Also called: Animal Trainer for Film, Animal Coordinator
Trains and handles animals that appear on screen, from dogs and horses to snakes and birds.
An animal wrangler spends weeks teaching a dog to 'hit a mark' and bark on cue, then on set keeps the animal calm between takes. They work with safety monitors to make sure no animal is harmed.
BLS animal trainers median ~$37k; film wranglers in union jobs can earn more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. Usually learned through apprenticing at an animal training company.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Apprenticeship. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Animal Science, Zoology.
Growing about average. Small niche; CGI animals have replaced some work.
Low risk for 10 years. Handling and training real animals on set is hands-on trust work; AI-made animals may cut some jobs but most shoots use real ones.
Classes: Biology, Animal science CTE, Agriculture, Physical education.
Official data: O*NET occupation 39-2011.
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.