Q&A for How to Be a Zookeeper

Because of your age, you can't intern yet. But you could volunteer at a local animal shelter with your parents or older siblings. You can also visit zoos and talk to the staff there. Ask them about the pros and cons of zookeeping. It is also a good idea to read about animals, learn some anatomy, and maybe watch some Animal Planet. When you reach high school, you can take lots of science courses and electives.

You will most likely be expected to work with one particular group of species (big cats, canines, birds, etc.) at once, but have the opportunity to change this throughout your career. Every zoo is different, however.

You should use protective gear and learn from a professional.

There's no exact age, but you have to obtain a degree in order to become a zookeeper, so likely at least 20-21 years old.

Yes, any of these places would be terrific for your experience and would look great on resumes.

Zookeepers help by making sure that their animals are healthy and comfortable, which allows other people to enjoy them, which helps create a public appreciation for nature in general.

I know a keeper that majored in psychology. Schooling is one thing that matters, but your experience speaks volumes over your degree. If I compared schooling and experience, I'd put it at 30% and 70% respectively. Check out the information listed under Method 2 about gaining experience.

There are no specific subjects you have to pass, as long as you graduate from high school. If you're pursuing a higher degree related to zookeeping, you will have to pass all or almost all of the classes in order to graduate and get the degree.

Yes! This will give you not only experience with the public in answering questions but will also give you contacts within the industry, which can be very important.

No, but they can work their way into animal care.

As long as they can become qualified, then yes.

Yes, you can specialize in particular types of animals. In fact, this is essential because some animals are really hard work and need to be completely understood to be safe around them, like big cats, bears and snakes. Also, many animals develop close relationships with their keepers. Drop into your local zoo and have a chat to the zookeepers who work with animals you're interested in.

No, the only requirements are an associate or bachelor's degree in biology or zoology. It would be good to have volunteer or internship work though. And veterinarians study veterinary science, not medical science.

Veterinarians care for the health of sick animals, do procedures such as vaccinating and testing for disease, help animals give birth, etc., just the same sort of things doctors do for humans. Zookeepers, on the other hand, usually maintain habitats, feed the animals properly, observe the animals, provide them with enrichment activities, and sometimes have to do physical things, like carrying animals and equipment to care for them. Zookeepers generally specialize in certain species, so they can know all about them and take the best possible care of the animals during the lifetime of the animals under their supervision.

Zookeeper is a fairly hard job to obtain due to the relatively low number of zoos in any one country, the fact that keepers tend to stay with their specific area animals for a long time (thus lessening the amount of job openings available), the failure rate of smaller zoos and the competitiveness of getting the job in the fist place. It is a good idea to have alternative career ideas in place.