care specialist

custodian

nutrition services

facilities manager

environmental health and safety specialist

FRESNO CHAFFEE ZOO

Working at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo definitely has its high points; the joy of the children who visit the zoo can brighten the gloomiest of days, the natural scenery is beautiful (where else can you visit the lush, rain forests of South America and the scorching hot plains of the Savanah in one trip?) and the zoo has amazing animals (The African Adventure is top of the line in the states). Also I completely love the maintenance/custodial staff and food servers, very kind and humble people.

However, I believe with all my soul that the organization can truly benefit from better management in the higher ups and just zoo staff in general.
As someone who goes the extra mile to ensure creating a comfortable & positive work  environment for myself  and others, I've met some pretty amazing co workers there and some that are not so amazing.
Unfortunately, the not so amazing staff can drain you to the point that you forget about the amazing ones.

Never mind the fact that some of these people seem to gossip endlessly about nonsense; or the favortism and cliquish mentality; or the ingenuine smiles you have to deal with knowing that the same person smiling at you may very well be plotting your downfall...... What I find truly sad is that I naively went into it thinking I would be around like minded people who truly has a heart for wildlife conservation.
I couldn't have been a bigger fool!...It's all photo ops and glamour. The pretentiousness is almost suffocating.
Don't get me wrong, I met many people there who are of good character and have passion for what they do and where they work. Unfortunately, they are not the ones that wield the most influence in the organization.

Overall, I'll say this.
If you are passionate about making REAL practical contributions to the world of wildlife conservation, you will be greatly disappointed to find this is NOT the job for you. It's not an organization that leaves much for future prospects.
But if you want part time work in a fun, fast paced environment with a lot of perks like daily access to some of the  most beautiful creatures on Earth, congrats... You've found the right place.

I loved working at the Zoo. But that's because I worked in a small department that's constantly busy. I enjoyed always having something that needs to be done and preparing for events. However, it is a position that requires for you to not really have a life out of work. The hours change constantly due to public and private events. There would be nights I wouldn't get home til 11pm. But I enjoyed it. It's always a new day in events. Never the same thing. So if you're looking for consistency and an 8-5 job, I wouldn't recommend this position. If you're looking for something where you are constantly on your feet, being in charge of set-up/clean up, moving large items to and from a warehouse, event management and dealing with people all the time, then this is your gig. 
I was able to go behind the scenes and really learn and appreciate all the animals there. Relationships from department to department vary but everyone always love the animals. I was able to feed and pet the Greater One Horn. Beautiful creatures. 
Pay was ok. I was young and didn't have a lot of commitments so I really had no complaints with that. I left because there wasn't anywhere to move up to. Maybe with the Zoo expanding in the future that they will open up more higher-up positions but a lot of the people already in these higher-up positions don't plan on leaving. Before I left they were taking some steps to be more inclusive and diverse. However, you can see the lack of this. My coworkers were amazing. To me, everyone was super friendly and engaging. You definitely feel like a family there. I hate that I left but I wanted more. This is all my opinion though. I hope it helps.

The benefits are decent, but the wages are quite poor for the hourly employees.
Upper management treats front line employees as expendable (laid off custodial team with little notice, no gratitude for past work in public statement to media, which is telling).

No training available, even when asked during the introductory period, and was not evaluated and had to ask for check-ins from my supervisor.

Ultimately laid off in a blind sighted manner that felt dehumanizing (less than an hour's notice, supervisor called it a 30 day review even though it was well-after 30 days). High turnover is a problem here and many employees acknowledge that. HR leadership could stand to be a bit more compassionate.

Seeing the animals while on grounds was a great experience, but I won't support the Zoo after my employment ending, which is unfortunate. The experience as a guest in Fresno is great, however.

At first I absolutely loved this place when I first started working there. After devoting many hours of hard work there was never room for advancement and the raises are almost non existent. Management is unfair and favoritism occurs very often. The human resources department is completely unprofessional and absolutely nothing is left confidential. People here gossip a ton and since there are so many limited positions to choose from there is always someone looking to get you into trouble. I went from loving this place to it being toxic in and outside of work, also was left to deal with a hostile work environment on most occasions where the management does not value their employee and never compensates appropriately. You can expect to do more than your work description describes and stay under paid. Would not recommend for long term or serious employment. Lost many great employees due to the conditions and high turnover rate.

The day to day work as a keeper at FCZ was very enjoyable. Every day offered a new challenge and the direct keeper teams are amazing at what they do and offer in sense of community and quality of work. 

I learned many incredible skills throughout my career at FCZ. However, the upper management and HR department is very difficult to work with. HR does not take workplace harassment and discrimination seriously from the viewpoint of an employee and will always side with management, leading to a toxicity in the workplace. I have seen many hardworking and capable people  pushed out of their jobs because they expressed concerns to Upper management. While the zoo is an amazing place to work at, the corporate environment has pushed many away. I would be cautious about where you apply for, and make sure to do research on the work environment of your specific department. 

I worked for the company for just over 2 years. Of course work is based on weather. If there is good weather most likely you will be working. So there is slow months and busy months. No matter how much experience you have everyone is treated unfairly. Advancement is based on favoritism. If your looking for seasonal work with not allot of advancement or it's your first job then this is the place to work. I know some management has been there for a very long time and with no or little education on how to even show a tiny bit of appreciation.  Just by being nice or saying thank you will go a long way for most people. If your a rule follower have a good attitude this place is not highly recommended.

I work as a CI currently and I love this job, my only issues are that there no fulltime CI positions, little benefits as a result, minimal pay, 30 minute lunch breaks and they're very strict about tattoos, which in this day and age is ridiculous.

Other than that, I love my coworkers, the job itself is very educational and can be very fun, the management, for the most part, is very empathetic and supportive, they gladly put themselves to work to fill in any gaps in the schedule so that even on our busiest days, we're not drowning.

The drawbacks definitely extend more to the corporate level rather than middle-management level.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Friendly co-workers, flexible work schedule and good work environment.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
On weekends or near the holidays, it does get very busy visiting the zoo.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is great and the culture is your surrounded by all the animals from around the world.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
As a seasonal guest ambassador, you are the face of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo and represent them every time you work for them.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The outpouring of community support for the Zoo

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Considered stepping stone zoo so lots of turnover amongst the animal care staff

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Safe. There's an ebb and flow of staff morale dependent on upper management strategies at the time.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
General husbandy, training, enrichment, presentations, light desk work and documentation for animal care staff.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I enjoyed working here. It was very fun and outgoing.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Working in the rain while doing catering lol. You can get sick.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
very diverse and fast paced. Lots of different backgrounds from all cultures.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
A typical day working day at this company is very fast paced and everything needs to be done on a timely matter which I think is good.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Care specialist 13 salaries reported	$22.03 per hour
Custodian 1 salary reported	$20.50 per hour
Nutrition services 1 salary reported	$20.01 per hour
Facilities manager 2 salaries reported	$70,092 per year
Environmental health and safety specialist 2 salaries reported	$85,311 per year

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