Zoo keeper vs animal care technician

The differences between zoo keepers 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 zoo keeper and an animal care technician. Additionally, a zoo keeper has an average salary of $33,617, which is higher than the $29,617 average annual salary of an animal care technician.

The top three skills for a zoo keeper include animal husbandry, animal exhibits and AZA. The most important skills for an animal care technician are patients, animal husbandry, and pigs.

Zoo keeper vs animal care technician overview

	Zoo Keeper	Animal Care Technician
Yearly salary	$33,617	$29,617
Hourly rate	$16.16	$14.24
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	4,468	96,973
Job satisfaction	4	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

Zoo keeper vs animal care technician salary

Zoo keepers and animal care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Zoo Keeper	Animal Care Technician
Average salary	$33,617	$29,617
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $49,000	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 zoo keeper and animal care technician education

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

	Zoo Keeper	Animal Care Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Cornell University	New York University

Zoo keeper vs animal care technician demographics

Here are the differences between zoo keepers' and animal care technicians' demographics:

	Zoo Keeper	Animal Care Technician
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 35.2% Female, 64.8%	Male, 31.1% Female, 68.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.3% 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 zoo keeper and animal care technician duties and responsibilities

Zoo keeper example responsibilities.

Manage complicated water filtration systems, and implement nutrition plans for a variety of snake species.
Assist in producing illustrations and animation material to develop tutoring videos for math and physics.
Provide environmental enrichment for various mammal and raptor species.

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.

Zoo keeper vs animal care technician skills

Common zoo keeper skills

Animal Husbandry, 17%
Animal Exhibits, 16%
AZA, 12%
USDA, 4%
Hoof, 4%
Animal Food, 4%

Common animal care technician skills

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