Senior Animal Keeper

African Experience Section

Salary: £18,928 - £19760.00 depending on experience, plus a living out allowance, as onsite accommodation is currently unavailable.

Howletts & Port Lympne Wild Animal Parks, in conjunction with the Aspinall Foundation, are a charity based organisation committed to protecting rare and endangered animals from extinction through captive breeding and reintroduction programmes. The parks are home of one of the world’s most prized wild animal collections and are one of the biggest visitor attractions in Kent.

We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our team of dedicated African Experience keepers at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve. The section comprises of various species including; Rothchild Giraffe, Black Rhino, Ostrich, Eland, Chapman Zebra and Blue Wildebeest among others.

The main duties will involve:

· Observing the behavior, health and security of animals and reporting any problems

Reviewing diets and ensuring the correct diets are prepared and distributed
Cleaning and maintaining enclosures
Ensuring that safety and emergency procedures are followed at all times
Maintaining courteous and helpful relations with visitors
Assisting with the movement and transport of animals
Supporting in the training of less experienced staff and supervision of volunteers and interns
Maintaining good and detailed communication at all levels, including veterinary and other animal collections
Contributing to the enrichment of the species on the section
Representing the parks at seminars and conferences as necessary.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience of zoological animal management, in a mainstream zoological collection. It is essential that you have previous experience of working with Giraffe, along with a broad understanding of species’ biology, husbandry and welfare.

The successful candidate will possess excellent all-round animal husbandry skills, combined with excellent communication and interpersonal skills. This is a physically demanding position, so candidates must have a good level of physical fitness. A valid manual driving licence and experience of driving tractors is also essential to the role.

This permanent role is 40 hours a week working 5 days out of 7 including weekends and bank holidays, the successful candidate will have a genuinely flexible approach to working hours. All applicants must have right to work in the UK.

Closing date: Tuesday 10 March 2020

To apply: Please email a CV along with a covering letter to - personnel@aspinallfoundation.org

Or post to: Human Resources, Port Lympne Wild Animal Park, Lympne, Hythe, Kent, CT21 4PD

Visit our website for further information.