How To Become A Wild Animal Caretaker: What It Is and Career Path

What is a wild animal caretaker and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Chase Runyan

Wild animal caretakers are experts responsible for protecting the health of the wild animals and ensuring that their habitat is well managed. You can usually see them working in zoos, aquariums, and amusement parks. This is a highly sought-after job due to the unique opportunities and experiences that the role provides.

On a daily basis, wild animal caretakers create meal plans for the wild animals and clean their cages. They are also responsible for reporting any injuries and unusual behaviors. From time to time, they address questions from the public and from students on field trips. This role can be dangerous, and there is a high risk of injuries from aggressive animals.

Most wild animal caretakers have a bachelor's degree in zoology or animal science. Veterinary technicians with veterinary graduates can, in some cases, qualify as animal caretakers. There are some employees that prefer candidates to have experience in working with different animals. You can typically get this experience through volunteer work and internship programs.

What's a day at work look like for a wild animal caretaker?

Dr. Chase Runyan

Associate Professor, Department Chair, Director of MIR/Research Scientist, Angelo State University

Because agriculture industries are so diverse in their nature, it is nearly impossible to gauge what a work day might look like.

ScoreWild Animal CaretakerUS Average

Salary

2.2

Avg. Salary $27,846

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 28%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.49%

Asian 2.63%

Black or African American 4.27%

Hispanic or Latino 18.03%

Unknown 6.50%

White 68.08%

Gender

female 73.77%

male 26.23%

Age - 29

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 29

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a wild animal caretaker

Explore wild animal caretaker education requirements

Most common wild animal caretaker degrees

Bachelor's

51.1 %

High School Diploma

26.6 %

Associate

14.6 %

Start to develop specific wild animal caretaker skills

Skills	Percentages
Animal Handling	24.35%
Facility Laundry	10.88%
General Care	7.92%
Administer Medications	7.74%
Husbandry	5.53%

Complete relevant wild animal caretaker training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New wild animal caretakers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a wild animal caretaker based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real wild animal caretaker resumes.

Research wild animal caretaker duties and responsibilities

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Assist with surgery and run in house blood work.
Assist veterinarians, veterinary technicians and veterinary assistants in providing the best care possible for patients.
Help with incoming pets as well as with the adoption of the pet by their forever home families.

Prepare your wild animal caretaker resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your wild animal caretaker resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a wild animal caretaker resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable wild animal caretaker resume templates

Build a professional wild animal caretaker resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your wild animal caretaker resume.