Zookeeper Accountability and Just Culture
How Accountability Systems Build Better Teams (And What Happens When They Don’t)
Zookeeper accountability and Just Culture are essential in creating safe, efficient, and high-functioning teams in animal care. In the past two weeks alone, I’ve been asked for resources on accountability six times. This tells me that our frontline leaders need more support and coaching from CEOs, COOs, Directors of Animal Care, and Curators. They are excellent animal keepers but may not yet have the skills needed to coach and develop accountability policies.
The goal of an accountability system is not punishment—it’s problem-solving. Mistakes are documented, but so are the solutions that make those mistakes less likely to happen again. When done well, accountability builds trust, prevents repeated errors, and keeps both keepers and animals safe.
Why Zookeeper Accountability Matters
Mistakes are inevitable, but how they are handled determines the effectiveness of a team. A strong accountability system:
- Documents mistakes AND solutions to prevent repeated errors.
- Uses a Just Culture approach, focusing on problem-solving rather than blame.
- Creates consistency and fairness, ensuring all team members are held to the same standard.
Example: A keeper forgets to latch a secondary lock on an enclosure. Instead of simply writing them up, leadership investigates why the mistake happened and implements a double-check system to prevent it in the future.
Without accountability, mistakes like these can escalate into serious incidents. A failure to secure a lock could result in an escaped animal, a preventable injury, or even the loss of an animal’s life. Documenting both the mistake and the corrective action ensures that future incidents are prevented rather than repeated.
Accountability is also key to animal welfare. If an animal isn’t fed the correct diet or enrichment is skipped, their health and well-being suffer. Every keeper on a team should be able to trust that their coworkers are following the same high standards.
What Happens When Zookeeper Accountability Is Lacking?
When accountability is inconsistent, teams experience:
- Confusion about expectations.
- Resentment when some mistakes are ignored while others are harshly punished.
- Sanctioned incompetence, where repeated mistakes or poor performance go unaddressed, leading to declining standards.
Example: One keeper is consistently late for morning rounds, leaving teammates to cover for them. If leadership fails to address this, the rest of the team becomes frustrated, and workplace morale declines.
Additionally, leaders who lack training in accountability struggle to coach their teams effectively. Just being a great animal keeper does not automatically translate into being a great leader—accountability training is essential.
A lack of accountability doesn’t just affect day-to-day operations; it has long-term consequences. If an animal’s diet is repeatedly miscalculated and no action is taken, they could develop health issues that require veterinary intervention. If unsafe handling techniques are tolerated, it could result in an avoidable injury. When mistakes aren’t addressed properly, small problems snowball into larger crises.
A Keeper-Created Accountability System That Works
Our zookeeper accountability system focuses on:
1. Prevention First
- Clear expectations through training phases and written policies.
- Open communication to encourage keepers to ask for clarification.
- Example: Instead of assuming a new hire understands how to properly lock shift doors, training includes multiple sign-offs before they work independently.
- A structured training program ensures new hires and seasoned staff alike are up to date on protocols.
2. Fair & Structured Responses
- Mistakes are categorized by severity with transparent consequences.
- Example: Accidentally leaving an animal in a shift door is a different level of mistake than miscounting diet supplements, and responses are scaled accordingly.
- Minor errors are addressed through coaching and retraining, while serious violations have clear and consistent consequences.
3. Focus on Learning, Not Just Discipline
- Employees in training phases aren’t penalized for mistakes but coached through them.
- Continuous improvement is encouraged.
- Mistakes should be learning opportunities rather than just incidents to document and forget.
A robust accountability system protects keepers, animals, and the institution. It ensures that high standards are upheld while allowing for the reality that people make mistakes.
What Leadership Needs to Do Better
Leadership plays a critical role in shaping a culture of accountability. To truly build a strong team, leaders must:
- Invest in Training: Frontline zoo leaders must be trained in coaching and accountability.
- Model Accountability: Leaders should hold themselves to the same standards they expect from their teams.
- Ensure Fairness: Accountability should be applied evenly across all employees, regardless of tenure or relationships.
- Follow-Up is Essential: Accountability isn’t a “one-and-done” conversation—there should always be a date set for follow-up.
Example: A keeper is documented for feeding out the wrong diet. Instead of simply marking it as an error, leadership sets a follow-up observation in a week to ensure they’ve corrected the mistake.
Leaders should also encourage open dialogue. If employees feel like they can’t speak up about their mistakes or report a safety issue without fear of retaliation, accountability will never be fully effective.
Creating a Sustainable Culture of Accountability
Building an accountability system isn’t just about reacting to mistakes—it’s about creating a proactive culture where mistakes lead to improvements.
- Implement regular check-ins where employees can bring up concerns before they become serious problems.
- Encourage peer accountability—if one keeper notices an issue, they should feel empowered to bring it up in a constructive way.
- Make accountability a team effort rather than a top-down punishment system.
Example: If a door is left unlocked, instead of assigning blame immediately, leadership investigates why it happened. Was it human error? A design flaw? A communication gap? The solution might involve adding visual indicators, retraining, or refining protocols.
Accountability is not about punishment—it’s about ensuring that every member of the team feels confident in their responsibilities and supported in their development.
Conclusion: Building a Culture of Accountability
Zookeeper accountability is not about blame—it’s about creating a culture where mistakes lead to solutions, not just paperwork. A Just Culture approach ensures that accountability is fair, consistent, and focused on improvement.
A well-implemented accountability system:
- Prevents mistakes from escalating.
- Supports both keepers and leadership in maintaining high standards.
- Encourages continuous learning and safety.
Leaders, it’s time to support your frontline teams. How does your facility handle accountability? If your system needs improvement, start by training your leaders and ensuring follow-up is a key part of the process.
Download an example Accountability Policy.
