Animal Books

Opportunities in Zoo and Aquariums

Opportunities in Zoo Careers by Blythe Camenson

While i was trying to figure out if i wanted to work in zoos while i was in high school, i remember going to my local library and picking up this book on helping people find out what they need to do in order to start a career in zoos or aquariums.  Published in 1998, it looks much older than it is, but it’s still the best beginning resource to look through when considering a job at a zoo.

The book is broken up in to 9 chapters:

1. The World of Zoos and Aquariums
2. Zookeepers
3. Zoo Curators
4. Animal Behaviorists
5. Zoo Veterinary Staff
6. Wildlife Rehabilitation
7. Aquarium Careers
8. Education and Public Relations
9. Volunteering in Zoos and Aquariums

Appendix A: Professional Associations
Appendix B: Wildlife Rehabilitation Publications
Appendix C: Contacts for State and Federal Rehabilitation Permits
Appendix D: Addresses of Featured Institutions

A Volunteer sings with a kookaburra at the Maryland Zoo

The most important thing i can suggest if you really want to become a zoo keeper is you should volunteer at the zoo you want to work at.  When you volunteer you should let the person interviewing know that you have interest in working for the zoo and as months go on you should mention this to some of the more experienced zoo keepers.  The reason i suggest this is that the zoo will much more likely hire someone within the zoo then a random person with a little more experience.

The reason for this is as a volunteer, if you ask to work with the animals or prepare the food for the animals, you have learned a large percentage of the skills needed to take care of the animals.  Many zoos will let you volunteer only a couple times a month, or however much you would want to volunteer.

Why Should You Work At A Zoo?

So you think you want to become a zookeeper?   I can help!  As a former zoo keeper, if you love animals this is a job for you.  There is no better experience working at a zoo and being able to climb a gate and walk into an enclosure with an animal you probably would never see in the wild.

A Volunteer feeds a Giraffe

There are some negatives to being a Zoo keeper, it’s not all fun, though.  The job can be very tough in the sense you have to do a lot of manual labor.  Most days i would have to run around with a wheel barrel and scoop animal shit into the container and haul it to the back of the zoo.  This was done for about 1 to 2 hours a day which can become tedious.  There is not that much time to sit inside the enclosure and play with the animals, infact there are barely any that you can do that (except for barn yard animals).

If you do not mind working hard to work with animals, this job is probably for you.  I remember watching live animal births which is extremely rare to see, but as a zoo keeper this is something you may get the opportunity to see for yourself.

For further reading, please check out all of the animal books that i have reviewed.  Also please feel free to check out some of my animal pictures that i have taken!