Also called: Conservation Veterinarian, Zoo & Wildlife Vet
Treats wild animals and studies wildlife diseases, from darting bighorn sheep to tracking bird flu.
You might ride in a helicopter to tranquilize and collar elk, do a necropsy on a dead eagle to find out why it died, or advise a state agency on stopping chronic wasting disease in deer.
Government and nonprofit wildlife vets often earn less than private-practice vets.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Professional degree (MD, JD, DVM…), about 9 years after high school. DVM (4 years after college); many add a residency or a master's in wildlife disease.
Ways in: 4-year college, Professional school, Graduate school. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Wildlife Biology, Animal Science, Pre-Veterinary Medicine.
Growing much faster than average (about 10% over 10 years). Veterinarians overall; wildlife positions are few and competitive.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps with disease surveillance data; darting, treating and studying wild animals stay hands-on human work.
Classes: Biology, Chemistry, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 29-1131.
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.