Zoo Nursery Attendant

The zoo nursery attendant specializes in the care of newborn and very young animals. The zoo nursery attendant is a shift work position since the baby animals are unable to be cared for by the mother and will require round the clock human attention for feeding, administration of medicine and being kept warm. The zoo nursery attendant needs to have a good understanding of the various species and their requirements as newborn babies, as well as a love of working with animals of all different types.

A zoo nursery attendant will often need to teach the baby animals how to eat as they will be unfamiliar eating away from the mother. The babies may need medical attention or drug therapies that the zoo nursery attendant will provide as prescribed by a veterinarian or zoologist. Often the zoo nursery attendant will be working in high stress environments to save the life of newborn babies so must be comfortable working in emergency situations.

The zoo nursery attendant may be responsible for displaying the babies to the public at specific times. This may include providing educational information on the species and the care of the babies or answering questions posed by the guests to the zoo. Enjoying both working with the public as well as working with animals is an important part of the daily responsibilities of a zoo nursery attendant.

Common work activities include:

• Feeding and cleaning of newborn and very young baby animals, birds and reptiles that cannot be cared for by the mother.
• Understanding the correct types of foods, supplements and diets that are required by each species.
• Tracking, charting or logging all feeding schedules, amounts and times as required.
• Administering medications to the various newborn animals in care.
• Providing information to the public and guests to the zoo as required.
• Integrating the baby animals back to their mother's care or into other zoo exhibits when it is appropriate.
• Responding to emergency situations involving the care or medical treatment of young or newborn animals from within the zoo animal population.

Programs related to Zoo Nursery Attendant careers

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