Careers that involve working with Exotic Animals
Career News July 7, 2016If working with exotic animals is something that you greatly admire, read the article below to learn what career best suits a person like you. Also, learn about the main education requirements, jobs outlook and the salary details that some of these professions attract.
Essential Information for those who wants to work with Exotic Animals
There are several career options for people who love working with exotic animals. These careers may either give the option of working with specific or general types of animals. At the same, requirements to join some of these careers vary greatly.
| Education details | Bachelor’s degree in animal science |
| Additional requirements | Be passionate with animals |
| Estimated job growth rate (2014) | 11% |
| Average salary in 2014 | $21,260 |
Career Options for those who wants to work with Exotic Animals
Animal Trainer
Animal trainers are common in the education, animal for films and entertainment industries. Animal trainers have the choice of either working with specific breeds of animals or choose to deal with all kinds of animals. Their background training may also dictate what kind of animals they will work with. For instance, some animal trainers may handle small aquatic animals better than large aquatic animals due to the nature of their training.
Generally, animal trainers take a lot of time before they can train a certain thing to an animal. Therefore, this means that patience is a must have value for a good animal trainer. In the same instances, animal trainers may be required to accompany an animal where necessary depending on the nature of the training. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that as of May 2014, an animal trainer earned an annual pay of $21,260 while the job growth rate in this career was estimated to rise at a rate of 11% up to the year 2024.
Veterinarian
Exotic animal veterinarians are no different to any other kind of veterinarians. Their services are often the same irrespective of whether they deal with wild or exotic animals. Veterinarians may work in zoos, animal hospitals, and private clinics or in the scientific fields where they work as research scientists for animals that are at the highest risk of becoming extinct. The BLS estimates a 9% rise in jobs for veterinarians up to 2024. On the other hand, a veterinarian usually earn an average annual salary of $88,490.
Zookeeper
They ensure that animals, whether wild or exotic are well fed, cleaned and healthy at all times. Their work is mainly in the zoos and animal parks, and at times, they may have to do really dirty or dangerous work for the wellbeing of the animals. As a necessary requirement, zookeepers are expected to be well versed with the history, behaviors and the surroundings of exotic animals, in order to conduct their work appropriately. In 2014, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that a zookeeper earned an average salary of $29,859 while jobs in this career were estimated to grow at a rate of 15%, same as those of other animal keepers. Finally, note that a state license is a compulsory requirement before working as a veterinarian in any state in the U.S.
