Someone who loves animals. A person with patience. A person who is passionate about research.

The job of a zookeeper is to feed and care for the health of the animals kept in zoos and aquariums every day. Their work includes cleaning and inspecting breeding huts, exhibit areas, and aquariums, explaining to visitors, training animals, and keeping a daily animal-keeping journal. Since the animals cannot speak human language, they are carefully monitored for any physical problems by reading the animals' movements, gait, and fur. Another important role of zoos is to "preserve species" by breeding animals that are feared to be extinct. When a baby is born, zookeepers and veterinarians stay with the baby until midnight. The job requires a lot of physical strength, as the zookeepers are on their feet most of the time, but being able to care for rare animals in close proximity to them is an irresistible attraction for animal lovers.

No specific qualifications are required to become an animal keeper. If you can work at a zoo or aquarium, you can become a keeper. However, in most cases, positions are only advertised when there are vacancies, which is a very narrow gate. First, you should study at a university with a department of animal husbandry or fisheries, or at a vocational school related to animals or fisheries, to acquire specialized knowledge. Qualifications as a veterinarian, diver or diver's license, or curator will give you an advantage in your job search. In addition, in order to enter a public zoo or aquarium, you must pass a local civil service examination. You need to have a university degree or a high school diploma to qualify for the exam,

Not long ago, zoos and aquariums were places where visitors could view animals in cages or tanks from a distance, but recently that has changed. However, this has changed recently, as more and more people want to get as close as possible to the animals and see how they behave. Zoos and aquariums across the country are trying their best to attract as many visitors as possible. Animal keepers of the future will be required to devise new ways to show animals and to have various ideas and planning skills to increase visitors' chances to interact with animals.

Monthly income starts at about 170,000 yen for a college graduate.

生き物が相手なので、毎日の世話を休むわけにはいかない。週休二日を基本に、交代で主に平日に休みを取る。夏休みや連休などは動物園や水族館は忙しく、また動物の出産や病気のときなどには休みが取れないこともある。

Zoos, aquariums, safari parks, etc.

It's a chart that shows at a glance the main routes to getting a job as an animal keeper!