What degree would you need to be a zoo worker or to train wild animals?

Question

What degree would you need to be a zoo worker or to train wild animals?

Answer 1

You know, i've met quite a few zoo keepers and a fair number of animal trainers and most had no special degree and some had no degree at all. Obviously, having a natural science degree is helpful in a zoo especially if you want to move up to the offices. Animal training is really more about how well you interact with the animals and how good of a trainer you naturally are.

Answer 2

Start with experience and then yes you would need a degree in zoology. Start by volunteering to help at the zoo you will start by cleaning pooped cages at first but you will work your way up and they will hire people that already know what they are doing before they hire a person off the street. You really have to start making connections as soon as possible. good luck

Answer 3

To work in a zoo you don't need a degree. It helps to have a degree if you want to get paid better, but it isn't necessary just to get a job at the zoo.  To do cool stuff like delivery babies, travelling to get new, different animals, then you'll want the degree - to just clean and feed, you don't need one.

Answer 4

zoology and wildlife management degree. that's just my guess.

Answer 5

Not sure where you are but it differs. The restrictions that I see the most is age (which they look for 17 and older). Often, they need someone with care and patience and will train.

Some zoo have Seasonal work which will list the qualifications so take a browse.

Bx Zoo Forum

http://bronxzooforum.com/community/

Answer 6

zoology. Only a few schools offer. That would be a great job!

Answer 7

i believe zoology

Answer 8

zoolology!!!!!!!

That is what I am studying!!!

Will someone answer my question please???

Answer 9

I used to be a zookeeper, and got the job without any qualifications other than GCSEs. Having higher qualifications is no guarantee of getting the job (my boss told me he's had people come in with degrees who didn't know which end an elephant craps out of!), and not having them is no guarantee you won't get the job. However, having experience with animals will definitely help, so volunteering at a zoo or animal sanctuary is a good idea.

I would just point out that in general the salary of a zookeeper is quite poor (I earned minimum wage). Many people want to work with animals, so they don't need to tempt workers with high pay. The hours are long and you may not be paid for any overtime worked - in the zoo I worked at, you were paid only between 8am and 5pm, even if you arrived at 6.30am and didn't leave til 7pm. You are also required to work weekends and public holidays without additional pay.

The work is physically very hard, and you will be dealing with people, in the shape of the public, as much as with animals. Indeed, there is often little interaction with the animals you care for - the majority of the job is cleaning (picking up faeces, sweeping up straw, window cleaning, etc.). Also, you often do not have a choice as to which animals you work with. Most zoos will simply take you on as a keeper and place you where you are needed, though you can request to work with certain animals if and when a position with them becomes available.

Answer 10

I was an Animal Keeper in a large, prominent zoo in the USA for over 5 years, so I can tell you what's what in that regard.

You do NOT have to have a degree to be an animal keeper, but the better your knowledge of animals the better are your chances of being hired.  In city zoos, since it is a civil service job, you have to take tests, written and oral, with many other applicants, so the more you know the higher you'll place on the exams.  They always pick those that scored the best FIRST.  Prior to working there I had majored in Zoology and minored in Photography, but did not complete all four years.  But, as a result, I knew a great deal and did very well on the zoo exam, placing first out of 250 applicants.

If you get a degree you will be able to get a MUCH better job at the zoo, like the Curator Of Mammals, or Birds, or Reptiles, etc.  Also, if you are a girl you will have a better chance of getting hired.  It seems that they are favoring women over men these days for the job of Animal Keeper.

"Training" wild animals is NOT a good occupation, especially in this day and age when the use of them for movies, TV shows, etc, is diminishing so fast, due to the growing use of CGI (computer graphic imaging).

Keep one thing in mind if you "really" want to be an Animal Keeper:  zoos are built for the public, NOT for the welfare of the animals.  Extra money is allocated for making the public more comfortable not for putting in a better floor for the Giraffes so they won't slip and break a leg.  Being an Animal Keeper in a zoo, is like being a jailer.  The captive animals will NEVER leave their confinements, but will live their ENTIRE lives behind bars, glass, or a moat.  This, I found to be very depressing, and it bothered me a great deal.  Wild animals BELONG in the wild where they can fulfull their roles in keeping our planet healthy, NOT in captivity.