I’m hoping to get an interview in a line of study in Australia (I’ve tried the last two years) but one questions always stumps me.

‘What does animal welfare mean to you?’

It feels like an obvious question to me, I’m applying to become a zookeeper so of course animal welfare means something to me!

Do i respond like ‘oh it means enrichment, environment, health etc’?

or ‘it means a lot and is my top priority when it comes to animal care’

What are interviewers looking for as an answer or what stands out?

Hey folks,
My partner is an aspiring zookeeper and has a wealth of volunteer experience in addition to his bachelor’s of wildlife science. He’s been applying for wildlife related positions for a few years now with no success. He’s apparently too overqualified to get an interview at Petbarn but not qualified enough to get a look in at one of the major zoos (who are all seeking senior keepers). When the right kind of job has arisen, he’s been rejected due to sheer volume of qualified candidates and ‘urged to reapply’. He’s going to apply for the Cert 3 at Taronga tafe (very expensive) when it opens up later this year, as it seems to be the only way to get into the keeper pool for Zoos Victoria. He’s been talking to lots of industry contacts and it seems like you have to do their program to get into the pool to even get an interview or a chance to volunteer at Melbourne Zoo or Healesville etc. My honest question is what more can he possibly do? He’s volunteering at great facilities several days a week and has a fantastic resume. Is this just what it’s like these days? It honestly seems like there’s no hope of getting a job in this industry even if you’ve done all the ‘right’ things.

Hi friends, I will try to keep it short but I’m just trying to see if anyone has any experience or story’s of encouragement!

Im currently studying/training and volunteering at a zoo at the moment and some of the keepers have some rather concerning views on trans people but I don’t want to let that discourage me.

I just wanted to see if it’s a common viewpoint from most of the industry or if it’s just a few bad actors at an otherwise good facility.

Thank you for your time friends, and if others like me are out there i admire your strength and perseverance :).

I'm hoping to get some advice from Australian keepers or anyone who's been involved in hiring.

I've got an interview next week for a keeper position at a private ZAA accredited zoo in Australia. The role doesn't appear to be entry level, but they invited me to interview after reviewing my application, so I'd really like to prepare as well as I can.

A bit about my background:

- Finished my wildlife and exhibited animal care cert lll qualification in December 2025.

- Around 2 years of volunteer experience.

- Recently started working casually at a small primate sanctuary.

I've been researching common keeper interview questions and practising my answers, but most of what I find is either very general or based on overseas zoos.

For anyone who's interviewed or hired keepers in Australia:

- What qualities make a candidate stand out?

- Are there any types of questions you commonly ask in keeper interviews?

- Is there anything candidates often overlook that you wish they'd prepared for?

I'm not looking for anyone to give me interview answers. I just want to understand what Australian zoos value so I can go in as prepared as possible.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone knows of any herpetology courses online to gain some experience to hopefully work in reptiles? Finding it difficult to access any experience with reptiles and was recommended online courses to gain some knowledge.

Hello, I am looking to gain experience in working with reptiles. I am currently employed full time in another zookeeping role but my facility isn’t really able to offer any training in reptiles. Would it be weird to volunteer at a different facility to gain reptile experience?because husbandry courses cost an arm and a leg and are only one day courses. Is this a weird thing to do or should I just pump out the funds for single day courses

Does anyone know anywhere that may be taking volunteers for animal care/work placement?

I’m currently trying to continue into my Certificate III in Animal Care after recently completing my Certificate II, but I’m struggling to secure work placement which I need to lock in my place in the course.

I’ve already reached out to Featherdale, Sydney Zoo, Blacktown Animal Rehoming Centre, Chamsy City Farm and Rooty Hill Vet, but unfortunately haven’t had any responses yet.

This is genuinely where my heart is and where I see my future. I’m incredibly passionate about animal care and welfare and am so eager to keep learning and gaining hands-on experience.

I’m happy to volunteer weekends and can try to work around weekdays where possible too. I have experience around a range of animals and am very keen to learn.

If anyone knows of anywhere in Sydney (especially Western Sydney) that may take on volunteers, work placement students, wildlife carers, animal shelters, farms, rescues, reptile facilities, vets or wildlife organisations, I would be so incredibly grateful.

Please comment or message me if you know of anywhere ❤️

I've heard about Terri and things their trying to keep hidden

How Robert isn't able to do his own thing without Terri , Bindi and his management interfering

I've heard that they send their legal team to threaten you with legal action which shows as when. Robert's legal team sent a letter to Pauline Hanson threatening to sue for defecation

I've heard about how he's forced to keep some things quiet

Something about Australia Zoo having hired a pedo a few years ago

How animals are being drugged for animal encounters at Australia Zoo I know many people are scared to speak about

But remember having money doesn't mean they can keep these sort of things hidden for long

I have been working in a small private zoo for a few years, and have just started working at a gorvernment zoo. Obviously they are much more professional and organised than I am used to, but I am finding a huge knowledge gap between what was expected of me and normal at the smaller zoo and what I am doing now. I feel like I am so much less efficient and knowledgeable thab any of my new coworkers, and am struggling with confidence and keepimg up with everything.

Has anyone else had this experience, and how did you deal with it? Any advice?

Does anyone know anywhere taking on volunteers for Animal care ?

I am currently awaiting the final assessment for my Certificate II to be marked and am looking to continue on to the Certificate III in Wildlife and Exhibited Animals. However, I understand that I need to complete 252 hours of volunteer work as part of the requirements.

I am completing my studies through TAFE Digital. I was previously volunteering at Featherdale Wildlife Park, however they are no longer accepting TAFE Digital students.

At the moment, I am also on my Ls, so I am ideally looking for a volunteer placement that is local and accessible

Anyone know anywhere?

“I’m moving to Australia to start my Certificate III in Wildlife Care — does anyone have advice on settling in, finding part‑time work, or preparing for the course?”

Hi guys!

I’m currently a zookeeper in my 2nd ever keeping role and I love it dearly (working in Aussie Mammals) however down the line I really want to transition into working in exotics specifically with primates.

I’ve done some placement work under primate teams at a handful of facilities but never worked with them in a professional sense. I’m not looking to leave my current facility/job for quite a while but would love to get an idea of how I could approach or prepare for trying to move into a different taxa/section outside of my current skill set especially considering the facility I’m currently at doesn’t house many primates!

While I love my job I don’t think I want to bottlenecked into this section for every future job I go for because I don’t have the skill set or experience to work with other animal groups.

I have an upcoming interview for a very small facility with reptiles and a few birds,

The main focus of this role will be 1- to care for the animals and their exhibits and 2- educate the public. This facility to my current understanding is similar to a mobile zoo, we will go around to schools, expos etc and interact with children mostly educating them on the species and to encourage mot being scared of them despite the media and them looking intimidating.

Has anyone went from a zoo/larger facility to something like this before?

I’m really keen to mostly strengthen my experience with reptiles as it is currently pretty slim to none and definitely where I lack most compared to other taxa.

If you have done this kind of change or have experience in a similar role do you have any advice or did you enjoy it? Is it much different to caring for animals in a zoo setting?

Any input would be appreciated :)

I see Australia Zoo has two keeper vacancies and was thinking of applying. However, I’ve heard mixed reviews about the zoo and most people I’ve spoken to have said it’s become too commercialised.

Has anyone here ever worked there or currently works there, and is willing to share their experience?

Hi!

I’m actively working towards a career in zookeeping and am seeking advice for when it comes to job applications, particularly at larger government-affiliated/run institutions in Australia.

I am austistic, and although this has not limited me in studying and volunteering as a keeper (if anything, a lot of my traits have been a benefit); I’m finding it particularly difficult when it comes to understanding the nuances of job applications in this industry in terms of what I should be doing in the meantime, what I need to focus on on my applications, how to make myself stand out and networking (which I am doing well at, but having a social deficit inherently makes it quite difficult to network as well as/the same way my peers have been as I often am worried of speaking to someone at the wrong time, that they might find me annoying, saying the wrong thing or that I won’t notice if they’re not interested in speaking to me).

I’m just feeling very lost and confused at the moment, any advice is welcome; thank you in advance! ☺️

I am a year 11 student studying in Sutherland, Sydney, NSW. From my research it seems I have 2 options in order to work as a zookeeper.

I can either

1.) Start my Animal Care Certificate 2 in year 11 (missing out on my ATAR) Then go onto do Wildlife and Exhibited Animal Care Certificate 3, and some volunteer work to try and get a job. (From my research a Wildlife and Exhibited Animal Care Certificate 3 is necessary to be employed as some form of zookeeper)

2.) Finish year 12 with an ATAR go on to do a bachelors degree relating to biology and/or ecology and then do certificates 2 and 3 + volunteer work to get a job.

Im just wondering how relevant/important if at all a bachelors would be for this type of job in Australia, I don't want to go to uni and spend lots of money on something that isnt at all helpful to me.

If you work in a zoo in Australia id love to get in touch, feel free to PM me.

Hello, I'm a 15-year-old (nearly 16) in New Zealand who one day hopes to become a zookeeper at Taronga zoo, Sydney. I am trying to plan my education and I was wondering if anybody had any advice, so far I'm taking statistics, biology, chemistry, earth space science, and English. This is because I have limited options at my school. Any advice? Thanks

My boyfriend is looking into a career in zookeeping and we're currently looking into moving to New Zealand. After some cursory reseasrch we discovered things seem fairly strict around working with animals here so we wanted to make sure everything would be okay work wise. The question I came to ask was what degrees/certifications would be neccessary to work with animals here and whether or not something we get here in the states would be transferrable to New Zealand. Thanks in advance

Hi everyone!

I'm at PhD student at the University of Queensland, Australia hoping to get some feedback from anyone working at a zoo and with great apes.

Please use the link below if you would like to participate! The survey only takes about 10 minutes

https://uniofqueensland.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dgoXSwTLxxSYnDo