There are many people who are interested in working with birds. There are many different careers with animals and each has a variety of specialty areas. Studies for a career with birds may include ornithology, falconry, bird banding, or rehabilitation. There are also careers training pet birds, bird behavior, leading birding groups and more.

Today I am going to touch on banding birds. Banding is a process where a numbered band is placed on a bird’s leg. Believe it or not, bird banding has been a career area for about 105 years and the man credited with starting it all was Dr. Paul Bartsch of the Smithsonian Institution.

Today banding reports are still submitted and the band number is entered into a computer database and contains important information about the particular animal such as the species, sex, condition, age, and the area where it was banded.

Every time a banded bird is trapped and released again, or if the bird is found dead, the database is updated. The latest statistics available to me were that in 2001 a whopping 1,049,646 birds were banded in the United States and Canada, and 97,204 recoveries were reported to the Bird Banding Laboratory.

Traditionally a biology degree is helpful but studying ornithology is more appropriate. If you want more opportunities consider a field of study that allows you wider options…however for this field a degree is not always required.

Banders are a select group and there are only 2000 Master banding permits and 3000 subpermits in the United States. Those who apply for a banding permit must show that they are qualified to safely trap, handle, and band the birds.

To become a master at bird banding the minimum age is 18 years for the permit. A project proposal must be submitted and you will need recommendations by three licensed bird banders or professional ornithologists discussing your skills. The actual requirements I found are:

Applicants who are at least 18 years of age and are able to identify all of the common birds in their different seasonal plumages may apply for a bird banding permit. However, it is recommended that applicants initially request a subpermit under an existing bander. Applications are submitted to the Bird Banding Laboratory in the USA or the Canadian Wildlife Service in Canada. The applicants must furnish the names of three well-known bird banders or ornithologist who can vouch for their expertise as a bird bander.

To get experience prior to applying for a permit you should volunteer to help local bird banders in your area. Call the local universities, natural history museums, bird groups, or wildlife refuges to find out who is banding birds in your area. Most enjoy having volunteers.

If you do a good job and learn the nuances of bird banding, you may be able to obtain the recommendations you need to proceed. Each state varies in the way they regulate bird banding. There are both federal and state permits so you’ll need to check into the requirements for your particular state and also if you need special permits for trapping devices such as mist nets (specially designed nets for capturing birds).

• The formation of the National Bird Banding Program was heavily influenced by Frederick C. Lincoln.

• Read the executive summary about the North American Bird Banding Program at the United States Geological Survey website.

• Bird Ringing at Wikipedia

The Avian Flu has raised concern for some handling wild birds so the National Wildlife Health Center has a page you might be interested in viewing. It specifically updates those working with wild birds about health issues.

Birds are fascinating animals to work with and since there are so many varieties this is an area of focus you might want to explore.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

I am pondering some longer articles on specific careers but had a thought about some of the current trends I am seeing. The trend is towards animal franchises. Franchises are established businesses that have a whole strategy behind them. They usually include national advertising, demographic studies as to where might be the best location to open shop, branding or name recognition, and much more.

If you are engaging in a profession that is a business that doesn’t deal with live critters that is one thing, but if it is something that requires skill—well, that is a whole other ball game. I recently came across two different franchises that concern professions that require skill for handling animals…skill that is developed over time or that comes from academic training, certification, or years of experience.

I have heard complaints about one of them–because it is related to dog training and behavior–but the other sort of shocked me.

My concern is that not everyone has the skill sets to engage in these specific professions. I need to do more research and exploration before I give a final opinion, but over time I have seen more harm than good for well meaning but unskilled people who are working with animals.

Franchises usually mean that you will be successful because they have a proven business plan and follow that successful model. They often provide ongoing education for a fee. You buy into the franchise and then pay the franchise a regular fee.

In these days I am pretty sick of the big box stores and lack of personality, not to mention customer service, behind many businesses, so I am leery of animal franchises beyond pet product retailers.

I am going to be traveling this week but be sure that I am going to get into the topic in depth in the future.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

As you begin to read the articles and journals, look to see where the authors have studied or received their degrees, and explore to see if you would be interested in such studies, or in the topics published in that journal. If you aren’t interested, then it probably is not an area of study you should pursue.

Before you contact anyone connected with these professional groups, you need to do a bit of research on your own. You will also need to keep your inquiry focused and to the point. Remember that when writing professional people, you will need to respect their time and input by carefully researching and preparing yourself PRIOR to contacting anyone.

People who work with animals receive many, many inquiries about careers with animals. Unfortunately, there are many people who contact them without thinking about what questions they want to ask, or who have not done any exploring or thinking through what it is they are interested in, and if it is even possible.

Writing a letter or e-mail without stating your area of interest, educational background, location (or desire to relocate) or why you are contacting someone is not advisable. Many times professionals will take the time to respond to someone who has thought out such things; while they may or may not drop a note to the person who has not bothered to consider that they might be very busy.

If you write something like, “Hi, I am interested in working with animals. Do you have any recommendations?” this does not give the person you have written any incentive to want to assist you. It is too much work to try and guess at your intent. Writing a letter to a busy professional should show respect and consideration of their valuable time. It also should show that you have taken the time to really research the topic and have a real interest in the field. Hundreds of people think they want to work with animals. Very few of them follow through, learn the options and do the work to achieve their goal.

In the next post I’ll include recommendations for you to do _before_ you contact an organization or people related to one.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

Many people think they should focus their animal career interest to one type of animal. Personally, I think this is a mistake. You’d be more vulnerable to industry changes and find fewer jobs you could qualify for.

Animal groups of interest would be a better choice. Wanting to work with tigers is not as sound as working with large wild cats. Selecting lemurs is perhaps a better choice but focusing on primate would allow you to have more animal career job options.

Once you have narrowed down what type of animals you are interested in, you should then begin to look at what specific area of interest you have in working with them. If you are interested in domestic animal care-taking, for instance, then you should consider such things as pet-sitting, humane society work, kennel attendant, or something related.

If you like the scientific side of things, you could get more into the medical area, and could consider studying to become a veterinarian, veterinary technician, laboratory technician, biologist, genetics specialist or something along those lines.

In the psychology realm, you could consider becoming an animal trainer, animal behavior consultant, or animal psychologist. There are also opportunities for studies on the human and animal bond from within the animal welfare area, and a variety of other types of work with therapy animals and related research from the clinical realm.

If you are interested in wild or exotic animal work, it gets more complicated. You need to ask the same questions as above, and decide where you want to ultimately be in your own country or another one? If you pick a foreign country, you will need to know what the culture is like, what languages are used, and what the political complications may be.

After you have decided what animals or species you are interested in, ask yourself if it is a realistic goal. Carefully review or list those animals that most attract you. Do you want to work with captive animals or wild animals? Any particular species? Marine mammals, terrestrial animals, or do you care? Where will you be in ten years if you are in that work? Do you want indoor or outdoor work?

You will need to really get a good feel about this to see if it is the right area for you, and what you will want to do for a career. For instance, many careers with animals do not pay well. If that is a concern, could you do animal work part-time? What about just helping from a volunteer or docent position? Once you narrow down what kind of work you are interested in and in what capacity, there are a few steps you can take.

One of the first things to do is to start reading related publications; this can be professional journals, books on the subject, and company or organizational reports. Many times your local public library or college/university library will have some of these specialty works. If not, check to see if some of your local professionals will refer you to a professional library source, or perhaps let you look at some of their personal subscriptions. I’ll get into this a little more in my next post.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

Recently I conducted an animal career consultation with a middle aged woman. Her concern was about discrimination based on her age. Today, there are many different laws to protect against age discrimination but the concern is a valid one and I’ll explain why.

Depending on the animal career you are seeking—age really can make a difference but for a variety of reasons. If you are young, you have the opportunity to try a bunch of different animal careers and to grow within the realm you choose.

Many zoo keepers, for instance, can work their way into management or curatorial positions if they work hard, study, and get coaching from those in the institutions where they work.

If you are older—you don’t really want to mess around because you might not have the same amount of time to spend trying out different roles in the animal field. In that case, the research and volunteering strategies I have mentioned before are critical steps to take before making a change—or leap.

In some instances, fitness and reflexes are important—in fact, critical. As we age, our reflexes slow and that can be deadly if you are training wild animals in close proximity. However, age is not as big of a concern as it used to be. People are living longer and maintaining healthier lifestyles and higher fitness levels than in the past. There are some seniors that I have met that can run circles around younger protégés.

For those seeking a career change later in life, I suggest looking at careers that fit in with your talents and interests. During another animal career consultation I spoke with a woman who could not work hands-on with animals because of health issues—but she really wanted to do something that would make a difference.

I suggested she use one of her talents—and she did. Six months later she wrote me a nice note letting me know that she was doing well and already working in a career with animals that brought her joy, didn’t impact her health, and provided a new income as well!

So, no matter what age you are…you can realize your dreams of a career with animals. It might not look like what you first envisioned but remember, an animal career is not a destination, it is a journey.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

Early in my career one of the industry icons of the time took me aside after a performance. I was on stage with a California sea lion who was in my charge. He said,

“You know we can see the amazing interactions you have with an animal when you are on stage. The connection is clear and you have real talent but if you are going to get anywhere in this industry, you are going to have to get better with people…”

Yikes! Talk about a shock. I didn’t really care about the people; my concern was with my charges. However, instead of being insulted or egotistic, I gave it serious thought and decided that he was right.

My point is that to get anywhere in the animal industry, you not only have to be good with animals—you have to be good with people, too.

Many people have the misconception that when you work with animals that you don’t have to work with or get along with the people, too. Nothing could be further from the truth! When working with animals there are coworkers, the public, managers, and a multitude of other people you will interact with.

If you suck with people, well—I hate to tell you this but you won’t get far.

I’ve had my ups and downs in the industry because I am very direct—I’d like to think I am a bit more refined in my style now. I’ve had years to work on my people skills but I have to say that I’ve been in hot water more than once because I won’t budge on a stand over what I perceive as a life and death situation. The well being of animals and humans is so important that I’ve actually lost a job over speaking up on the issue.

Also, I am always looking for new and better ways to do things–which can also get you into trouble. Recently I was reminded of how uncomfortable some people get over that. Someone I consider a colleague was rude…condescending actually…and rather than take her to task, I just noted that this was not the first time and probably won’t be the last she has behaved that way. So, my choice is to be polite, but that is about the extent of any interactions we may have.

My point here is that in the past, I would have gone head to head over the matter. In the scientific realm we like hard core data—but when you work with animals you also have to use other skills and techniques. More on that later…

Anyway, my point in sharing some of my experiences is that if you plan on working with animals you need to plan on working with people—and closely. So, if you are not a good people person—work on becoming better. It will help you in the long run.

And if someone experienced comes up to you and tells you that you need to improve or change something—take note and give the suggestion a shot because it could make the difference in how successful you become in your dream animal career.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

There are always more questions to answer regarding how to prepare for a career with animals. One submitted question concerns education—just what is the difference between certifications and a degree, and what type of salary can be expected?

First a certificate is something you earn by completing a specific set of course work. Private programs often give them out and accredited colleges will also give them if you complete just the required courses within a certain program or major.

When students complete the required courses in the program and also any other general or special education requirements of the college, then they usually earn a specific degree. In today’s world it is best to at least earn a bachelors degree to remain competitive and you’ll need to make sure that your credits will transfer to the high institution if you plan on continuing. Just what degree will be the best for you may vary depending on the industry—but we can get into that in more depth later.

The tragedy of working in the animal field is that the salary is often pretty low. Here is how it works—the number of people seeking an animal career position is always high. Due to the demand, lower salaries are accepted—so the wages remain low. I remember one facility that still had the $7 per hour starting wage for over twenty years!

So just what type of salary you earn will depend on your experience, education, and the type of job you are seeking. In some cases you might luck out and land a position that is managed by a union—otherwise the results vary.

Estimates for starting salaries range from the upper teens into the mid twenties ($18,000- $24,000) per year according to one animal college program. Some companies may have starting wages on an hourly basis from $8.00 – $17.00 per hour.

So, most people are in the industry because of their love for animals—not for the money. It is great to find a balance. I remember being with the top primatologists in the field when one famous researcher said he envied me—I couldn’t believe it as he was working with some rare animals. His point was that I had the potential to make better money than he could—and he was tired of endlessly seeking grants to continue his work–a stressful endeavor as his projects could have ended at any time due to lack of funding!

There are some people who make $50,000 or more per year. Probably the largest growing area of the animal industry is the pet field because people’s pets have become furry family members and are treated like children. This will create a big demand for services.

I want to talk about a misconception rampant among those who want to work with animals—but it is time to log off so I will save that for another time.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

Rumors that I am off reading Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows are not true but it isn’t a bad idea…I was traveling all day yesterday and today was a full day with appointments and other commitments but in all that activity I remembered another question that was posed by a reader.

I mentioned that apprenticing is a good way to get experience but many people call that volunteering or interning. Basically the underlying experience is the same—you gain practical experience and first hand knowledge before you make the commitment to an education program for that career AND commit to that professional field.

The hands-on work is vital to get before you make a final decision on what career path to pursue. I know that I did not want to be a veterinarian because I didn’t want to work with sick animals—and because all the exotic animals I knew hated their veterinarians—and I wanted them to like me!

Also, the veterinary medical field is similar to studying for a medical degree and you have to have the stomach for all things bloody and yucky. I know that isn’t too professional sounding but it gets the point across.

Even unpaid positions require preparation and commitment. You need to show up for work and work hard because you are being prepared for a career and those working with you will pass the information on to others in the field.

Most of the people who end up in jobs work hard to get to know the professionals in the animal career of their dreams. When I was in the marine mammal world, I knew pretty much everyone working in the local oceanariums, networked at the meetings instead of playing, and really studied the natural history of the animals I was interested in.

If you remember nothing else when you are miserably doing a job you consider menial—but which is probably a vital task for animal management—remember that the work you are doing as an intern, volunteer, or apprentice is a foot in the door and a step onto the ladder of the animal career you dream about.

In some cases, it is a rude awakening that you are not suited for that particular role. Often people find that they are really better at something else instead of the role they thought they would pursue.

Okay, that is it for today. I’ll get into some meatier topics this weekend.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

I hate when there is a scheduling error in my day. I was looking forward to the first official announcement and interview about a new academy for animal trainers but the wrong time was written in my calendar–Eastern instead of the correct time for the Pacific Coast. Rats!

The event was canceled once and rescheduled–invites went out to a bunch of different people. So, having missed it I asked for an interview for this series. I had inquired before and was told it probably could be arranged so imagine my surprise when I was informed that I would have to wait until the fall.

Huh?

If you are launching a new program wouldn’t you want to have as much coverage as you could get—especially if the audience was made up of people seeking a career with animals?

So, how do I feel about that? Honestly, it killed my interest. However, maybe the readers at Animal Career Secrets feel differently. If you do, I will consider revisiting that request but it won’t be my top priority.

It is interesting to me that there is a trend of professionals starting new schools or programs to train novices for some sort of animal career or skill related to careers with animals.

I’ve been around long enough to have seen many schools, organizations, and facilities come and go. Personally, I think the resurgence of such programs and organizations is probably a good thing since many animal professionals are now getting older and so it may be time to pass the torch to another generation of animal professionals.

Also, one of the big challenges in the animal world is that there has been a notorious lack of standardization within many fields and even across them.

Case in point, I remember attending a primatology conference where different terms were used to describe the same thing. In the marine mammal field, Sea World tends to come up with new terms and acronyms every few years (or it at least seems like it)…even though perfectly good ones already exist.

There are some trainers that still use archaic techniques even though better ones are available. When the dog training community suddenly got the “ah ha!” over operant conditioning techniques using a clicker, most of my other colleagues shook their heads with me and said, “It is about time.” Why? Because those techniques were not new to us and actually some go back to a zoo in Germany way before (try the 1800s).

It was amusing when one of my dolphin training pals actually moved over to training dogs and went into using choke chains and other standard (and what I consider archaic) techniques for working with canines. He thought it was all something new and excitedly told me what he was doing.

Anyway, in the past few years groups have banded together to certify people so that at least some sort of credentials and sanctions exist—but all of these efforts are fairly new. We all hope it will set some standards and keep the industry moving forward instead of stagnating. It is hard to explain the difference between someone who knows what they are doing and someone who doesn’t when people shop price or think the same title means everyone is the same.

Today I was disappointed to not be granted the interview because what I want to do in the Animal Career Secrets series is give you an inside look into some of these new programs. One of my intentions was to get you the inside track from the people starting them—so far the two that were on the top of my list are not happening—yet.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.

So now that I was on my way, what could be so dark about working your way into an animal career? I’ll leave it for you to decide.

Let me start with some of the great aspects. For instance, I was working with the signing chimpanzees (chimpanzees that communicate with sign language) and each day began by taking my tiger cub for a walk and training session. Very cool.

My friends and family were often frustrated because they couldn’t tell when I was talking about my animal pals or my human friends!

Every day was filled with meeting and greeting a variety of animals and the weekends were spent doing educational tours. In between college courses, I was a training assistant with elephants and other animal. In addition I was able to go out on various jobs that included studio work with animal actors, fairs, and other special events.

Early in my career I decided it was best to keep most relationships on a professional level…which was a shame because if you want to date someone it would be nice for them to have the same interests.

Anyway, this decision proved to be one that I was glad I made because my status didn’t change because of it. True, I often had to work harder and sometimes missed out because the dark side of the story was that cute little starlets (really, Hollywood beauties and Playboy® playmates were always out at the ranch) often got to go on jobs with the trainers.

In the end, I was still around, still working, AND the one the animals responded to. I won’t say it wasn’t frustrating because it was. Then, there was a real prejudice toward female trainers. This was partially because many of the guys didn’t think women should handle big animals and the other was that there was danger—protectiveness maybe.

Believe it or not, some animals do react adversely when women cycle or are pregnant and that is an old school reason some trainers don’t want females in those conditions working with them.

In those days we actually did the stunt work with the live animals and not the computer generated imaging you see on the screen these days.

The other dark side was that the overhead at the ranch was horrendous. Animals didn’t always get the best food and sometimes we had to head out for donations. There was also abuse from some of the trainers and just before I left one of the apes was “found dead.”

By the time the year was winding down, I more than ready to head out to the college– because I got accepted. I headed out and never looked back except when I was contacted for an investigation into animal abuse.

Diana L Guerrero is an animal career specialist and has extensive experience in many areas of the animal world. A well known animal expert, she has worked professionally with animals for over thirty years. Guerrero is the author of several books and the host of the syndicated, Ark Animal Answers.