GENERAL CURATOR

This title varies from zoo to zoo, but most zoos have a position that is the top level person in animal care. The typical rule of thumb in the zoo career ladder is – the higher you climb up the ladder, the farther you move away from working directly with animals. But on the flip side – the higher you move up the ladder, the more influential you become in decision making (what animal species will we have at the zoo / which one(s) will we breed / what exhibits can we build etc.) and problem solving. This person supervises the Curator(s) and makes final husbandry decisions for animals in the collection. Additionally, this person usually has responsibility for deciding how budget is used in animal care. For example – do you build a new multi million dollar exhibit, bring in a new species or hire 4 more Keepers to take care of your animals?