Exotic animal trainers and managers train animals for live shows, maintain animals or present animals in educational presentations. These trainers also are responsible for caring for their own animals and training their animals to do new behaviors. An exotic animal training and management program teaches students the skills they need to work in this capacity. To prepare for such a program, students in high school should complete science courses in biology and chemistry.
Colleges such as Moorpark College in California offer an associate's degree and certificate program in exotic animal training and management. Other colleges also offer other animal-related programs of study. These include Niagara County Community College, which offers an associate's degree program in animal management, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, which offers a zoology bachelor's degree program.
In addition, private companies offer similar short-term training programs. Associate's degree programs are helpful for students who are interested in going to veterinary school, as colleges look for students who have had hands-on experience with animals. To get into this type of program, students usually need to complete classes such as introductory biology or zoology, public speaking or even a safety and first aid course.
Moorpark College allows students to specialize in areas such as animal behavior management or wildlife education. At this college in particular, students receive hands-on training at America's Teaching Zoo. At other colleges, students also can gain experience in local aquariums, veterinary hospitals and animal facilities. They gain skills in public speaking, improvisation and knowledge of animal facts. In addition, students might learn how to humanely euthanize prey to feed animals.
Specific classes in an animal management program can include zoonotic disease, exhibit design, conservation, capture and restraint, animal reproduction, animal care and the history of zoos. Other courses cover topics such as mammalogy, herpetology, monkeys/apes and population genetics. Bachelor's degree programs feature classes on developmental biology, ethology, vertebrate zoology and even animal ecology.
With an education in exotic animal training and management, students can look for work in zoos, private animal companies, theme parks, wildlife education/outreach programs or even in the movie and television industries. Examples of job sites include the San Diego Wild Animal Park, Sea World, Universal Studios, the American Humane Society and the Los Angeles Zoo. Degree-holders also have found work with state fish and wildlife departments, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, aquariums and even the U.S. Navy. Students who pursue their bachelor's degrees in this field have more employment opportunities, particularly with federal and state agencies.
Employment of animal care and service workers is expected to grow 21 percent between 2008 and 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Median annual wages of non-farm animal caretakers in May 2008 were $19,360. Median annual wages of animal trainers were $27,270.