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The differences between wild animal caretakers and kennel attendants 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 a kennel attendant. Additionally, a wild animal caretaker has an average salary of $27,846, which is higher than the $26,373 average annual salary of a kennel attendant.
The top three skills for a wild animal caretaker include animal handling, facility laundry and general care. The most important skills for a kennel attendant are PET, animal handling, and facility laundry.
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Kennel Attendant | |
| Yearly salary | $27,846 | $26,373 |
| Hourly rate | $13.39 | $12.68 |
| Growth rate | 28% | 28% |
| Number of jobs | 11,735 | 72,239 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| 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.
A kennel attendant is responsible for the daily care of boarded dogs and kennel maintenance. Some of the duties that you will perform will include cleaning cages, scheduling boarding appointments, and monitoring the behavior of these dogs. In addition, it is your responsibility to clean spilled food and animal waste and to dispose of trash on time. Other duties include walking animals if required, ensuring that the animals are always comfortable, and evacuating them when an emergency arises.
Wild animal caretakers and kennel attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Kennel Attendant | |
| Average salary | $27,846 | $26,373 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $37,000 | Between $20,000 And $34,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | - |
| Highest paying state | - | - |
| Best paying company | - | - |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a wild animal caretaker and a kennel attendant in terms of educational background:
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Kennel Attendant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 51% | High School Diploma, 37% |
| Most common major | Biology | Medical Assisting Services |
| Most common college | New York University | Vermont Technical College |
Here are the differences between wild animal caretakers' and kennel attendants' demographics:
| Wild Animal Caretaker | Kennel Attendant | |
| Average age | 32 | 32 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8% | Male, 20.8% Female, 79.2% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |