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Overview
Zookeepers feed, observe and care for animals kept for conservation, education, research or public display, while keeping enclosures clean and safe.
In job descriptions, look for animal welfare, feeding routines, enclosure cleaning, signs of illness, enrichment, animal transport, public tours and veterinary support tasks.
Explore this occupation
Search jobsWhat the work can involve
Zookeeper work is built around daily animal care. Feeding, enclosure cleaning, welfare checks and public-facing routines must fit the species, the holding area and any conservation or education purpose.
Skills and specializations
Useful depth includes animal nutrition, recognising signs of illness, safe animal movement, enclosure enrichment, biosecurity and support during veterinary procedures or transport. Public education tasks may require clear visitor communication.
Salary context
Compare roles by species mix, keeper responsibility, research or education duties, biosecurity routines, weekend coverage and the amount of direct animal handling. Large carnivores, hoofstock, birds and small mammals can mean different practical demands.
Career paths
Experience can lead toward senior animal care, enclosure planning, conservation education, animal training, zoo operations support or specialised keeper work for a species group.
Good to know
Read vacancies for the animal groups, feeding schedules, cleaning duties, enrichment work, veterinary support, visitor contact and whether the role includes guided tours, records or research assistance.
Editorial note
This guide is editorial career context, not official labour-market statistics or role-specific pay data.
Map overview
Click the map to search for zookeeper jobs.
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O*NET relationships
See occupations connected to this ESCO occupation in the official O*NET–ESCO mapping. The relationship type comes from the source and is not a ranking or recommendation.
O*NET relationships: 1
Animal Caretakers
39-2021.00
O*NET occupation is broader
The O*NET occupation covers a broader field of work than this ESCO occupation.
Open in O*NETSource and method
These relationships come from the official European Commission O*NET–ESCO crosswalk.
Relationship direction: O*NET occupation to ESCO occupation.
Several O*NET occupations can point to the same ESCO occupation, and one O*NET occupation can point to several ESCO occupations.
AltoTrail preserves the source relationship type. The order is technical and does not show which occupation is best, most relevant or recommended.
AltoTrail validates and presents the source relationships without adding ranking or recommendation semantics.
Alternative labels
Occupation group
animal care attendant (5164.1)
Source facts
| ESCO URI | http://data.europa.eu/esco/occupation/f7066fc0-5f2f-43a9-bd35-a99e6119490d |
|---|---|
| ESCO code | 5164.1.3 |
| ISCO group | 5164 |
| Concept type | Occupation |