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The differences between wild animal caretakers and animal caregivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both a wild animal caretaker and an animal caregiver. Additionally, a wild animal caretaker has an average salary of $27,846, which is higher than the $27,665 average annual salary of an animal caregiver.
The top three skills for a wild animal caretaker include animal handling, facility laundry and general care. The most important skills for an animal caregiver are pigs, PET, and animal handling.
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Animal Caregiver | |
| Yearly salary | $27,846 | $27,665 |
| Hourly rate | $13.39 | $13.30 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 11,735 | 57,251 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Years of experience | 3 | 3 |
A wild animal caretaker is responsible for administering care to animals at pet shops, kennels, aquariums, zoos, and research labs. They are tasked with grooming, feeding, giving water to, and exercising animals. They monitor animals, record their health conditions, and report any problems. They must have excellent communication, interpersonal, and time-management skills to excel in this role.
An animal caretaker is primarily in charge of the welfare and safety of animals in a particular area. They may work at veterinary shops and clinics, private institutions, kennels, animal shelters, and even zoos. Although their responsibilities vary on the animals and their place of employment, it typically includes feeding, bathing, grooming, exercising, and petting. There are also instances where they must clean and sanitize cages, prepare meals, administer vitamins and medication, and monitor their behavior.
Wild animal caretakers and animal caregivers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Animal Caregiver | |
| Average salary | $27,846 | $27,665 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $37,000 | Between $20,000 And $36,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a wild animal caretaker and an animal caregiver in terms of educational background:
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Animal Caregiver | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Biology | Biology |
| Most common college | New York University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between wild animal caretakers' and animal caregivers' demographics:
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Animal Caregiver | |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8% | Male, 23.5% Female, 76.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 2.8% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |