Marco P. Overcash
Zookeeper, Great Apes
Powell, OH · (614) 555 0101 · name@example.com · linkedin.com/in/marcopovercash
Key Qualifications
EXPERIENCE
Seven years of primate husbandry at an accredited zoological institution
COLLECTION
Western lowland gorillas, bonobos, colobus monkeys
SPECIALTIES
Protected contact training, enrichment design, troop introductions, infant monitoring
SYSTEMS
Zoological Information Management System, ZooMonitor, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Teams
CREDENTIALS
Professional member, American Association of Zoo Keepers
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in zoology, Ohio State University
Executive Summary
Zookeeper with seven years on a great ape team at an accredited institution. Runs daily husbandry for a gorilla troop and a bonobo group, writes and revises enrichment plans, and does the protected contact training that lets the veterinary team work without anesthesia most of the time.
Signature Achievements
- Trained eleven voluntary husbandry behaviors across the gorilla troop, including cardiac ultrasound and blood draw from an unrestrained animal.
- Led keeper side planning for two troop introductions, both completed without injury requiring veterinary intervention.
- Rewrote the ape enrichment calendar into a rotating schedule that measurably raised foraging time in behavioral observation records.
- Monitored an infant gorilla through the first six months on a twenty four hour watch rotation she helped staff and schedule.
- Presented at a regional keeper conference on training progression for cardiac ultrasound in gorillas.
Professional Experience
Zookeeper, Great Apes
Scioto Valley Zoological Park, Powell, OH 2021 to present
Keeper on a five person great ape team caring for a nine animal gorilla troop and a four animal bonobo group
- Deliver daily husbandry including diet preparation, habitat cleaning, shifting and health observation.
- Design and rotate enrichment and record animal response for the behavioral management committee.
- Run training sessions under an approved protocol and maintain training records in the animal record system.
- Support veterinary procedures, quarantine moves and transfers under species survival plan recommendations.
Zookeeper, Hoofstock and Primates
Darby Plains Wildlife Park, Marysville, OH 2018 to 2021
Rotating keeper across a mixed hoofstock and small primate section
- Cared for eleven species including giraffe, okapi and several small primate groups.
- Assisted with hoofstock restraint training and routine hoof care.
- Wrote daily reports and flagged health concerns to the veterinary team.
Licensure and Certification
Professional member, American Association of Zoo Keepers
Animal Training Principles course, American Association of Zoo Keepers
First aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation certified
Education
Bachelor of Science in zoology, Ohio State University, 2018
Core Skills
Primate husbandry · Protected contact training · Enrichment design · Behavioral observation · Animal introductions · Diet preparation · Record keeping · Veterinary support · Habitat maintenance · Keeper talks