Lions, tigers and bears—oh my! Wouldn’t it be exciting to work with exotic animals every day, and make a living doing it? While you might not work with such large creatures, wildlife educators do handle and display lots of other animals such as opossums, geckos, tarantulas, hedgehogs, giant frogs, walking sticks—the list is as long as a giant python! They also have an opportunity to travel and interact with kids and adults, and teach them about lots of different animals that can be found throughout the world. In the forest, desert, or even your own backyard!

Wildlife Educators can work in many different areas:

Rehabilitation-If you have a knack for taking care of your own pets and making them feel better, then you’ll love being a wildlife educator. Many educators get their start by taking care of sick, injured, or abandoned wildlife and/or pets. For instance, some people keep exotic animals as pets--like green iguanas, raccoons, opossums and squirrels—but after some time, they get tired of caring for them. You could keep these animals for your own “show and tell” business, or make sure they get adopted by someone who'll love them as much as you do.

Lights-Camera-Action!-Many movies, TV shows or commercials use exotic animals. The producers and directors don't have the training or knowledge necessary to control a wild animal during a movie, so they hire wildlife educators to keep an eye on the animals during the shoot. 

Interview with Wildlife Educator Robyn Wheeler:

Many young people dream of having a job where they can work with animals, and as a young girl, Robyn Wheeler had that exact desire. “Ever since I was a kid I wanted to work with animals,” Robyn said. She followed her heart, and even turned her dream into a full-time business.

Robyn is known as “The Creature Teacher,” and she brings her menagerie to places like birthday parties, day care centers, scout meetings, carnivals, senior citizens homes, and schools.

What does Robyn keep in her care? Twenty-two different species, including a chinchilla, a hedgehog, a lizard, a gecko, hermit crabs, a tarantula, walking sticks—and even Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. Yikes!

Before starting her own business, Robyn learned a lot about animals by working at Disneyland. “I cared for horses, birds, and even the occasional reindeer, pig and camel,” she explains. Robyn worked hard caring for the animals, often from 6 am up until 2 in the morning.

“I cleaned stalls, fed hay and grain, bathed horses,” Robyn said, ”and I rode in the parades and talked to the guests at the petting zoo about the variety of animals we housed, and what it was like to care for them.”

After working at Disneyland, Robyn began teaching teenagers about jobs in the pet care industry, such as working in a pet shop, a dog-grooming salon, or at a veterinary office. She also volunteered for Friends of the Sea Lion in Laguna Beach, California, rescuing sick and injured seals and sea lions and then returning them back to the ocean home.

Robyn truly loves her line of work, but says that becoming a wildlife educator takes a lot of determination as well as patience.

“Getting started isn’t easy,” said Robyn. “You must be persistent, research many areas, develop a plan, and put together a list of possible animals that might hold the interest of large groups of people.”

Take a walk on the wild side with this awesome career!

What You Can Do to Get Ready:

Robyn has a degree in Animal Science from Cal Poly Pomona in Pomona, California, but she says it’s also very important to have a love of animals and to feel comfortable around them. Pre-teens can volunteer at local animal shelters or with a rescue operation. Or they can find a volunteer job, or possibly even paid work, at a local zoo, animal shelter, pet shop or with a veterinarian.

When in college, pursuing a major not only in a science related-field but also business administration, is a good idea. Excellent courses would include marketing, accounting, biology and zoology and courses providing computer instruction.

Younger children can learn more about animal care by volunteering to take care of neighbors’ pets while they are on vacation, or by visiting their local library and checking out books about different types of animals. It’s also a good idea to visit zoos, nature parks, or wildlife sanctuaries and talk with professionals to learn more about different types of creatures.

What it Pays:

The average income for this type of business in $50,000 to $100,000 depending on how high or low you set your rates. Prices usually depend on how many animals you have to offer and how exotic they are. Someone with 50 animals including baboons, alligators and vultures would charge more than someone with 25 animals that includes lizards, frogs, bugs and birds. Remember that a good portion of your income will go to housing, feeding, cleaning, and veterinary bills.