Animal Careers & Animal Jobs

Unusual Animal Careers Part Five
How to Get Exotic Animal Experience

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Animal careers, animal schools, & animal courses are just a few topics you will find here. You can read about careers with animals, discover animal programs, and enroll in unique animal career seminars. This is part five in an unusual animal career series. In this section you will learn about how to get exotic animal experience.

Editor's Note: This is the continuation of an ongoing series related to animal careers. To reap the benefits of all the tips and requirements of this series it is suggested that you read them in order. You can do this easily by going back to the animal career index page.

The first three parts of this series discussed types of careers and which ones might be appropriate for you, how to begin researching those career options, and how to find specific information in the area of your interest to help you further clarify your goals and contacts. Part four and five help you explore how to get specific experience in the career area of interest.

EXOTIC ANIMAL WORK

Wild animals usually refers to native wildlife in the country of origin, whether captive or not. The term "exotic animal" refers mainly to wild or feral animals from other countries. Many times, the term exotic is used to represent both categories. For the purposes of this article, this type of work will refer to wild animals of all types in many different capacities or facilities.

All animals can be dangerous, whether exotic or domestic. Anything that has teeth and claws always has the potential to harm anyone. This is an important point to remember since wild animals usually are very instinctual and will react more quickly and be less tolerant of mistakes that a person may make.

Most quality facilities will not allow you to interact with the animals until you have passed an extensive training period or apprenticeship. They are concerned with the safety and welfare of both their animals, the facility, and anyone else there. If you cannot understand this or do not care enough about the animals to abide by the rules, then this is not the field for you.

Another thing to think about is that you could be severely injured or maimed by a wild animal. Many people think wild animals would be fun to work with or think they are just wonderful and will be their buddies. No matter what you think or feel, the animals are wild and will react as wild animals.

Getting your hands dirty will help you loose the rose colored glasses and face the reality of the career while you gather experience; this type of career may not be for you. Ask yourself why you want to work with the specific animal(s) and what you want to accomplish. It is not just a game or something that will be "fun." It takes hard and dedicated work.

Please note that many professionals are injured and killed by animals they knew well, but who reacted as the wild creatures they are. Follow the directives of those training you and do not do anything that you feel will be risky to the health and safety of the animals or to yours.

WHERE TO GET WORK EXPERIENCE

• SPECIAL GROUPS
• PRIVATE FACILITIES OR BUSINESSES
• SCHOLASTIC PROGRAMMING
• INTERNSHIPS
• EXTERNSHIPS
• DOCENT OR VOLUNTEER PROGRAMMING

SPECIAL GROUPS

Depending on what your focus is, you will have to search out specialty groups to obtain experience and training. Rehabilitation oriented rescue groups are a good way to start. Sometimes there are special interest groups for animals such as the opossum, ferrets, or raptors. There are also marine mammal rescue groups, educational programs for whale-watching and naturalist work.

Search out the national groups (see Part Three of this series) and ask for referrals to the state and local groups in your area. Be sure to keep your eyes open for other groups that might work with those you are interested in; sometimes they are hard to find.

PRIVATE FACILITIES OR BUSINESSES

These can overlap with some of the special groups. Many private educational facilities will house animals for ambassador programs, television work, or rescues of illegally held animals. Petting zoos can often have some exotics too. Each facility will vary as to their caliber of care and training opportunities. It is hard to find really good ones, so check with USDA or US Fish & Wildlife or the State Fish & Game to find out which groups meet, or exceed, the minimum standards and who have few complaints or violations.

SCHOLASTIC PROGRAMMING

There are a few programs available for training in the area of exotic animal care and handling. Some are more related to zoos, while others will focus on training and handling from a private perspective. Some formal animal behavior programs may help you further down the road. Due to the specialty nature of this list, the different facilities offering programming will be discussed in other articles in this series.

INTERNSHIPS

An internship is where you are actually sponsored into a program to help with research in conjunction with a school or educational facility. Many of the zoo oriented programs have this available to their students and work in conjunction with some of the top names in the industry; again, this is supervised practical experience. You actually go and work within a separate program or facility while finishing your program. Many of these programs are run during the school year or in the summer months, when the course load is lighter; they often consist of assisting with an academic research project.

EXTERNSHIPS

This is where you are involved in a training program that is part of an actual course of study of an educational facility. Usually the externship is in the private animal world and is supervised by the business owner or participant. It is also supervised work with a little different focus from an internship. This work is often more practical in nature instead of having a strictly academic focus.

DOCENT OR VOLUNTEER PROGRAMMING

Local zoos, natural history museums, and private organizations will often have docent or volunteer programming available for people interested in wild and exotic animals. Some will operate short introductory courses for various ages groups; while others will have more elaborate long term opportunities for specific age groups.

Programs are usually related to education and some will allow you to gain animal experience. Special events, tours, and presentations are a few of the roles you will have. Again, there is often a fee for participation in these groups. The fees will usually cover your training, materials, uniforms, and other related items. A time commitment and possibly age limitations may also apply.

I hope that this has sparked some ideas for you to search out. Keep checking back to this series. The next few articles will deal with the specifics of internships, scholastic programming, and other related training programs.

Unusual Animal Careers Part Six: Job Possibilities in Animal Behavior

Diana Guerrero, author of this series, has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. She offers animal career counseling and related programs.

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