Zookeepers Salary

A zookeeper is a job that is unique in and of itself.  This is a job that allows people to have freedom in their job to enjoy themselves, the people around them and of course, the animals. To say that the job of a zookeeper is for individuals who are animal lovers is an understatement.  People interested in the field of zoo keeping will come to find out that they will not only have the opportunity to show animals their love but they will also learn a lot more then they thought they ever would. For individuals interested in the world of zoo keeping they will find that this is a career in which people go into to share their love for animals and not for the money. On average you will find that a zookeepers salary is roughly around thirty three to forty thousand a year.  Therefore it is apparent that individuals who work as zookeepers do it for their love of animals and wanting to take care of them properly.  Zookeepers are expected to work in harsh conditions and to take proper care of animals.  Zookeepers are expected to be physically fit, work for long hours, work throughout the night as well as early mornings and be able to work with exotic animals. In this article I will go through a zookeepers salary and the ins and outs of the job. 

Experience

Experience is a definite bonus when it comes to the average zookeepers salary. You will find that people who have been in the business of zoo keeping can expect to have an average salary of around fifteen to thirty one thousand dollars a year.  For people who have had zoo keeping experience of roughly around five to ten thousand a year can expect to make around twenty two to forty two thousand dollars a year.  Depending on the level of expertise in the field of zoo keeping and what kind of education they bring to the table will also help to increase a zookeepers salary.  You will find that the longer zookeepers stay in the business the higher that there salary can go up or the title of their position. You will find that people who have been in the zoo keeping world for awhile will find that they may begin to advance positions such as senior zookeeper, head keeper or curator. 

Location

Just like any job you will find that a zookeepers salary is highly dependant on where they are located. Depending on where you are living and where you will be a zookeeper at, will ultimately depend on your zookeepers salary. Zoos that are more highly publicized such as the Central Park Zoo or San Diego Zoo will come to find that they will more then likely have higher grossing salaries compared to other zoos.  For instance one of the highest paid areas of employment is actually in Colorado. You will find that zookeepers in Colorado, typically make around thirty-seven thousand dollars a year.  One of the lowest paying zookeepers salary is for individuals who live in Arizona, you will find that the zookeeper salary in Arizona is roughly around twenty nine thousand dollars a year.  What I found interesting is that people who work in city zoos will typically get paid more then people who work in state zoos. The average city zookeepers salary is roughly around a couple thousand to five thousand dollars higher then individuals who work in other areas of the state.  For instance Denver is the highest paying city for zookeepers.  If you are a zookeeper living in Denver, Colorado you will find that your will roughly be making around forty one thousand dollars a year. 

Education

Typically a lot of people will get the job and experience of being a zookeeper by starting out at a zoo as a volunteer or an entry level position.  Many entry level positions require either an associates degree but more then likely a bachelors degree.  Typically you will want to have received some training in animal science, zoology, biology, conservation, wildlife management, animal behavior, psychology and others.  For individuals looking into taking care of marine life, you will obviously need to specialize in fields such as animal science, biology, marine biology, zoology, psychology and other areas that pertain to marine life. It is also very important for individuals looking into working with marine life, to ensure that they are strong swimmers, have a SCUBA certification and any other advanced certificates that you may need. 

Employment Outlook

Surprisingly enough, zookeeper employment outlooks are actually look good.  According to the Association of Zookeepers, they have reported that zoo work continues to expand and there are positions that open up quite a bit for both men and woman.  There are tons of zoos out there that need help and you will find that advancement is more then possible.  The only problem with advancement in managerial fields is that you will still find that to be a hard position to make.  There are limited positions available for zookeepers because the turn over rate for zookeepers is actually quite low. Also, you will find that for a person to be promoted, he or she will need to become a senior keeper, assistant head keeper, head keeper, assistant curator, curator, veterinarian or zoologist. The problem is that for some of these positions you will find that further schooling may be needed, which may not be a problem for some,but for others, it may. Also you will find that to advance in the field of zoo keeping you will need to move to other zoos that are bigger, which may be a problem because as I said earlier zookeepers do not have a high turnover rate and there is not prospectus on new zoos opening, which means that competition is stiff when it comes to advancement in this field.