Animal Care Specialist

The Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo is seeking a permanent full-time Animal Care Specialist to join our Animal Care team and support the incredible animals in our care! The Animal Care Specialist is responsible for ensuring safe, effective and efficient daily operations within a designated area. This role involves overseeing staff training and development, special projects, and performing all aspects of animal care and maintenance for assigned animals. It emphasizes adherence to established standards and best practices while supporting team leadership with prioritization, communication, planning, and task or project execution.

This position includes participating in the daily care of a variety of animals, meeting approved standards in accordance with established protocols, monitoring welfare, maintaining animal habitats and displays, fulfilling reporting requirements, engaging with visitors, and fostering skill development for Animal Care Technicians and Assistants through mentorship and role modeling.

What you will do:

Team Leadership & Development:

• Collaborate with the Animal Care Manager and Supervisor to assess and prioritize tasks, ensuring alignment with individual, team, and organizational goals. This includes coordinating tasking, addressing shifting priorities, and contributing to planning meetings to support efficient operations and high-quality animal care.
• Provide mentorship and training to new and developing team members, including Animal Care Technicians and Assistants, through a collaborative and supportive learning environment.
• Serve as a role model, demonstrating professionalism, teamwork, and adherence to safety and best practices in animal care.
• Identify and promote skill-building opportunities for fellow animal care team members, offering constructive feedback and conducting job method assessments to improve performance and foster professional development.
• Support day-to-day team coordination and special projects, promoting autonomy and efficiency in daily operations
• Support the growth of team members by demonstrating advanced skills, guiding hands-on tasks, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Advanced Animal Husbandry:

• Oversee and perform all aspects of daily animal care, including providing prescribed diets, monitoring animal health, and ensuring habitats meet or exceed organizational standards.
• Conduct advanced assessments of animal health, behavior, and welfare, applying critical thinking and risk management principles to identify issues early and propose actionable solutions
• Administer complex treatments, ensure adherence to established protocols, and guide team members in treatment procedures.
• Lead and participate in animal capture, restraint, and handling procedures, ensuring safety and compliance with welfare protocols.
• Take a role in planning and documenting animal-related events, such as introductions, shipments, births, and procedures.
• Use historical data and records to ensure long-term consistency in animal health, diet, and welfare.
• Collaborate with the veterinary team, supervisors, and managers on behavioral training plans and enrichment strategies. Mentor and oversee team members in designing, executing, and evaluating enrichment and training plans.
• Evaluate and improve animal care practices through detailed risk assessments, focusing on safety for both animals and staff.
• Review, investigate, or escalate reports of animal near misses, welfare concerns, and relevant documentation. This includes research on natural history, behavior, husbandry practices, and recommendations, as well as actions from Quality-of-Life reports.
• Conduct annual worksite inspections to ensure compliance with Wilder Institute's Calgary Zoo worksite standards and verify that all staff are consistently upholding these standards.
• Assist with animal shipment logistics, including coordinating details and safely transporting the animal(s) to the airport or new facility. Develop and implement tailored animal training plans, tracking progress and providing reports on outcomes and behaviors.
• Conduct enrichment audits and document progress.

Animal Welfare & Wellbeing:

• Implement advanced behavioral training and enrichment programs, achieving specific welfare and husbandry goals.
• Monitor and analyze animal behavior, identifying deviations from norms and proposing evidence-based solutions to enhance welfare to supervisor and manager.
• Serve as a subject matter expert, mentoring team members in the creation and evaluation of enrichment and training plans. Maintain detailed and accurate records to support evidence-based decision-making and continuous welfare improvement. Evaluate and mitigate risks in animal care procedures, ensuring the safety of animals, staff, and visitors.
• Collaborate with supervisors and managers to assess and enhance welfare protocols, contributing to continuous improvement initiatives.
• Serve as a point of contact for troubleshooting complex welfare concerns, guiding team efforts to implement corrective actions.

Public Engagement & Education:

• Lead engaging programs and experiences aligned with organizational messaging, including after- hours events and facilitating staff-driven, flexible opportunities for spontaneous public engagement such as Wilder Moments.
• Deliver specialized tours, educational talks, and training programs for zoo volunteers, staff, and external audiences, tailoring content to enhance understanding and engagement.
• Address public inquiries with professionalism and expertise, de-escalating complex issues and providing thoughtful resolutions. Actively promote the organization’s conservation mission, fostering deeper connections with visitors and stakeholders.

Operational Excellence & Administrative Support:

• Collaborate with managers to identify and implement strategies for enhancing workplace culture, team morale, and operational effectiveness.
• Support and document maintenance requests, enrichment audits, and training progress updates.
• Actively contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, operational efficiency, and the refinement of processes and protocols. Assist with administrative tasks, including producing reports, updating protocols, and maintaining essential documentation.
• Liaise with other departments to ensure seamless integration of animal care with organizational goals.
• Exercise sound judgment in decision-making, including deviations from routine when necessary, without compromising welfare or safety.
• Actively participate in meetings, training opportunities, and cross-departmental initiatives to further organizational goals.

CollaborativeContinuousImprovement

• Fosters teamwork and open communication, working collaboratively to achieve shared goals.
• Champions a culture of continuous improvement by integrating input from peers and other departments to enhance processes and practices.
• Approaches challenges with resilience and an openness to change, contributing innovative ideas and encouraging the team to embrace growth opportunities.

Personal and Professional Development

• Demonstrates dedication to self-improvement by seeking opportunities to develop advanced skills and leadership competencies. Engages actively in training, feedback, and evidence-based practices to enhance personal and team effectiveness.
• Models a commitment to ongoing learning, taking initiative to improve and sharing expertise to benefit the organization.
• Shows patience and persistence in mastering new skills and contributes to strategic decisions, risk management, and the advancement of best practices in animal care.

Critical Thinking

• Applies advanced critical thinking skills to evaluate situations, solve problems, and make informed decisions that enhance animal welfare and team performance.
• Combines logical reasoning with creativity, considering diverse perspectives and outcomes to implement effective solutions.
• Anticipates challenges, identifies trends, and develops actionable plans to address them. Encourages evidence-based approaches, fostering curiosity and a solution-orientated mindset among team members.

Related Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain advanced non-animal-specific skills, such as vehicle operation, chemical application, plant identification, and water quality testing.

What you will bring:

• A bachelor’s degree in zoology or other related fields. Other equivalent combinations of experience and education will be considered.
• At least 7 years of experience in Animal Care or related positions with a minimum of 2 years animal care experience working at an accredited zoo or aquarium facility, where the remaining 5 years of experience must be from other zoological or aquarium facilities
• A valid driver’s license is required.
• Proven knowledge in the care, behavior, and health of various zoological and wildlife species, with a focus on species-specific needs.
• Specialized knowledge in areas such as species natural history, animal training, enrichment, and life support systems is highly desirable.
• Strong working knowledge of zoo terminology, animal welfare standards, SSP breeding and transfer plans, zoological conservation practices, and conservation programs is highly preferred
• Familiarity with ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System) is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to frequently changing priorities and deadlines while maintaining high standards of care and attention to detail.
• Proven success working in a team environment, demonstrating strong interpersonal skills and effective collaboration Ability to employ effective time management and efficient strategies to achieve shared goals.
• Ability to follow detailed instructions with a proactive, can-do attitude and contribute positively to team goals. Comfortable sharing and collecting feedback with the goal of making improvements to ongoing process and practices Eager to research as well as learn from and train others to enhance the collective knowledge base
• Strong leadership in and a commitment to safety practices, ensuring a safe working environment for self and others. Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and professionalism.
• Proven ability to work independently and as part of a team, while demonstrating initiative and sound judgment in decision-making.

Working Conditions:

• Comfortable working indoors and outdoors in varying weather conditions, including extreme cold, humidity, and hot climates
• Capable of performing physically demanding tasks unassisted, including walking, standing, crouching, climbing, reaching, pushing/pulling up to 45 kg unassisted, and lifting to 35 kg unassisted.
• Must meet the specific requirements of the position as outlined in the working conditions. Shifts may include evenings, weekends and holidays
• Call-ins may be required in emergency situations

The Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo is an outdoor facility and all staff working at the zoo must be comfortable working in a large variety of outdoor conditions. The Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo follows the advice of Environment Canada when responding to temperature and air quality issues.

What the zoo offers:

• Competitive compensation, vacation and flex days entitlement
• Flexible benefits plan, including a health spending account
• Employer matching RRSP program
• Discounts on food, beverage, and merchandise
• A complimentary annual pass for you and your immediate family members
• A welcoming and fun work environment where you can bring your authentic self to work each day

Are you ready to join one of Canada’s leaders in wildlife conservation? If this position suits your skills, experience and personal attributes, we want to talk to you.

Apply by doing the following:

If this position is fit for you, we encourage you to apply with a resume and cover letter online no later than November 15, 2026.

Staff:

1. Login to your ADP profile
2. Click the Myself tab
3. Under Talent click Career Centre
4. Select the position and submit your application with resume and cover letter!

Volunteers:

1. Submit your application with resume and cover letter to [email protected]
2. We will add your application into ADP!

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

The Wilder Institute strives to cultivate a workplace in which everyonefeels welcome and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. As a conservation organization, we respect and value the diversity of all life and come together as individuals and teammates to achieve the organization’s mission and vision. We recognize thevalue of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and work to advance our culture to ensure diverse viewpoints are heard and everyone has an equitable chance to succeed and thrive.

All candidates are thanked for their applications and advised that they will be contacted once applications have been reviewed and a final decision has been made.