If you ask most people what skills a zoo keeper needs, they’ll say animal knowledge, patience, maybe a biology degree. What they won’t say is that you should know how to use a drill.
But spend any time working in a zoo and you’ll quickly realise that practical maintenance ability is one of the most useful things you can bring to the role. Keepers who can turn their hand to basic DIY, fix a gate latch, build a simple enclosure, feature or repair a water pipe are worth their weight in gold. Those who can’t often find themselves waiting around for an overworked maintenance team while an animal sits in a holding area.
Research published in the Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research found that the most effective keepers combine what one senior European zoo professional described as “compassion and care for animals” with “practical common sense.” That combination is rarer than it sounds, and it is what separates good keepers from great ones.
Why maintenance matters in zoo keeping.
Modern zoos are complex environments. Enclosures need constant upkeep. Enrichment items get destroyed, often impressively quickly. Fencing needs checking. Feeding stations need adjusting. Water systems need maintaining. A lot of this work falls to the keeping team, not because it should, but because keepers are on the ground and they notice problems first.
The keeper who spots a loose bolt on a barrier and fixes it immediately is preventing an incident. The keeper who has to log it and wait three days for maintenance to attend is creating a risk. Look at any zoo keeper job description and exhibit maintenance appears as a core duty alongside animal husbandry and diet preparation. It is not an occasional extra. It is part of the job, every day.
What skills are actually useful?
You don’t need to be a tradesperson. Basic competence goes a long way. Useful skills include knowing how to use common power tools safely, understanding how different fencing materials work and how to make basic repairs, being comfortable working at height for enclosure maintenance, having a general understanding of how plumbing and drainage systems work, and being able to read a simple plan or diagram. If you’re studying for an animal management qualification, consider supplementing it with a basic construction or maintenance course. Many further education colleges offer short courses in practical skills that are relatively cheap and take very little time.
How to develop these skills.
Volunteering is one of the best ways to pick up practical skills in a zoo context. Many zoos run volunteer programmes where keepers in training get involved in enclosure builds, enrichment making and habitat maintenance. This is exactly the kind of experience that will set you apart from other candidates.
If you’re already working in the sector, make yourself available when maintenance work is happening. Ask questions. Offer to help. Most experienced keepers are happy to share knowledge with someone who shows genuine interest.
You can also develop skills outside work. Basic DIY at home, woodworking as a hobby, even building flat pack furniture counts as developing spatial awareness and tool confidence. It all adds up.
When zoo employers talk about candidates who show initiative, practical ability is often what they mean. The ability to problem-solve with limited resources, to fix something rather than wait for someone else to fix it, and to keep an animal’s environment safe and stimulating even when the budget is tight.
If you’re putting together a CV or application for a keeper role, don’t overlook this. Mention practical projects you’ve been involved in. Talk about enclosure builds during your placement. If you’ve helped construct enrichment items or assisted with habitat maintenance, say so explicitly. It matters more than many candidates realise.
The animal knowledge is a given. The practical skills are what will make you stand out.