Howdy! I'm Harrison. I'm from the UK and I have a burning passion for working with animals. Currently, I am working with a small farm with a few unique animals like racoons and wallabys but I plan to go bigger as I get just a little bit older. My dream is to become a Zookeeper as well as move to America to work in some of their zoological facilities.
A hearty welcome. Lots of good zoos here in America but the competition for jobs is very fierce. I used to volunteer at a small zoo (Reid Park Zoo in Tucson) and at the time they would typically receive one hundred applications when they advertised one keeper position. That was years ago and now I imagine it is higher. It is also a small zoo, though they are AZA accredited which adds to the prestige, but large zoos I am sure get many more applications. That is long way of saying if you want to work at a good zoo you need as much experience as you can get (which you are already doing at the farm) and you will need a degree in zoology or biology or ecology. If you don't at least have a bachelor's degree it is essentially impossible to get a job at any AZA facility. A master's degree would give you a leg above the competition.
Thank you. Yeah, I've heard lots of stories about not being able to get a job in a major zoo, but I'm dedicated and I will make it there one day, never giving up. As long as my last few months of school goes to plan, I will be on course to getting a diploma in Animal Management, from that point on, I'm willing to do any extra education I need.
Hello @Harrison!!! Welcome to ZC!!! I also dream of being a zookeeper or conservationist of some sort (I have to finish school first, though)
Thank you! I wish you the best of luck with pursuing the life you want, perhaps we'll come across each other one day?
Welcome and good luck! When I began as a zookeeper it was a case of not being able to get a job as a keeper, unless you had the experience of being a keeper! Very difficult! Later, when I began to put a zoo together, I was informed that a zoo could not be registered as a zoo, unless it was a zoo! Very confusing red tape!!
Thank you! I'm definitely going to need the luck. But yeah! Thankfully, I'm lucky enough to have a farm type setting locally to be able to get a head start in pursuing this crazy career.
Welcome Harrison! Like you and @Bengal Tiger, I also hope to become a zookeeper after finishing school! Nice to have you join ZC
Welcome to ZooChat @Harrison. Don’t be afraid to discount some of the equally inspiring European zoos as a starting point to your career. Their rich history and heritage listed architecture can’t be beat imo.
That's the step after education, I want to work at a zoo in the UK for the first few years (4 or 5 maybe) to build up my experience & knowledge and then I will look into moving. But I agree, European zoos have some incredibly rich history which most of which, is actually quite fascinating.
