Interns will work directly with the Curator of Behavioral Husbandry and Research and animal keepers to learn the principles of animal training and enrichment through lecture as well as hands-on work with the animals.

This particular internship is for seal training and polar bear enrichment and interns will participate in animal training demonstrations and schedule, implement and evaluate daily polar bear enrichment. As with many internships, this position is unpaid but housing is available.

Requirements are that you must be a junior or senior in college, or recent college graduate with a major in Biology, Animal Behavior, Psychology, Zoology or other related field

Must be willing to learn, have a positive attitude, and team mentality. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel required and previous hands-on work with animals a plus.

Duties include preparing seal diets and participate in daily feeding/training sessions and enter those training records into a computer program.

In addition, will help in the development of enrichment schedules for several species and construct and implement enrichment items while also conducting animal behavioral observations.

To apply please send a cover letter, resume and 3 references to (email preferred) to
Beth Posta
Curator of Behavioral Husbandry and Research
The Toledo Zoo
Beth.Posta@toledozoo.org 419-385-5721 ext. 2051

My favorite trip was to an exotic feline facility where the highlight of many students was that they were licked by a leopard.

Hmm, that might be a good title for something.

Anyway, when I moved away from the San Diego location, I moved my animal career coaching to private sessions and have enjoyed watching some of those clients move into careers with animals.

At long last I will begin offering animal career coaching again for selected people who want to participate.

I’ll be sending out notices within a week to my subscribers so I’d urge you to make sure to sign up to the list.

A select group of individuals will be chosen to participate in a beta test of a new online program and course work designed to help you identify if you have what it takes to be involved in an animal career and then direct you into actions that can help you make the career with animals dream a reality.

I’ll be only selecting a few people for this program test and it will be fee based.

It will include some great perks and introductions to a variety of aspects in the animal field (both wild and domestic) so if you want a career with dogs or seek something more exotic–you won’t want to miss it.

The first pre-requisite is that you have to be a subscriber on my list–so sign up now and wait for the announcement!

In the past few years there have been a number of new types of pet businesses exploding across the nation, many are prominent in urban areas and some pet businesses are more susceptible to challenges when there are fluctuations in the economy.

One of the reasons for this is that many consider them non-essentials. Pet food and veterinary medical services will always be needed but not every pet service or business will be.

At the moment, it looks like we are headed into tougher times. In the past, I’ve watched specialty boutiques, training businesses, grooming services, dog walking, and pet clean up services suffer from lower demand in the face of economic hard times.

Customer service and quality products or services can help fight against economic ups and downs but there are a few things to consider. One of the things many pet businesses do is diversify.

Not too long ago I remember when most groomers refused to sell products. I had been commissioned by one of the major pet wholesale distributors to open up that market since they had been unsuccessful at doing that.

It would seem like this would be a no-brainer but most didn’t want to deal with sales or keeping products on the shelf clean. I have to admit that in my training business at the time I preferred to refer to local pet businesses for products so as not to compete–and to create goodwill so that my business would thrive from the referrals for animal behavior instead.

However, as time passed many of those business owners realized that they were missing on out sales that could increase their revenue and create an additional income on a regular basis. Today, I still refer but I also have product on hand to sell to clients and have my own proprietary products as they are a big boost to the bottom line.

Another strategy is to network with other pet related services and businesses. Cooperation and cross referral creates good will and additional customer loyalty—not to mention the additional dollars from sales.

My point in bringing this up is to challenge those who are interested in pet businesses to use a bit of creative thought on how to make your business as profitable and stable as you can.

Think about ways you can increase revenue, keep current clients and customers happy, and attract new clients. If you make these efforts part of the business plan, should the economy takes a serious hit, your business will continue to move forward despite challenges.

While I am on the topic, many businesses start up with little capital to fund their first years. In general, most businesses will fail in the first five years and it would be a good idea to do ample research, construct a good business plan, and consult with experts who can help steer you in the right direction.

If you do decide your own business is the way to go, the groundwork you do in advance will save you heartache and stress 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.

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.

Two field researchers are required for a year long study on “Seed
dispersal and regeneration of hornbill dispersed tree species in the
Eastern Himalayas.” This research is a continuation of an ongoing
study in Pakke Tiger Reserve and adjoining Reserve Forests. The focus of the research is on the consequences of anthropogenic disturbance (primarily hunting and logging) on hornbill densities and the recruitment of their food plants and encompasses bird surveys (of hornbills and other frugivorousspecies), focal tree watches and vegetation assessments.

The project will be initiated in August/September 2007 (time frame
negotiable) and will continue for a period of one year with the
possibility of a six month extension. A monthly stipend equivalent to
JRF/SRF scales of UGC as found applicable will be paid for the duration
of the study. In addition, field costs will be covered.

Candidates should possess a Master’s degree in Wildlife
biology/Ecology/ Zoology or a related field of biology and be willing to
work in extremely demanding field conditions. Prior field experience in
bird identification (particularly Himalayan species) and field
techniques is highly desirable.

Qualified candidates may P. Sethi (psethi *at* uic.edu)
Pia Sethi
Doctoral candidate
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Illinois at Chicago
845 W. Taylor Street (M/C 066)
Chicago, IL-60607

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.

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.

Oliver Dingwell conducted his first pet funeral, which commemorated the unfortunate passing of Freddy the Frog, when he was just six years old [read more about Oliver Dingwell… ] but other than the fact that Oliver’s is a whopping twelve years old, the career path isn’t too unusual—any more.

The 1900s were significant as animals and pets moved from utilitarian roles and workers into the homes to become valued family members. Pet cemeteries and burials began to become more common right at the turn of the century.

In fact, Hartsdale Pet Cemetery has the distinction of being one of the oldest established pet cemeteries in the United States. Hartsdale Canine Cemetery was originally established in 1896 by a prominent veterinarian and was one of a few early trend setting businesses in the pet cemetery and pet crematoria fields.

However, pet burial services have a much longer history. For instance, the National History Museum in Los Angeles estimates that the presence of pets in human burials began between 14, 000 and 9,000 years ago.

In my interview with Salima Ikram, an Egyptologist with the Cairo Museum, she said that animal mummification reached its pinnacle of popularity between 664-525 BCE. There was an evolution from animals being interred in the tombs of their owners, or with their owners, to that of animal specific burial grounds—and some even warranted their own tombs.

In my research for Blessing of the Animals (ISBN 1402729677) I found that many of the newest trends really took hold in the 1990s, but that early innovators began holding ceremonies and celebrations as early as the 1970s.

Pet services in the pet burial and pet memorial field that are gaining momentum include pet hospice worker, pet funeral director, and pet bereavement counselor. I believe that this field is still at the early stages and will only increase as the numbers of pets within households age and their status as valued furry family members solidifies.

Because the industry is still pretty new, just what qualifications you will need are not clear. The academic training falls under Mortuary Science (no, I am not kidding) where the minimum is a Bachelors degree. There are a few US programs available to animal career seekers but these are not specifically animal oriented. I just received a special report from the industry concerning pet trends so check back because I’ll put this in a special report about the pet burial industry in the near future.

Most workers in the field of memorial or burial services state that it is very rewarding and it must be since the average funeral director salary is estimated to be an average of about $45,000 a year according to the US Board of Labor estimate.

Leanne McMahon (Read more about Leanne McMahon) is a pet funeral director who said, “Simply put, I believe I have the best job in the world. I believe that I’m helping families, particularly when they need that help.”

Today, there are a couple of professional organizations specifically for pet cemetery and crematoria businesses. If you are interested in an animal career find out who the members are in your area. Leave me a comment because I’d be happy to conduct interviews, record them, and post them for you if you have specific questions.

Founded in 1971, the International Association of Pet Cemeteries & Crematories (IAOPCC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of pet cemeteries through public awareness programs.

The Association of Private Pet Cemeteries & Crematoria is the largest and longest established pet bereavement trade association within the United Kingdom and set the standards for the cremation and burial of pets.

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 did not get a deadline for applications but today’s date is July 12, 2007. If you are one of my students interested in applying please contact me for an insider introduction.

Job Title: Animal Resources Training Supervisor
Department: Visitor Experiences
Supervisor: Animal Resources Manager
Supervises: Assigned Staff, Volunteers and Interns
Status: Full Time, Regular, Exempt

General Statement: Responsible for safety, health and well being of all assigned animals through demonstrated and significant knowledge of documented husbandry practices and staff leadership in the performance of these duties. Supervise daily operations of assigned area, including staff scheduling and coverage to ensure standard operational efficiencies. Prepare weekly payroll processing for managerial approval, and other area supervisory tasks as assigned. Initiate animal handling training and maintenance in conjunction with the Presentation Supervisor to produce engaging and interactive visitor experiences.

Essential Duties:

• Oversee the daily operations of assigned area. Including – observation of all animals assigned to area ensuring standard care and well being. Ensure full operations of area programs, husbandry, veterinary collaborations, and exhibit/enclosure readiness.
• Supervise assigned area personnel to include trainers, volunteers and interns. Produce area schedule to ensure adequate animal and programmatic coverage. Assign tasks to trail staff. Communicate necessary personnel issues to area manager, assist in the completion of annual and quarterly reviews of all assigned staff, handle daily supervision needs of staff and assigned area.
• Insure adequate stock of area supplies and equipment while maintaining understanding of budgetary costs and control.
• Perform routine husbandry and environmental maintenance of assigned specimens when necessary. Ensure amendments and updating of the area SOP’s in a timely manner. Maintain all taxon reference books to accurately reflect current collection; act as principal trainer for new staff, volunteers, insuring appropriate knowledge and understanding of section SOP’s.
• Keep apprised of all assigned facilities, condition of facilities and process necessary repairs and recommendations to area manager.
• Demonstrate knowledge of nutritional requirements of assigned specimens; participate as primary attendee to all heath and dietary meetings for assigned area. Report all dietary and heath issues to area Manager. Collaborate with
  ACC staff in carrying out health monitoring and assessment. Collaborate with nutritional staff to ensure dietary needs and assessments are being met.
• Demonstrate knowledge of strategic collection plan for assigned section and species; manage captive reproduction program components as assigned; participate in and interact with external groups and organizations in collaborative efforts associated with institutional goals, as assigned.
• Observe and report animal behavior; perform assigned and approved Behavioral Enrichment activities; perform assigned and approved Animal Training procedures.
• Demonstrate significant knowledge of The Phoenix Zoo’s Behavioral Management Protocol; consistently implement behavioral management initiatives in assigned area; participate, as approved, on Behavioral Enrichment Committee, Behavioral Management Committee, etc.
• Assist in the development of protocols for the restraint and treatment of assigned animals. Instruct new staff in the procedure as assigned.
• Participate as assigned in non-routine health and husbandry activities such as animal transports, animal introductions, and the medication of specimens. Provide advice related to assigned specimens and species.
• Respond to animal emergency circumstances according to approved protocols. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of emergency procedures and provide leadership in emergency situations.
• Perform minor repairs to exhibits. Interact with maintenance staff as needed and as assigned; demonstrate practical knowledge of building and mechanical systems in assigned areas, required preventative and routine maintenance, and routine operating parameters.
• Monitor the public ensuring the safety of visitors and animals; routinely interact with Park Rangers in promoting safety; participate on Safety Committees as assigned.
• Interact with Visitor Experience, Living Collections and volunteer staff to support designated public experiences and other communication activities; demonstrate significant understanding of key message and communication goals for assigned areas. Demonstrate skill in engaging and communicating with the public; display knowledge of appropriate engagement and activity types for various audiences; possess knowledge of and communicate regarding the history and purpose of the Zoo, the assigned section of the Zoo, and the assigned collection specimens.
• Participate in special event, marketing, and other promotional activities as assigned.
• Work collaboratively with other staff and departments to meet the Zoo’s overall revenue goals and objectives.
• Provide quality guest service to both internal and external guests.

Qualifications:

• Ability to provide quality customer service to both internal and external customers.
• B.S. Degree in Life Science or equivalent experience required.
• Minimum three-year experience in work relevant to zoo animal husbandry and at least one year demonstrated experience in supervisory or management capacity.
• Minimum two-year experience in developing and maintaining trained animal behaviors through Operant conditioning in support of public programs.
• Demonstrated knowledge in the areas of exotic animal nutrition, public engagement and communication, facility maintenance.
• Strong leadership and communication skills required.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Able to bend, stoop, crawl and walk on uneven surfaces.
• Ability to work in extreme weather conditions.
• Ability to work flexible schedule including weekends, holidays and evenings.
• Possession of a valid driver license.
• Ability to pass pre-employment and annual TB tests.