Working with Animals

The most exciting and fun career you can have in a zoo is that of habitat designer or zoo horticulturist. As zoos strive to improve the environment for the animals in care they are trying to create and environment where the animals can move freely and to re-create their natural surroundings. This reduces the stress that many animals suffer when they are caged and has a dramatic effect on their behaviour. The animals’ welfare is of paramount importance and the reduction of stress helps with captive breeding projects.

Showing visitors animals in surroundings similar to their natural environment helps increase peoples awareness of the need for conservation of natural habitats. Working in this field is very interesting and highly creative and you will have to do lots of research into what wild animals need, so will probably involve travel. You will need a degree in botany or biology and experience of building management or architecture would be helpful. As a qualified habitat designer you would be able to work in a zoo, safari park or aquarium.

Zoologist is another fun career. You would study physiology, anatomy, behaviour and ecology. Zoologists co-ordinate general conservation strategies and conservation breeding programmes. To become a zoologist you would need a degree in zoology and preferably an MSc or PhD.

Another great career in a zoo would be as a curator. Curators are in charge of the various zoological departments. They could be in charge of the zoo’s entire animal collection. They could be responsible for planning the zoo’s collection and managing various parts of the zoo’s animal collection such as mammals, birds, fish or reptiles. Curators in larger zoos are specialist and could be in charge of exhibits and graphics or the zoo’s gardens and botanical collection or the zoo’s educational programmes, educational visits and projects.

Wildlife Careers

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If you want to work with wildlife you need to be able to stand tough physical outdoor work and enjoy being outside in all weathers. You need to be dedicated, compassionate and committed. There are many different roles working with wildlife which could be conducting wildlife and ecological surveys; monitoring wildlife populations and habitats; rescue and protection of animals from man-made and natural disaster and the rehabilitation of injured and sick animals.

Wildlife rehabilitation is necessary to improve the chances of survival for animals that have been sick or injured when they are released back into their natural habitat. You would look after the animals temporarily whist they are injured or sick or youngsters that have been orphaned.

A wildlife biologist has direct involvement for the well-being of wild animals. You could specialise in a specific area such as wildlife management, or law enforcement, environment education, natural resources management, conservation biology, research or environmental biology.

An ornithologist is a bird specialist with a scientific slant to their work. They monitor and track birds, monitor their environment and management, study bird populations and bird behaviour, they carry out surveys and educate the public on habitat conservation.

A wildlife or countryside conservation officer looks after the management, improvement and protection of wildlife or a wilderness area.

Private estates employ gamekeepers to look after the wildlife on the farm or estate. This is a very practical job and they may have to carry out potentially dangerous jobs such as using a chain saw or administering pesticides.

A fun career choice could be animal and wildlife photography for anyone who enjoys photography and wants to work near animals. You would need to be prepared to work flexible hours and travel. This is a great way to see the world and animals in their natural environment. You could also work as an animal portrait photographer or run a photo library. Once experienced you could run animal photography courses.

Conclusion

So if you think outside the normal run of careers with animals, you could find yourself a very enjoyable, rewarding and fun career with animals.