Join our team at the Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo and grow support the health of the animals in our care! The Animal Health team is seeking a permanent full-time Associate Veterinarian who will be primarily responsible for day to day animal health activities (clinical medicine, surgery, pathology, etc). This is a full time position that reports to the Senior Manager of Animal Health and Welfare.
Our Purpose | We act for wildlife; saving species and inspiring people to join us.
Our Core Values | Drive impact, nurture connection, cultivate hope, and be bold.
What you will do:
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Execute the components of the zoo’s preventive health care program. Conduct regularly scheduled vaccination and preventive care programs to maintain health of animals and guard against communicable diseases. Update taxa specific recommendations based on scientific advancements.
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Conduct effective quarantine procedures, protocols, examinations and appropriate testing procedures for all incoming animals, and carry out pre-shipment testing to ensure health of the zoo's and associated conservation center’s animals, monitor for and prevent spread of disease, and interface with provincial and federal government agencies and comply with government regulations.
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Conduct preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic, and emergency procedures, including, but not limited to, surgery, digital imaging (e.g. radiography, CT, ultrasonography, endoscopy) with interventional procedures, dental prophylaxis and radiology, anesthesia induction, monitoring and recovery, pharmaceutical administration, and detailed record keeping, at the zoo and associated conservation facilities.
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Employ sound medical, ethical, and welfare driven decision making and provide appropriate medical care to injured, sick, or infirmed animals.
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Aid in the capture, re-capture, and restraint of animals as required.
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Understand and apply a practical understanding of operant conditioning as it relates to veterinary procedures and partner with Animal Care staff to develop and train medical husbandry behaviours.
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Conduct necropsies, maintain necropsy records, and assist with tracking and analysis of the pathology program.
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Maintain timely and complete medical records on all clinical and pathology cases.
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Oversee the tracking and trend analysis of morbidity cases.
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As part of shared responsibilities amongst the veterinarians, provide 24 hour/365 days a year on call duties for veterinary care of the zoo's and associated conservation center's species.
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Serve as the veterinary liaison for an assigned area of the zoo, overseeing animal health related incoming and outgoing pre-shipment requirements, animal health protocol development and revision, and veterinary input and participation in animal welfare/wellbeing and animal management meetings as required.
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Assist with nutrition and reproduction programs, and foster collaboration within the institution and between institutions to achieve common goals.
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Assist with the training, education, and mentorship of veterinary students.
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Assist with the selection, training, education, and mentorship of post graduate training in zoological medicine (internship, residency).
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Assist with the training of registered veterinary technologists, other Animal Care, Health and Welfare (ACHW) staff, Conservation and Science staff, and other staff as appropriate, on animal health related procedures, protocols, or topics.
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Participate in staff meetings and leadership training meetings with information sharing to ACHW, or other zoo staff, as appropriate.
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Ensure a safe work environment by following all safety guidelines, communicating safety concerns, and modeling safe work practices
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Participate in research and conservation breeding projects in coordination with the ACHW staff, and Conservation and Science staff where appropriate.
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May participate in exhibit planning and design, animal population planning, interfacing with other WICZ departments.
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Assume relevant or assigned departmental responsibilities and management when senior manager and a senior veterinarian is unavailable.
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May assist the Senior Manager of Animal Health with development, management, and attainment of goals of Department and ACHW branch.
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Represent the zoo on internal and external committees as discussed with and assigned by Senior Manager of Animal Health and/or ACHW director.
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Provide veterinary expertise when required/requested with respect to media content development and delivery.
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May act as consultant and provide assistance/expert advice to veterinarians in general practice, to government, and to wildlife professionals for the appropriate treatment or handling of exotic animals and wildlife.
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Exhibits good teamwork, intra- and interdepartmental collaboration, and verbal and written communication skills.
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Ensure minimum annual continuing education requirements for ABVMA are completed to maintain licensure.
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May include other animal health related duties and responsibilities not described above.
What you will bring:
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Doctor of Veterinary Medicine with ability to be licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the province of Alberta is required
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Minimum of three (3) years of full-time zoological medicine experience, with strong preference for completion of an internship and/or residency in zoological medicine.
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Board certification, or eligibility for board certification, by the American College of Zoological Medicine (ACZM)
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Ability to prioritize competing interests/requests to optimize the department’s performance and efficiency
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Must have very good observational skills.
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Excellent written and verbal communications skills in a team environment.
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Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.
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Ability to exercise sound judgement independently and while contributing and participating in a team environment.
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Must be able to establish and maintain an effective rapport with all levels of management, employees, and guests.
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The position is part of the zoo’s emergency response team. If participating in firearm response, must possess, or be eligible to possess, a firearm Possession and Acquisition License (PAL).
Working Conditions:
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Must have ability to work flexible hours, including weekdays, weekends and holidays, and occasional evenings to ensure animal health team coverage especially with intensive care/emergency cases.
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On-call work when required (shared with members of the Animal Health team)
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Involves outdoor and indoor work, with occasional heavy lifting and long periods of standing
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Must be able to work in inclement weather
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Must be able to walk, stand, sit, kneel, stoop, crawl, twist, reach above head, pull, bend, climb stairs and ladders, and move equipment up to 23 kg (50 lbs).
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Exposure to various fauna (some of which are potentially dangerous), strong odours, animal bodily fluids and excreta
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Significant computer work for medical records, reports, meetings, and correspondence
The Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo is an outdoor facility and all staff working at the zoo must be comfortable working in a large variety of outdoor conditions. The Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo follows the advice of Environment Canada when responding to temperature and air quality issues.
What the Zoo Offers:
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Competitive compensation, vacation and flex days entitlement
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Flexible benefits plan, including a health spending account
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Employer matching RRSP program
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Discounts on food, beverage, and merchandise
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Participation in the Staff Pass Benefit plan
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A fun, rewarding work environment and the opportunity to work in a park full of wild animals
Are you ready to join one of Canada’s leaders in wildlife conservation? If this position suits your skills, experience and personal attributes, we want to talk to you.
Apply by doing the following:
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Watch this video about the conservation work being done at the Wilder Institute. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J1VH1MBXm0)
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Submit your resume with an optional cover letter via our online application system.
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Fill in the Application questions:
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Confirm eligibility to work in Canada
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If hired, when would you be available to start?
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If hired, what are your salary expectations for this position?
Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada.
If this position is a fit for you, we encourage you to apply with a resume and cover letter online by our application deadline: September 30, 2026 at 10:00pm MT
The Wilder Institute strives to cultivate a workplace in which everyone feels welcome and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. As a conservation organization, we respect and value the diversity of all life and come together as individuals and teammates to achieve the organization’s mission and vision. We recognize the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and work to advance our culture to ensure diverse viewpoints are heard, and everyone has an equitable chance to succeed and thrive.
This position is an existing vacancy within our organization. The Wilder Institute uses basic knockout questions in application to support screening; applications are otherwise assessed and selected by real humans.
All candidates are thanked for their applications and advised that they will be contacted once applications have been reviewed, and a final decision has been made.
