Wildlife rehabilitator vs animal attendant

The differences between wildlife rehabilitators and animal 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 wildlife rehabilitator and an animal attendant. Additionally, a wildlife rehabilitator has an average salary of $37,928, which is higher than the $26,394 average annual salary of an animal attendant.

The top three skills for a wildlife rehabilitator include wild animals, rehabilitation and diet preparation. The most important skills for an animal attendant are PET, patients, and animal handling.

Wildlife rehabilitator vs animal attendant overview

	Wildlife Rehabilitator	Animal Attendant
Yearly salary	$37,928	$26,394
Hourly rate	$18.23	$12.69
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	11,399	53,000
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Wildlife rehabilitator vs animal attendant salary

Wildlife rehabilitators and animal attendants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Wildlife Rehabilitator	Animal Attendant
Average salary	$37,928	$26,394
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $53,000	Between $20,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	-	Ithaca, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Baylor College of Medicine
Best paying industry	-	Education

Differences between wildlife rehabilitator and animal attendant education

There are a few differences between a wildlife rehabilitator and an animal attendant in terms of educational background:

	Wildlife Rehabilitator	Animal Attendant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 40%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Duke University	Ohio State University

Wildlife rehabilitator vs animal attendant demographics

Here are the differences between wildlife rehabilitators' and animal attendants' demographics:

	Wildlife Rehabilitator	Animal Attendant
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%	Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between wildlife rehabilitator and animal attendant duties and responsibilities

Wildlife rehabilitator example responsibilities.

Organize volunteers for capture or pickup of wild injure raptor species.
Deal mostly with feeding and cleaning of songbird habitats, but occasionally help to handle raptor and mammal subjects.
Provide nursing care for temporary and permanent resident animals at accredit rehabilitation facility.
Aid in vaccinations, wind treatment, artificial insemination procedures, castrations, tagging and tattoos.

Animal attendant example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Skil at handling, restraining, husbandry and veterinary procedures with reptiles, mammals, raptors, amphibians, and songbirds.
Clean goat and pig yards, train goats and pigs, keep records.
Serve as midwife for birthing dogs, cats and goats.
Care for goats by providing them with feed every week.
Maintain cleanliness of the shelter and medicate animals direct by supervisor as needed.

Wildlife rehabilitator vs animal attendant skills

Common wildlife rehabilitator skills

Wild Animals, 37%
Rehabilitation, 30%
Diet Preparation, 17%
Acute Medical Care, 11%
Educational Programs, 5%

Common animal attendant skills

PET, 59%
Patients, 6%
Animal Handling, 6%
Cleanliness, 3%
Euthanasia, 3%
Autoclaves, 2%

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Wildlife Rehabilitator
Wildlife Rehabilitator vs Animal Attendant

Updated January 8, 2025

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