Animal Keeper Emergency Appointment

City of Los Angeles Zoo Department

SCHEDULE
Five (5) days a week between Sunday and Saturday;
Regular days off will vary per position
Hours vary between 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

* Please confirm prior to accepting a position as schedules may change at any time for operational needs.

DUTIES/JOB DESCRIPTION

These positions will fill 5-day ape keeper vacancies in the Ape/Old World Monkeys section. They require candidates with strong commitment to working with a team of keepers and supervisors in the best interests of the needs of the animals in this section. In addition, strong training background is desired, as training for husbandry and medical management is essential to provide the best possible care to the animals.

As a 5-day ape keeper in this section you will work primarily with the chimpanzees, but will also be trained on the Gibbon, African Primate, Gorilla, and Orangutan strings, and will be scheduled if needed throughout the section.

The ideal candidates would exhibit qualities such as being an effective team member, while also being proficient in working independently with proper time management. Effective communicator is a must with seniors, keepers and veterinarian staff verbally, on ZIMS, reports and emails. Candidates would be expected to understand approaches in operant conditioning, enrichment, animal welfare evaluations, and general and specialized animal husbandry.

Identifying, collecting, and processing browse is an essential duty of this position.

REQUIREMENTS / MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
1. The equivalent of one year of full-time paid experience (2,080 hours) in the care and maintenance of exotic animals with a facility similar to the Los Angeles Zoo whose core function is the exhibition of a variety of exotic animals; or
2. (a) Successful completion of the Animal Keeper Training program conducted by the Los Angeles
Zoo; or
(b) An equivalent program at an accredited school or college providing classroom and field work on the basic structure and function of exotic animals; basic nutritional requirements; recognition of the symptoms of animal diseases; sanitation measures; and aspects of animal behavior.

EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT:
An emergency appointment is not a regular appointment. It is a temporary appointment which does not require that you successfully compete in the Civil Service examination process. The appointment may not exceed one year and must be terminated immediately when a regular appointment can be made from an eligible list. (City Charter Section 1013).

$57,378.24 - $83,812.32 annually

Interested candidates should email an updated resume or a completed City application to lazoo.personnel and the subject line must include:
“EMG ANIMAL KEEPER (APES/OWM) APPLICATION.”
Resumes and/or applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 16, 2026, or until sufficient applications have been received.

City of Los Angeles Zoo Department
5333 Zoo Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027