Also called: Animal Keeper, Animal Care Specialist
Feeds, cleans up after, trains, and cares for zoo animals every day.
Starts at 7 a.m. hosing out the giraffe barn, prepares diets of chopped produce and browse, trains the giraffes to come to the door for foot checks, gives a keeper talk to visitors, and notes any animal acting unusual. Physical, messy, and competitive to get into.
Estimate based on BLS animal caretakers in zoos.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in zoology or biology is often expected, plus internships; pay is modest.
Ways in: 4-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Zoology, Biology, Animal Science.
Growing about average. Very competitive for limited openings.
Low risk for 10 years. Cameras and sensors help monitor animals, but feeding, cleaning, training and noticing when an animal is off stay hands-on.
Classes: Biology, AP Environmental Science, Agriscience (FFA), Physical education.
Official data: O*NET occupation 39-2021.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.