How To Become a Zookeeper: Educational and Career Requirements
A zookeeper provides care for animals in a variety of ways to improve their quality of life, including cleaning the animals’ living quarters, feeding them on a daily basis, and training them for specific activities, as well as communicating with and cooperating with employees to provide the best possible care for the animals.
The average salary for a zookeeper is $14.05 per hour, but salaries range from $7.25 to $34.10 per hour. Most zookeepers have a Bachelor’s Degree in Life Sciences, which includes biology and zoology coursework, but any experience working with animals can position you to become a zookeeper.
What qualifications do I need to work at a zoo?
Some zoos will require A-levels and a higher education qualification in animal care or animal science, while others will require at least 5 GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English, maths, and science.
How much money does a zookeeper make a year?
For entry-level jobs (one to four years experience), zookeepers earned an average national wage of $19 per hour, or $38,571 per year in February 2021.
Do zookeepers get paid well?
While hourly wages as high as $13.22 and as low as $5.29 have been reported on ZipRecruiter, the majority of Zookeeper wages currently range between $6.73 (25th percentile) and $11.54 (75th percentile) across the United States.
Is Zookeeping a good career?
Zookeeping, and animal care in general, is a highly sought-after career path, and it’s easy to see why, especially if you enjoy working with animals.
Can I work in a zoo without a degree?
Most students who want to work in a zoo major in biology, zoology, animal behavior, animal science, conservation science, or another related field; keeper positions may only require an associate’s degree, though many keepers have a four-year bachelor’s degree.
Can you be a zookeeper without a degree?
Though there is no minimum educational requirement for becoming a zookeeper, a bachelor’s degree in biology or zoology would be advantageous, and there is also the possibility of becoming a zookeeper with a lot of on-the-job experience.
Is it hard to get a job at the zoo?
Because most of these jobs are in high demand, you should expect fierce competition and low pay compared to the level of education required to perform them. And these jobs aren’t easy; caring for animals, for example, can necessitate round-the-clock attention in some settings.
Are zookeepers zoologists?
Comparing Zoologists and Zookeepers Zoologists are researchers who study wild animals and their relationships with their habitat, whereas zookeepers care for animals in zoos. Despite the fact that both careers involve working with animals, they are very different.
Where do zookeepers make the most money?
Zookeepers in the United States earn the most money in the following cities.
- 9 salaries reported at $24.49 per hour in Portland, OR
- 5 salaries reported at $23.98 per hour in Washington, DC
- 16 salaries reported at $18.68 per hour in Brookfield, IL
- 5 salaries reported at $17.19 per hour in Boston, MA
- 5 salaries reported at $15.26 per hour in Palm Desert, CA.
Are zookeepers in demand?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for zookeepers is expected to grow 15% through 2022, resulting in more than 5,000 job openings per year.
What are the disadvantages of being a zookeeper?
Drawbacks
- You’ll almost certainly always work weekends.
- You don’t make much money.
- You stink within the first half hour of arriving at work.
- Hay will inevitably end up everywhere. EVERYWHERE.
What is the highest paying job?
The Top 25 Highest-Paying Jobs in the U.S.
- We used the following methodology: Anesthesiologists: $261,730*
- Surgeons: $252,040*
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons: $237,570.
- Obstetricians-Gynecologists: $233,610*
- Orthodontists: $230,830.
- Prosthodontists: $220,840.
How many years does it take to become a zookeeper?
Bachelor’s Degree Students can often tailor their zookeeper education to include special interests such as herpetology, animal behavior, and other wildlife studies, and bachelor’s programs typically last four years and cost around $6,585 per academic year.
Are zookeepers vets?
Zookeepers work alongside animal curators, veterinarians, and resident zoologists at zoos, aquariums, and wildlife refuges of all sizes across the country. Animal curators are scientists in charge of the animals.
Why do I love being a zookeeper?
You get to learn a lot. I love it. My job is great because I get to put my years of experience to good use. (As a side note, I also get to use a lot of my favorite skills in my job– public speaking, time management, interpretation, and so on.) And I never, ever stop learning.