Internships and Volunteer Work
Prospective zookeepers need both love for animals and diligence toward work that can be strenuous and dirty; animals and their food are sometimes heavy and strong-smelling. Because there are fewer jobs than applicants many prospective zookeepers also volunteer at zoos prior to being employed.
In addition to good academic preparation, most zoos prefer to hire people for zookeeping positions who have prior animal-handling experience. There is a wide variety of internships that aspiring zoo keepers can take both during and after college. Many of these internships can be found by going to a local zoo or aquarium. Other internships can be found in an animal-related facility, including vet hospitals, humane society shelters, wildlife rehabilitation centers, farms and stables. One such internship is the Companion Animal Services (CAS) Internship program at PAWS. Most internships are unpaid and 15 to 20 hours a week for a duration of three months. Internships are an excellent opportunity for individuals who are considering a career in animal welfare, are interested in animal sheltering; want to learn more about companion animals and their behaviors. With not many zoo’s to be found in the world there is only so high of a demand for zoo keepers. The ratio of employment for zookeepers is about 1 hired zookeeper for every ten applicants. With this very low employment rate it can be very hard to find a job in a zoo. Some of the only jobs possible to get placed into at a zoo are Zoo Keeper I, Zookeeper II (requires completion with honors), Exotic Animal Handler (requires completion with honors), Exotic Animal Trainer (requires completion with honors), Wildlife / Conservation Educator, Zoo Exhibit Designer / Artificial Landscape, and Zoo Registrar, with zoological background. Since zoo keepers are not in high demand there are many other animal related jobs that are possible to look into such as zoologist, naturalist, veterinarians, wildlife management, forestry, conservation, and ecology.
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