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Keeper Volunteer - Hullabazoo Farm & Deer and Antelope Sections - Whipsnade Zoo Whipsnade, England

The Zoological Society

Full Time Whipsnade, England 10.56 - 12.04 GBP Today

Job description

Overview:

Are you interested in animals and care about wildlife conservation?
Are you an active person and like being outdoors?

Our Keeper Volunteers assist Keeper Teams with day-to-day routine animal care work. Keeper Volunteers at Whipsnade Zoo join a specific animal section and their time is focussed on supporting that team and the animals in that section, but there may be opportunity to volunteer in different sections after six months.

You don’t need to be an animal expert as we'd love to hear from people from any background but you must be interested in animals and wildlife conservation, able to work calmly and sensitively in animal environments, and have a good level of physical fitness as this role is very active!

Role Profile:

Purpose of role:

Keeper Volunteers assist Keeper Teams with day-to-day routine animal care work. Keeper Volunteers are supervised by the relevant Animal Section Volunteer Supervisor, Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader.

Commitment for role:

This role requires a regular and reliable attendance, ideally one regular full day per week. The hours will be agreed with the Volunteer Supervisor but are likely to be 8am to 5pm or 4pm in the winter. This role is for a a fixed term of 6 months.

Main tasks volunteer will be asked to undertake:

Cleaning animal enclosures and houses.
Helping to maintain public viewing areas.
Helping to prepare food for the animals.
Supporting positive visitor experiences by good customer service and visitor engagement.
Supervising walk through animal exhibits.
Monitoring animal behaviour and public interactions where required.

NB. It is important to note that there is limited or no direct contact with the animals in this role, as they are managed in such a way as to encourage and retain a full range of natural behaviours and instincts.

Anticipated skills and experience that the volunteer will bring:

A willingness to learn and follow instructions to the letter.
Good communication skills and the initiative to check if unsure of what needs to be done and ensure instructions are properly understood.
A good degree of fitness as many of the tasks are very physical in nature - as an example, 25,000 steps is normal for a day in this role!
Comfortable to be outside all day in all-weather conditions.
Ability to work calmly and sensitively in animal environments.
Appreciation that many procedures are in place to maintain health and safety for all staff and volunteers and must be adhered to exactly.
Reliability, commitment and regular attendance.
Commitment to attend induction and ongoing training.
Ability to demonstrate ZSL’s values – inspiring, innovative, impactful, collaborative, ethical.

NB. Volunteers must be aged over 18 years.

Skills and experience volunteer will gain:

The opportunity to be involved in an international conservation charity.
A chance to be part of a team of friendly, like-minded people.
Training and an opportunity to learn new skills.
Valuable practical experience of animal care in a Zoo environment.
Support from experienced animal keepers and aquarists.
An opportunity to see ‘behind the scenes’.
A chance to volunteer in a beautiful natural environment, alongside our amazing animals.
A chance to gain experience in animal training for husbandry but also for animal presentations.

Relevant training may include:

Induction training session, including an orientation around the Animal Section.
Health and Safety / Safeguarding training.
Supervising walk throughs.
Ongoing regular training and briefings appropriate to the role.

Support and resources provided:

Centralised ZSL Volunteer Management Team.
Named ZSL contact/supervisor from the relevant Animal Section.
ZSL polo shirt, relevant PPE and volunteer ID pass*.
Complimentary tea and coffee.
Access to discounted on-site catering options.
Regular staff and volunteer e-newsletter.
Option to attend regular Zoo management/ZSL updates.
Discounts in ZSL shop and on ZSL experiences.
Travel expenses to and from the Zoo and/or subsistence will be reimbursed up to £15 a day on their duty or training day.

NB. Volunteers will be required to wear some of their own clothing including stout walking shoes to undertake this role and should be prepared for it to get dirty.

Work Place Conditions:

This role may require outside working in all-weather conditions and/or working in hot and humid indoor environments.
This role involves a good degree of walking and physical activity, so a good level of fitness is required.
Access to the Keeper mess room for breaks.
1 hour lunch break every day plus a morning or afternoon break.

Person Specification:

We are currently only recruiting for volunteers to join our team at the Hullabazoo Farm and also our Deer and Antelope section.

Hullabazoo Farm is an interactive, up-close adventure, where visitors can meet and greet a range of farmyard animals, including miniature donkeys, pygmy goats, pigs, sheep, rabbits and guinea pigs. This role involves both supporting the Keeper Team with a range of day-to-day animal care tasks and engaging with visitors inside the walk through. More experienced volunteers may have the chance to be involved in animal handling, grooming, animal training and meet and greet experiences.

The Deer and Antelope section are looking for volunteers to assist in the care and welfare of our wide variety of animals, including Deer, Camels, Gaur, Wild boar, Visayan warty pigs, Scimitar horned oryx and many more! You'll be helping the team take care of our diverse selection of animals by cleaning enclosures, food preparation, and general husbandry. There may be opportunity to observe animal training, and be involved with enrichment . You will be on your feet all day, so physical fitness is a must.

For each section we are looking for volunteers who are able to commit to a full day once a week.

Please note you will be assigned to either the Farm or to the Deer and Antelope section so you will not volunteer on both sections at the same time. Volunteering on either section means you will spend most of the day outside in all-weather conditions.

To Apply:

Applicants will need to upload their CV and answer the screening questions (detailing your relevant experience, interest and availability) and can do this by clicking the "Apply for this role online" button above.

Please be aware that this role requires good levels of fitness and people to feel comfortable with the specific requirements of the Keeper Volunteer role outlined above. We do however encourage applications from anyone and we can discuss any access requirements and/or reasonable adjustments to the role if invited to attend an interview or trial session. The selection process will include a trial sessions and informal interview, which will be arranged with individual candidates once they have been shortlisted.

If you don't feel comfortable working with this animal section or with the requirements above, then please wait for our next round of recruitment for Keeper Volunteer roles.

Closing date for applications: Midnight (23:59) Sunday 9th April 2023

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