Wildlife rehabilitator vs animal care technician

The differences between wildlife rehabilitators and animal care technicians 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 care technician. Additionally, a wildlife rehabilitator has an average salary of $37,928, which is higher than the $29,617 average annual salary of an animal care technician.

The top three skills for a wildlife rehabilitator include wild animals, rehabilitation and diet preparation. The most important skills for an animal care technician are patients, animal husbandry, and pigs.

Wildlife rehabilitator vs animal care technician overview

	Wildlife Rehabilitator	Animal Care Technician
Yearly salary	$37,928	$29,617
Hourly rate	$18.23	$14.24
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	11,399	96,973
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Wildlife rehabilitator vs animal care technician salary

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

	Wildlife Rehabilitator	Animal Care Technician
Average salary	$37,928	$29,617
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $53,000	Between $21,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City	-	South San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Emory University
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between wildlife rehabilitator and animal care technician education

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

	Wildlife Rehabilitator	Animal Care Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Duke University	New York University

Wildlife rehabilitator vs animal care technician demographics

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

	Wildlife Rehabilitator	Animal Care Technician
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 20.3% Female, 79.7%	Male, 31.1% Female, 68.9%
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, 4.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between wildlife rehabilitator and animal care technician 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 care technician example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Train in safety procedures for blood borne pathogens, GLP and GMP certification, and ISO standards.
Familiarize with the strains of various animal species to include rats, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs.
Interview prospective adopting families while counseling on animal welfare and responsibilities of pet owners.
Maintain knowledge of CPR procedures and evacuation procedures.
Assist with minor emergency procedures, perform CPR.

Wildlife rehabilitator vs animal care technician skills

Common wildlife rehabilitator skills

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

Common animal care technician skills

Patients, 10%
Animal Husbandry, 9%
Pigs, 5%
Patient Care, 5%
Animal Handling, 5%
GLP, 4%

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Wildlife Rehabilitator vs Animal Care Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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