Animal Curator

Animal Curator

Responsible to:                      General Manager

Responsible for:         Animal Team and Animals

Hours per week:        40 – 45 including at least two weekends per month

Salary:                                    £30,000pa

Zoos and aquariums hire animal curators to manage their animal collections. An animal curator's job responsibilities range from acquiring new animals and supervising the keepers that handle day-to-day animal feeding and care, to scheduling veterinary visits and assisting in designing exhibits. Curators' duties are broader than those of keepers, although curators do assist keepers in the handling of animals from time to time.

Hobbledown is a new indoor, all-weather park with a collection of over 200 exotic and domestic animals, mysterically based around a children’s story that encompasses characters, animals and a world of exciting play.

Responsibility and Expectations

• Manage a collection of domestic and exotic animals to include all day to day husbandry and feeding schedules
• Maintain all legal and ethical documentation including daily checks; clinical, operational and welfare
• Aspire to develop and increase a current collection including the acquisition of species, enclosure design and breeding programme / control, whilst being aligned to the current and future theme of Hobbledown
• Manage all veterinary protocols and schedules, both routine and ad hoc
• Manage a small team of keepers and volunteers on a day to day basis with the responsibility of their training, welfare and discipline with a hands on, ‘leading by example’ approach
• Develop a volunteer programme
• Maintain and develop a customer interaction programme, ideally unique to Hobbledown
• Aspire to make the animal experience as positive and as unique as all other areas of Hobbledown by allowing your experience and imagination to influence the expansion of Hobbledown
• Create, maintain and develop an education and conservation programme
• Be able to manage the Health and Safety requirement within a visitor attraction

Experience and Qualifications

• Experienced Head Keeper ready to progress with a minimum of 5 years supervisory or management experience at a reputed collection
• Understanding of zoo licence criteria, and participation in a zoo licence inspection
• Experience with breeding programmes, zoonosis protocol, enrichment and preventative medicines
• Proven track record of coaching and developing a zoo team
• Ambassador of customer service including the delivery, engagement and assessment of talks and presentations
• A clear understanding of how to create and implement Health and Safety protocols and procedures
• Some experience with project managing from concept design to build completion

A qualification in an animal related discipline would be beneficial

Closing Date:  30 June 2014

For more information or to apply, please contact David Long – General Manager at david@hobbledown.com

Please mention Zoo News Digest

Should you apply for this post