The Apprentice shall be employed in zoos, wildlife parks, aquariums, personal animal collections, animal reserves, and farms with a zoo licence. The position of a Zoo Keeper or Aquarist will embrace:
• Deciphering food plan Sheets, making ready and delivering Animal feeds
• Servicing, cleansing and managing Animal environments
• Offering Species particular habitats and routines for animals consistent with their pure historical past
• Observing and understanding Animal behaviour, Animal Well being and Welfare, recording and reporting findings
• Checking enclosure and different work areas for potential or current hazards
• Partaking with guests and stakeholders, tailoring data to the viewers
Keepers and aquarists help and cling to the zoological collections and trade finest observe, regulation, protocols and procedures in relation to animal husbandry, welfare, transportation and work well being and security. They may study and perceive the position of key stakeholders of their space of labor.
An worker on this occupation shall be chargeable for the on a regular basis care and husbandry of the animals inside the assortment. They may perceive species particular behaviour and wishes and the fundamentals of animal coaching. They may report and report any noticed adjustments and considerations to senior animal retaining employees/administration and study the usage of updated recording techniques like ZIMS. The Apprentice will use instruments on the job that are wanted for cleansing enclosures, enclosure upkeep and design and meals preparation. They are going to be anticipated to finish each day duties utilizing their initiative, inside a particular time interval. This may differ with the scale of assortment, in smaller organisations they’ll have full autonomy on a day-to-day foundation and in bigger organisations they could work inside a staff. It’s seemingly it could contain unsociable hours and dealing outdoors in all climate situations.
Of their each day work, an worker on this occupation interacts with volunteers, animal keepers who’re much less skilled and extra skilled, administration, veterinary employees, employees from different departments, colleagues from different zoological collections and members of the general public. They may report considerations to senior animal retaining employees/administration and can use instruments on the job that are wanted for cleansing enclosures, enclosure upkeep and design and meals preparation. They may do that in a assured and well mannered method. They are going to be anticipated to finish each day duties utilizing their very own initiative.
Keepers and aquarists can even be required to encourage public engagement with wildlife, conservation breeding and conservation schooling. They are going to be required to analysis, collect and current data for instructional shows regarding the species of their space and to advertise understanding with completely different audiences resembling guests and different inside stakeholders. This can be achieved by way of shows and demonstrations with the animals, explaining completely different traits of the animals to guests.
An Animal Keeper or Aquarist may have a robust work ethic and present respect and empathy for each folks and animals.
KSBs
Data
K1: Present laws, together with well being and security and Animal Welfare Act, zoo licencing act, EU Zoos directive
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K2: Work place insurance policies and procedures, resembling working safely with greater danger animals and better danger environments, working at peak, working with chemical compounds, working with instruments, handbook dealing with, danger evaluation, hearth security, related PPE, managing well being and wellbeing
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K3: The 5 welfare wants of animals:
a. its want for an acceptable surroundings
b. its want for an acceptable food plan (and water)
c. Its must exhibit regular behaviour patterns
d. any must be housed with, or other than, different animals in acceptable social groupings
e. its must be protected against concern, ache, struggling, harm and illness
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K4: Key stakeholders for his or her space of labor, together with their organisation construction, organisation mission, regional, nationwide and worldwide associations as acceptable, e.g. BIAZA, EAZA, WAZA, AZA, ZAA
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K5: Info wants of inside/exterior audiences, together with what data is acceptable and the elements that must be considered, resembling speaking animal births/deaths to a variety of audiences, and strategies of communication and the suitable communication strategies for particular audiences, i.e. inside/exterior, resembling shows, demonstrations, scientific publications, media releases, social media posts, employees conferences, studies
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K6: The ideas of fundamental zoology together with the classification of taxa, anatomy, physiology, genetics, diversifications, evolution, ecology, behavioural ecology
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K7: The more and more vital position zoos play globally in conserving species and their habitats, together with the Worldwide Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) One Plan conservation strategy
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K8: The altering roles of zoos in relation to conservation, analysis, schooling, customer expertise, promotion of optimistic behaviour change within the public, welfare administration, enclosure design
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K9: Widespread moral considerations of the general public and the corresponding moral place taken by their organisation together with their organisation’s protocols
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K10: The evaluation of conservation standing of species and habitats together with IUCN purple itemizing, IUCN inexperienced itemizing, the Alliance for Zero Extinction, ZSL’s Edge programme, Biodiversity Motion Plan (BAPS)
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K11: The pure historical past of the animals of their care and the way they’re finest managed and flaunted to swimsuit their species-specific wants. That is to incorporate their environmental parameters (e.g. temperature, humidity, pH and UV), behavioural wants together with habitat kind and feeding behaviour, their social wants (e.g. group dynamic) and psychological wants (e.g. quiet environments)
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K12: The ideas of animal motion and transportation laws, together with dealing with, restraint, seize and monitoring of animals and the challenges round these resembling security considerations for greater danger and wild species
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K13: Inhabitants administration and its effectiveness together with; willpower of a variety of untamed species, similar intercourse teams, breed and cull, and contraception, introduction, the significance of genetic variety and the implications of hybridisation and inbreeding e.g. seahorse breed and cull, new fish introduction right into a tank
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K14: Technique of figuring out particular person animals by way of transponders, photographs, ear tags, leg bands, particular person markings, intercourse willpower and so forth e, g, elasmobranchs for intercourse willpower, particular person markings on some fish
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K15: Dietary necessities of a variety of untamed species throughout all life phases and the way diets are safely saved, formulated, ready, and delivered together with weight administration, supplementation and meals hygiene e.g. artemia to fry (brine shrimp/mysis) to grownup seahorses
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K16: Welfare evaluation utilizing acceptable welfare evaluation instruments resembling indicators of ailing well being and harm, behaviour monitoring, physique situation scoring, specimen assortment, faecal scoring, meals consumption e.g. gill/pores and skin scrapes from fish and the preparation/storage of the slides
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K17: Primary veterinary procedures, such because the storage and administration of veterinary drugs, wound administration, minor procedures as acceptable
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K18: The ideas of animal coaching, resembling classical versus operant conditioning, cuing, bridging, reinforcing
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K19: How and why to report and retrieve data and write studies utilizing a variety of techniques related to zoo retaining inside their organisation, resembling diaries, ZIMS, Tracks, PMX, Excel, following instruction to retrieve information or replace data and following procedures designed to maintain information safe
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K20: The ideas of enclosure/tank design together with the wants of every stakeholder group (e.g. customer wants: viewing home windows, accessible paths, and so forth.), the wants of the animals (e.g. locations to cover) (bio)hazards linked to the enclosure design, enclosure elements and furnishings e.g. aquariums and keeper/aquarist entry to the LSS
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K21: The important thing danger elements related to zoonosis and customary zoonotic ailments and their administration e.g. fish TB
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K22: Components affecting zoo bio safety for wild species underneath their care and acceptable management measures to take care of bio safety e.g. web dips
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K23: Organisational protocols for coping with emergencies (e.g. animal escape, unintentional human-animal contact, hearth, human medical emergency) and perceive their position inside this
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K24: The ideas of housekeeping together with cleansing, enclosure/tank administration, Life Help Programs upkeep, merchandise used and their related hazards, frequency of cleansing primarily based on state of affairs, species and particular person contemplating elements resembling scent marking or elimination of physique fluids e.g. fish secure cleansing merchandise
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K25: Primary horticultural ideas in relation to wild animal collections and species, e.g. care of enclosure crops, information of edible browse species, information of poisonous crops and their administration e.g. utilizing aquaponic techniques to assist filter the water
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K26: Methods for compliant and sustainable waste administration and recycling
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K27: The significance of zoo or aquarium analysis and the forms of analysis undertaken in zoos/aquariums (e.g. behavioural statement, genetic, dietary, data primarily based)
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K28: The ideas of analysis design and information evaluation in a zoo setting together with speculation creation, moral approval processes inside their organisation, widespread behavioural statement sampling methods and easy methods to current findings appropriately e.g. from descriptive statistics, itemizing strategies of dissemination of outcomes and so forth.
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Expertise
S1: Work successfully in a secure and wholesome working surroundings following present/related well being and security laws and work place insurance policies resembling working safely with wild/greater danger animals and better danger environments, working at peak, working with chemical compounds, working with instruments, handbook dealing with, danger evaluation, hearth security, related PPE
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S2: Exhibit how the 5 welfare wants of an animal can be utilized as a foundation to offer the animal with alternatives to show optimistic welfare, together with offering an acceptable surroundings and food plan (together with water), housing the animal in acceptable social groupings and defending it from concern, ache, struggling, harm and illness and offering an surroundings the place regular behaviour may be displayed
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S3: Prioritise extra essential and fewer essential actions and duties utilizing scheduling methods that allow them to satisfy deadlines and permit for surprising duties, resembling an animal medical emergency, each day animal husbandry, customer security and employees absence
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S4: Talk data clearly and inside a well timed method with inside audiences resembling colleagues, vets, managers and contractors, concisely, precisely and in ways in which promote understanding – verbally in addition to in writing (e.g. each day studies, diaries) adjusting and prioritising data and being conscious of the affect
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S5: Talk successfully with exterior audiences such because the scientific neighborhood, normal public/ guests and media in a variety of contexts together with shows, public talking, customer engagement, conservation schooling actions, customer support and delivering keeper experiences with a purpose to educate about animal life histories and conservation points, selling consciousness of the position of zoos in conservation and inspiring sustainable behaviour change
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S6: Actively hear, course of and prioritise data, verify understanding and react in accordance with stage of danger e.g. misplaced youngster process, animal escape, instruction from senior employees
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S7: Devise and ship a chat/presentation utilizing a variety of acceptable sources resembling audio/visible tools, PowerPoint slides, bodily props
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S8: Deal appropriately with troublesome points (e.g. customer/inside conflicts and complaints) following office insurance policies and procedures
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S9: Precisely report, retrieve and monitor data and write studies utilizing a variety of techniques related to zoo/aquarium retaining inside your organisation, resembling diaries, ZIMS, Tracks, Excel following instruction to retrieve information or replace data and comply with office procedures designed to maintain information safe
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S10: Use data from dependable sources utilizing scientific nomenclature of taxa for quite a lot of functions resembling gathering data to share with the general public and/or science neighborhood, researching data to underpin enclosure/tank design and husbandry plans together with use of recognised evaluation instruments to establish species or habitat conservation standing
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S11: Observe, describe and interpret animal behaviour (innate, realized, irregular), together with species particular behaviours for species of their care, taking response motion the place acceptable, together with reporting to the supervisor or recording in animal data system
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S12: Develop, implement and consider (together with security analysis) acceptable sensory and cognitive enrichment in accordance with enclosure/tank design and species-specific wants e.g. simulating searching behaviours in massive cats, stingrays and sharks
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S13: Determine particular person animals by way of transponders, photographs, ear tags, leg bands, particular person markings, intercourse willpower
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S14: Create a plan utilizing the ideas of inhabitants administration consistent with the organisation assortment plan, such because the introductory assembly of a species, making an allowance for particular person suitability (e.g. well being standing, age, social hierarchy, reproductive standing), sensible arrange, potential points and options e.g. introducing a men and women for breeding or forming single intercourse teams/combined species
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S15: Interpret food plan sheets and safely retailer, put together and current diets in a fashion which promotes species-specific pure behaviours, additionally contemplating particular person wants (e.g. geriatric, disabled, and so forth.)
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S16: Consider diets and suggest modifications e.g. to minimise the quantity of uneaten meals and contingent wastage, promote bodily and psychological well being and welfare assembly dietary wants
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S17: Accurately comply with procedures for waste administration and disposal together with hazardous supplies, biosecurity dangers, legally regulated supplies
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S18: Determine which tools, strategies of strategy, seize, dealing with, restraint and loading are finest for particular conditions and species, create plans for and make knowledgeable selections to facilitate this e.g. fish species which are web delicate or elasmobranchs which are educated to go in to a stretcher.
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S19: Present confidence in aiding with the seize and restraint of untamed and high-risk species
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S20: Determine probably the most acceptable strategies of efficiently transporting animals, contemplating: species, stage of danger, period, animal welfare issues, well being and security, laws e.g. sustaining the temperature of the water for an in a single day transport
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S21: Prepare animals’ utilizing optimistic reinforcement-based methods in numerous conditions (e.g. goal coaching with a single animal) and apply these methods within the animal’s routine, monitoring and recording the outcomes and giving suggestions to the accountable supervisor
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S22: Determine, assess severity of and report potential well being points in animals in a well timed method. Monitor adjustments in well being of animals and report their findings to a supervisor or veterinarian e.g. indicators of ailing well being or harm, behaviour monitoring, physique situation scoring, faecal scoring, meals consumption
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S23: Accurately gather, doc and retailer appropriate samples as a part of veterinary well being monitoring e.g. hair, faeces, urine, gill
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S24: Administer therapy following instruction from a veterinarian/competent employees member (e.g. administration of remedy to a person/group, parasite therapies, nail/hoof trimming) e.g. salt therapy, Aquatet and so forth.
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S25: Assess the strengths and weaknesses of various enclosure designs from the viewpoint of every stakeholder group (e.g. animals, keepers, vet staff, guests, educators, researchers) and suggest enhancements, if required
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S26: Choose optimum enclosure substrates and furnishings and keep them inside the enclosure/tank e.g. clear appropriately, monitor situation and change as acceptable e.g. coral chip and a siphon schedule
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S27: Determine potential and current bodily and bio hazards inside an enclosure and related areas, responding and collaborating in alterations/options the place attainable, reporting extra advanced points to the related employees, all inside a well timed method
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S28: Use, keep and retailer a variety of instruments appropriately, together with electrical instruments, acceptable to the office
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S29: Monitor and take duty of the well being and security of the guests and welfare of the animals in enhanced animal contact conditions, particularly with greater danger and wild species, resembling customer encounter, keeper for a day experiences, walkthrough enclosures, animal dealing with periods, taking motion when required to minimise dangers and stress
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S30: Adjust to and help different employees in complying with emergency protocols e.g., animal escape drills, hearth and so forth.
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S31: Perform secure housekeeping regimes together with the secure use and disposal of merchandise used, cleansing of enclosures/tanks, public areas, Life Help Programs upkeep, and their related hazards, frequency of cleansing primarily based on state of affairs, species and particular person contemplating elements resembling despatched marking or elimination of physique fluids to required commonplace, in accordance with species particular commonplace
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S32: Design and implement analysis tasks; together with a small variety of variables or indicators, utilizing tried and examined analysis strategies e.g. single animal case research of behaviour challenges
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S33: Analyse outcomes and summarise findings utilizing reporting instruments together with descriptive statistics, itemizing strategies of dissemination of outcomes together with the place related analysis is likely to be printed and contemplating the implications of findings for practices inside their organisation
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Behaviours
B1: Be security aware and keep secure working practices, which have to be adhered to always with fixed situational consciousness and adaptableness to make sure security of the animal(s), themselves and others, together with proactively assessing dangers and mitigating these instantly.
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B2: Have a robust work ethic and a willingness to study. Be respectful, punctual, dependable, reliable and diligent and ready to work irregular hours, in all weathers. Take a pleasure of their work, displaying dedication and loyalty, while conducting themselves in knowledgeable method, each when it comes to their presentation and conduct. Have a accountable angle in the direction of themselves, others and the animal(s) of their care, displaying respect, empathy, persistence and tolerance in all conditions, together with working with strategies that scale back any danger of bodily harm and emotional stress to animal(s), themselves or others.
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B3: Skilled and moral duties and the values of their work place
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B4: An consciousness of the bounds of your individual authority, experience, coaching, competence and expertise
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B5: Respect and empathy for animals
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B6: Being conscious of easy methods to use social media responsibly
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B7: Be respectful of the authorized obligation of care underneath animal well being and welfare laws and codes of observe and different related laws affecting the retaining of animals
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B8: Have a optimistic strategy to working inside a staff and have the flexibility to work each individually and as a part of a staff as required, understanding their position and altering priorities when the state of affairs dictates to satisfy organisational goals. Be prepared to develop productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
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B9: Respecting the values of the work place
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B10: Being open to new concepts, prepared to develop expertise and new methods of working and being dedicated to ongoing skilled improvement
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B11: Realizing when to ask for recommendation or steering when uncertain and studying from these experiences. Self-reflection in taking duty for personal actions and errors, reporting them instantly, and figuring out classes learnt
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B12: Utilizing initiative and maximising productiveness and effectivity
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B13: Being versatile with respect to altering calls for, priorities, schedules, working hours, climate situations
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B14: Being conscious of the environment and noticing and responding to issues which will adversely have an effect on public notion (e.g. litter-picking)
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B15: Being buyer targeted, well mannered and pleasant
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