Aquarium job isn’t all bark and no bite
VANCOUVER — Help wanted: Successful applicant will be media-savvy, university-trained, capable of lifting an awkward 22 kilograms and comfortable with “animal bites, potential pathogens and chemicals.”
These are all part of the job description posted by the Vancouver Aquarium for a senior marine mammal trainer, with responsibility for Steller sea lions on display in the former beluga pool — now billed as Steller’s Bay.
While the posting doesn’t specifically say so, it also includes all the herring you can eat. “Yes, it’s there for snacking on if you want,” said Brian Sheehan, the aquarium’s marine mammal curator.
The job posting is created by the departure of an animal trainer and the creation of Steller’s Bay, where up to four female Steller sea lions are on public display. “In the past, we’ve done research in our back area,” Sheehan said. “Now we can do it right in front of our visitors.”
Sheehan said in an interview Monday that a sea lion trainer accepts some risks of a bite, as do veterinarians dealing with cats and dogs. “There’s always the chance for something to happen,” he said. “We’ve had some nips here and there. I can probably count them on one hand.”
For the record, that’s a hand with all digits intact.
The reference to pathogens refers to bacteria in a sea lion’s mouth, and the chemicals to cleaners used at the facility, including disinfectants, he said.
A total of eight female Steller sea lion pups were snatched from Triangle Island off northern Vancouver Island between 1997 and 2003 to be used for research by the aquarium and the University of B.C.
Research started at the aquarium, then expanded to the open-water site in a program funded by the U.S. to research a dramatic decline in Steller sea lions in western Alaska and the Aleutian Islands.
According to the aquarium’s job description, the senior trainer will be responsible for implementing “new animal behaviour into shows” while displaying “sharp speaking skills, stage and camera presence.”
The successful candidate must also be familiar with the aquarium’s Ocean Wise program, designed to promote sustainable seafood consumption.
Required education includes a three-year university degree, scuba certificate, first-aid training and a minimum two years’ experience working with pinnipeds — fin-footed mammals that include harbour seals.
The aquarium, which has also posted a basic trainer position, would not reveal the range of salaries for the positions.