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For park rangers at the North Carolina Zoo, the job involves people more than animals. The rangers’ primary job is to provide security and protection for the zoo’s nearly 800,000 yearly visitors. The job can be as simple as giving directions or as serious as administering CPR to a cardiac-arrest victim.
They are there to help park visitors and to keep them safe, whether it’s finding lost children, directing visitors through the park, or generally keeping an eye out for trouble.
The zoo’s complement of 20 permanent rangers is supplemented by 13 temporary, assistant rangers during the summer. Each permanent park ranger is a fully qualified emergency medical technician capable of handling all emergencies from scraped knees and insect bites to heat exhaustion and broken bones. Serious trauma happens seldom, but the rangers have to be ready for it.
The park’s 500 developed aces and some of the undeveloped acres must be continually patrolled either on foot or by cart, motor vehicle or bicycle. Park rangers have to always be aware of possible hazards due to the close proximity of dangerous animals, encounters with indigenous animals, and irritating or poisonous plants.
Rangers often must respond to accidents, alarms, suspicious circumstances and other incidents to determine if assistance is needed from outside agencies. If assistance is needed, a ranger must assume command at the scene of the incident or emergency and coordinate the response of law-enforcement, fire or rescue agencies.
And the rangers’ job doesn’t stop when visitors leave the park. Three shifts of rangers provide security around the clock. After one group of rangers has ensured the safe and orderly departure of visitors, a new shift of rangers takes over. After normal visiting hours, rangers perform perimeter access control, assist in the night shipment of animals and plants, monitor for ill or injured animals, and generally ensure the safety of the plant and animal collections and facilities.
The zoo is often looking for qualified assistant rangers. Anyone interested in applying for those positions can check our employment opportunities.
Article by Tom Gillespie
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N.C. Zoo is a member institution of AZA and an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr. Secretary; Michael F. Easley, Governor. A part of the North Carolina Government portal.
The Zoo is closed Christmas day and during severe weather. Call our information line at: 1-800-488-0444.
