solutions correctly, and properly sanitizing toys and platforms is crucial to the health of each animal.
Training
Once the animals - and our team - have full bellies, it is time for training! When you hear training in regards to wildlife, you may imagine a circus ring. Tiger Creek residents are trained in order to participate in their own veterinary care. Each resident has their own training plan dependent on what behavior they are learning. A simple "sit" allows our staff to observe for any discomfort, position an animal for laser therapy, or get them ready for a voluntary blood draw. My personal favorite to train is our female cougar, Alema. Alema is 7 years old and incredibly smart! She is wonderful for showing a training example during our Keeper Talks as she loves the attention and is always ready for a crowd.
Tours and Keeper Talks
During events, such as our annual Swing Into Spring and Prowl-O-Ween events, we schedule keeper talks throughout the day. During an event day our keepers spend time interacting with our guests while showing a training session and enrichment demonstration!
On a day-to-day basis, scheduled tours are led by members of Animal Care, sharing their wealth of knowledge about our animals history, personalities and daily care.
Personal experience
"My time at Tiger Creek has been more rewarding than I ever knew a job could be. It is not just a means to paycheck, but knowing that being here every day and doing what I am assigned is much bigger than myself makes everything worth it. There are great days and there are hard days, but the thing that remains consistent is caring for the animals. I had never considered this as a career before I saw a job post for it, and I am so glad I went for it! Working with others who are equally passionate about animals and their welfare is rewarding in its own sense. If you are interested in zookeeping as a career, be sure to consider internships (https://www.tigercreek.org/post/internships-at-tiger-creek) and volunteer opportunities, ( https://www.tigercreek.org/post/volunteering), like the ones at Tiger Creek." - Keeper Bec
