I may have found what I was meant to do with my life.

Does anyone out there by chance know how one becomes a zookeeper?

What kind of schooling is involved? How available are the jobs? Is it seasonal or year-round? Would I make enough money to be able to do it for the rest of my life?

I'm sure I want a career working with animals, but I just don't know enough about the field to know what direction to take. Advice?

Try calling your local zoo. They should be able to tell you something. My daughter has been a volunteer at our local zoo for years and loves it! I'll ask her when she gets home if she can give me some info to help you. Or maybe get on bp and tell you since she's a member (she's not a forum type of person lol)

I do not know how old you are or if you could do it. If you want to work at a zoo what I would do is go to college to be a vet. Then look into being a vet for a zoo. I think that would be cool.

Well i'm 19 and just graduated high school. The reason I didn't go straight into any kind of college was because I hated high school so much. And with the school system putting so much emphasys on traditional career paths (humsn services and computer technology) which didn't really appeal to me, I really had no idea what i wanted to do untill recently. A few hours ago actually. While stocking shelves in a grocery store thinking about how theres no way I could do this forever.

Unfortunately, it doesn't really pay well enough to fully support yourself in most cases. But if there is a zoo or aquarium near you it's worth looking into volunteering. I did that for a while, and it was really great. Hard work, sweaty and smelly work, but very gratifying. :)

As far as the zoo vet thing goes, prepare to work very hard starting from your freshman year of college. You pretty much have to have a 4.0 to get into vet school these days, as it's quite competitive. After vet school, you would have to spend a couple of years training/apprenticing to work with large exotics. I wanted to be a zoo vet when I was in high school, but the harsh reality of my own academic inadequacy hit me about sophomore year of college. XD Now I'm heading to grad school for wildlife conservation and management, which is almost as exciting.

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Originally Posted by yourstruely_rachel

Well i'm 19 and just graduated high school. The reason I didn't go straight into any kind of college was because I hated high school so much. And with the school system putting so much emphasys on traditional career paths (humsn services and computer technology) which didn't really appeal to me, I really had no idea what i wanted to do untill recently. A few hours ago actually. While stocking shelves in a grocery store thinking about how theres no way I could do this forever.

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I understand that I went to college and did not want to go anymore so I had to find something to do. I ended up in the Navy and love it, and I am almost done with my BA. The best part is 10 more years till I can retire.

Zoos aren't the only jobs/careers for 'working with animals'. My son has his degree in Wildlife Management and is a Certified (by the National Wildlife Society) Wildlife Biologist. He is scouting for a school for his Masters now and currently works at the Jones Center/Ichaway Research Center in GA. His main focus is Gopher tortoise research but he works with everything he comes across in the field (just found his first Indigo!).
He has worked for many places (grant work usually) and has done work with bats, loons, salamanders etc. all up and down the coast.
He's gone all over and wrangled/researched all sorts of cool critters. He is having the time of his life, getting paid for it, working in his chosen field and just loving it!
I rambled, sorry, was just pointing out that there are all sorts of options.

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Originally Posted by Clementine_3

Zoos aren't the only jobs/careers for 'working with animals'. My son has his degree in Wildlife Management and is a Certified (by the National Wildlife Society) Wildlife Biologist. He is scouting for a school for his Masters now and currently works at the Jones Center/Ichaway Research Center in GA. His main focus is Gopher tortoise research but he works with everything he comes across in the field (just found his first Indigo!).
He has worked for many places (grant work usually) and has done work with bats, loons, salamanders etc. all up and down the coast.
He's gone all over and wrangled/researched all sorts of cool critters. He is having the time of his life, getting paid for it, working in his chosen field and just loving it!
I rambled, sorry, was just pointing out that there are all sorts of options.

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i'd love to do something like that! i'm really bummed out that after all those college fairs my class went to none of them really offered anything like that. i always felt like my choices were limited by what was popular.

The zoo here hires quite often, my sisters friend works there and she just went in and applied. All she does is scrape up poop and feed some of the non dangerous animals, but theyre traing her up, just very slowly. But she said there are alot of perks, she got to see the leopards being born, she got to ride an elephant (i think), pet the penguins, a whole bunch of stuff. Unless you have some schooling or something thats probably what you'd be doing, just go apply and see what happens and good luck:gj:

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Originally Posted by yourstruely_rachel

i'd love to do something like that! i'm really bummed out that after all those college fairs my class went to none of them really offered anything like that. i always felt like my choices were limited by what was popular.

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I am pretty sure they didn't tell him about it at a college fair either. He started out in meteorology but couldn't get beyond calc II, he left mid-semester, took a year off and 'found himself'. Realized one day what he wanted out of life, found his school and off he went!
He will eventually get his Masters but is in no rush, having too much fun tubing Diamondbacks and finding everything but Gopher torts in the burrows.


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The only thing stopping me from applying to a zoo is I live in a sleepy little town and the closest one is about an hour away in Evansville, IN. I've visted many times and it's a very nice facility.

Garnered from the Internetz:

http://www.bls.gov/k12/nature01.htm

What is this job like?
Many people like animals, but taking care of them is hard work. Zookeepers take care of wild animals in zoos and animal parks. They feed the animals, clean their living spaces, and work to keep them healthy.

Zookeepers watch the animals to see if they are sick or hurt. Keepers need to watch and listen carefully to notice any changes in behavior. Keepers write detailed notes about each animal and tell a veterinarian if there is a problem.

Some keepers give the animals objects to play with and explore. Many animals like playing with logs, sandboxes, and even water sprinklers. Keepers often hide food for the animals to find. Playing with food and toys helps animals stay active.

Sometimes, keepers train the animals to make caring for them easier. For example, keepers train elephants to lift their feet so that veterinarians can check them.

Teaching people about animals is another keeper task. Keepers answer people's questions and give presentations.

People who like animals often like working with them. Keepers like getting to know the animals. They also like helping with research. And they like learning how to help endangered animals in the wild.

But zookeeping can be a dirty job. Keepers have to clean exhibit areas. Many keepers work outside in rain, heat, and all sorts of other weather. They sometimes carry heavy containers of food. And because animals eat every day, most keepers work on weekends and holidays.

Zoo work can also be dangerous. Wild animals can bite, kick, scratch, or spread disease. Keepers almost never pet the animals.

How do you get ready?
Many keepers go to college for 2 or 4 years. They often study biology, animal science, or some other science. Keepers also need to understand math so that they can measure food properly. Keepers need good writing and speaking skills so that they can take notes and talk to the public.

Keepers need experience caring for animals. Before working at a zoo, many keepers work in veterinary offices, animal shelters, or farms. In those jobs, they clean animal cages and feed, watch, and care for animals.

Experience in a zoo is also good. Many keepers start as zoo volunteers.

How much does this job pay?
In May 2008, animal caretakers had average yearly wages of $21,550.

How many jobs are there?
In 2008, there were about 220,400 animal care and service workers. A very small number of these worked as zookeepers.

What about the future? Employment of animal care and service workers is expected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations through 2018. But jobs as zookeepers are expected to grow more slowly than other animal care jobs.

Jobs for zookeepers are harder to find than other kinds of animal jobs because there are relatively few zoos. Plus, many people want zoo jobs so there is very strong competition for the work.

Might I suggest starting out by volunteering at your local animal shelter? You would get some experience in taking care of a large amount of animals at once, and I know that animal shelters are always grateful for more volunteers (I used to volunteer at the one nearby before I moved, almost all of the work was done exclusively by volunteers, we just needed an introductory class to teach us the layout of the shelter, dos and don'ts, etc). It can't hurt to contact your shelter to see if they could use a little extra help.

Go to school and get a generalized biology degree....you can go anywheres pretty much with that. Then decide what way you want to go further. That's what ill do if nursing ends up not for me.

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Thanks to everyone for all the good advice. I've been doing lots of research, and i think i'm gonna try and get the ball rolling for going to college to study biology in the near future. And as for now, next time i take one of my pets to the vet, i'll ask if theres a volunteer program available at their office or the local shelter. I've got my fingers crossed that this is the right path for me and i'll find what i'm looking for. :)

I meant to post here last night but forgot.

Look at http://www.sfcollege.edu/zoo/ the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo. This is where they teach you to be a keeper. It is AZA accredited.

It is in my town and I went for almost a semester but I learned very quickly that it wasn't what I wanted to do. It is a great program, but as a keeper, you are working long hours, crummy pay, and not much time with your animals. I decided to get a 9-5 M-F job that pays well so I can have my animals as a hobby. I like it better this way.

Good Luck! I got my BA in English and now I am working for the University of Florida in the College of Pharmacy doing fiscal work... And I kinda like it. You never know what you are going to be doing!