Pet handler vs lion trainer

The differences between pet handlers and lion trainers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a pet handler and a lion trainer. Additionally, a lion trainer has an average salary of $38,163, which is higher than the $31,455 average annual salary of a pet handler.

The top three skills for a pet handler include PET, and . The most important skills for a lion trainer are safety procedures, training sessions, and .

Pet handler vs lion trainer overview

	Pet Handler	Lion Trainer
Yearly salary	$31,455	$38,163
Hourly rate	$15.12	$18.35
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	42,867	20,859
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Pet handler vs lion trainer salary

Pet handlers and lion trainers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pet Handler	Lion Trainer
Average salary	$31,455	$38,163
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $44,000	Between $20,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between pet handler and lion trainer education

There are a few differences between a pet handler and a lion trainer in terms of educational background:

	Pet Handler	Lion Trainer
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Pet handler vs lion trainer demographics

Here are the differences between pet handlers' and lion trainers' demographics:

	Pet Handler	Lion Trainer
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 25.0% Female, 75.0%	Male, 61.1% Female, 38.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 1.7% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 3.9% Unknown, 7.2% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 1.6% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between pet handler and lion trainer duties and responsibilities

Pet handler example responsibilities.

Achieve detailed grooming including skin, ear, nail care, coat clips and dental care.
Encourage sales of merchandise and products need for their new pet companions.
Track inventory of animals on a daily basis from shipments to sales.
Pet sitting, dog walking, transporting dogs to groomers and back home, cleaning up after the animals, etc.
Encourage sales of the avians that are for sale as well as the neccessary items need for their new avian companion.
Assist in answering customer questions regarding grooming, scheduling grooming appointments and maintaining salon cleanliness and safety.

Lion trainer example responsibilities.

Acquire knowledge in animal husbandry, natural history, and animal conditioning principles through reading materials and participating in training sessions.
Assure proper annotation of administrative MWD utilization and training records used for legal reviews.

Pet handler vs lion trainer skills

Common pet handler skills

PET, 100%

Common lion trainer skills

Safety Procedures, 55%
Training Sessions, 45%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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