BATON ROUGE – As the city-parish park system plans to move forward with a redeveloped zoo, it’s also looking to hire a site-specific veterinarian after the doctor who has worked on contract at the zoo for 40 years retires.

Dr. Gordon Pirie already announced he would retire from his private practice and was recognized by the city of Baker for his life-long work, according to an Advocate newspaper report in 2017.

Thursday, BREC commissioners approved hiring a full-time, BREC employee with a new position of zoo veterinarian.

“Creating the position is in line with a recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums,” the parks service said in a message about the new position on social media.

The zoo is working to recapture its certification with the association.

In addition to obviously being a veterinarian, the right candidate should have as much as five years experience and preferably at a zoo, BREC posted in a job description.

BREC budgeted between $65,000 and just shy of $105,000 for the position.

************

Follow the publisher of this post on Twitter: @treyschmaltz