Wildlife Farm Worker Career Profile
- Career Name - Wildlife Farm Worker
- Category - Animal Care / Wildlife Conservation
- Skills Required - Life skills 40% - Career skills 60%
- Basic School Subjects - Biology, Language, Business Studies
- Required Basic Education - High School Certificate
- Species Worked With - Wildlife
- Kind of Interaction with Animals - Direct
How do I become a wildlife farm worker?
READ: This page helps you to read about the career and the info you need to decide on whether this is indeed the career you want to follow.
RESEARCH: ​Learn about the skills required and minimum subjects to enter this career, as well as the places where you can study further after school.
PREPARE: If you want to plan and prepare for the career, then join the OZT Community! Members have access to tools, while chatting with other students and experts from around the world. Prepare to be amazed!
CAREER MENTORS
UPDATED: 26 April 2023
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What is a Wildlife Farm Worker?
Wildlife Farm Workers work in one of the many privately owned or sponsored animal farms where specific wildlife species are kept for primarily entertainment and education.
Why do we call these places Wildlife Farms?
There is no specific name for places where people Breed and display wildlife species on a small scale for entertainment and education (except for zoos, which are large places and specialize in many species).
What is the difference between an Animal Sanctuary, an Animal Farm, Wildlife Park and a Wildlife Farm?
The main difference is in the purpose of the establishment:
- Sanctuaries are privately owned and funded places where animals are brought to live and should be able to retire in peace, respected and protected.
- Animal Farms are the general name given to agricultural farms where farm animals are bred and sold.
- Wildlife Parks or Safari Parks allow visitors to drive through and observe animals in their natural habitats.
- Wildlife Farms are places where the owners breed specific species in order to show them to the public for entertainment and educational purposses. Animal Farms are like miniature zoos.
What are the different kinds of Wildlife Farms?
These Farms may specialize in specific species, such as:
- Butterflies
- Larger insects, such as beetles and stick insects that people can interact with
- Rabbits (or mostly called bunnies)
- Exotic Birds such as parrots
- Monkeys
- Snakes
- Frog and Toads
Alternative Names
Wildlife Farms have different names around the world, depending mostly on purpose, location or whatever sounds interesting. The most common words included in the names are:
- Park
- World
- Garden
Career Categories
The Wildlife Farm Worker career can be found within the following OZT career categories:
- Animal Care
- Wildlife Conservation
What does a Wildlife Farm Worker do?
With which Groups of animals does a Wildlife Farm Worker work with?
What is the level of Interaction with the Animals?
- Directly - A person works directly with the animals with some form of physical contact at least once every few days
- Indirectly - The career doesn't require direct or physical contact at all.
With who does a Wildlife Farm Worker work?
Besides working with all of the animals, Wildlife Farm Workers will need to interact with other people while doing their daily tasks. The people might include fellow staff members or the public.
Fellow staff might include:
- Supervisors/Managers
- Operational staff, such as Human Resources, Finance and Maintenance
What does a Wildlife Farm Worker focus on?
The main focus of a Wildlife Farm Worker is to assist in maintaining the health of resident animals. A good knowledge and understanding of the various animals and their behaviour is recommended. One Zoo Tree has information on all these breeds to help you learn more about them. Just visit the specific animal page in the main menu at the top of this page.
What are the daily tasks of a Wildlife Farm Worker?
- Prepare food and feeding the various animals
- Making sure the animals have enough water
- Cleaning and maintaining the enclosures
- Exercise the animals to keep them entertained and healthy
- Assist the veterinarians when animals become ill
- In some cases also bathing, nail trimming and grooming of animals
- ​Work and interact with sanctuary visitors, volunteers, and various groups
- Ensure proper use of equipment
The work Environment of a Wildlife Farm Worker
Where does a Wildlife Farm Worker work?
Environment –
In most cases the Wildlife Farm Worker will be working outdoors and within shelters to care for the animals.
Places of Employment –
Specialized wildlife farms/parks/gardens.
What is the average annual salary of a Wildlife Farm Worker?
The average yearly salary of permanent Animal Caregivers is around US$25,000 per year. The salary will differ from country to country.Â
Can a Wildlife Farm Worker be promoted?
Advancement in the field typically depends on work experience. First-year assistants often begin on a part-time basis, fitting their training commitments around other work demands.
The levels of each promotion might differ from organization to organization, but generally are the following:
Intern Caregiver -> Junior Caregiver -> Senior Caregiver -> Manager
Some also open their own wildlife farm.
What kind of difficulties may a Wildlife Farm Worker face?
​The most difficult part of this career is being able to work with stressed animals. Animals can get difficult and temperamental when they sense a new person in their space. Learning to deal with such animals is important to make Wildlife Farm Worker your ideal career. Caregivers may also be required to work irregular hours including evenings, weekends, and holidays in all kinds of weather.
Future Growth and Possibilities
​The career outlook for people working in the animal care industry is good, especially in the sector dealing with entertainment and education.
Which Skills are required by a Wildlife Farm Worker?
The skills required for a career as a Wildlife Farm Worker can be divided into two very important groups. The first is the group containing life skills, which are the core skills that are necessary or desirable for full participation in everyday life. The second group is career skills, or the specific skills required to allow a person to enter and operate effectively within a specific career. Some or maybe even all of the life skills can assist in strengthening the career skills, and they might even be the same for specific careers.
Life Skills
- Self-awareness
- Empathy
- Critical thinking
- Creative thinking
- Decision making
- Problem Solving
- Effective communication
- Interpersonal relationship
Career Skills
- Animal handling and care techniques
- Ability to give educational talks to the public
- ​Good health and physical fitness
- Basic computer literacy
Which Subjects must I have at School to prepare for this career?
Biology will be a great subject to have to enable you to understand the animals you will be working with.
Most of the workers in a wildlife farm will need good communication skills.
Business Studies is a great subject to have when thinking of working in conservation. Whether you are managing the organization, or just helping with the day-to-day care, a basic knowledge of business will help to ensure that the organization remains a success.
The subjects you choose at school are important as they lay the foundation for further studies at college or university. While still at school, it’s also important to learn more about the animals you will work with, as well as gain some experience.
OZT has a list of various tertiary institutions where you can study further, after school. Each of these institutions also have their own Group page on OZT where you will find the exact subjects they require of you to have passed in school. Keep these requirements in mind, and discuss it with your school, guidance counselor and parents to ensure that you are prepared!
What will I need to Study to become a Wildlife Farm Worker?
Minimum educational requirements
Generally, Wildlife Farm Workers must have at least a minimum of a high school diploma (certificate), when working for an established organization.
Although further education is not necessary, the best caregivers learn additional skills on the job, or acquire skills through a College diploma and by completing short courses.Â
Study Focus
When you do decide to further your skills, you might want to focus on short courses that specializes in caring for animals (such as animal first aid), as well as dealing with behavioral issues.
Study Duration
The duration of short courses differ, but can range from a few days to a few weeks.
​Possible Career Preparation Paths
If this is your dream career that you want to pursue, then it’s important to plan the way forward.
Why is planning important?
To ensure that you understand the requirements for your career, and that you are always prepared for the next step on the road towards your dream. A Preparation Path is like your road map to where you want to go.
Possible Path(s):
Possible Combined Career Paths
It is possible to sometimes combine two or more related careers. This normally happens when you study and practice a specific main career, but the knowledge and experience gained also help you to have a paying hobby or secondary income career.
Possible Alternative(s):
Stepping Stone Career
Being a Wildlife Farm Worker can also be used as a stepping stone career. A stepping stone career is one which is used to help you get to another career, normally because the other career is too difficult to reach (sometimes due to things like high fees etc).
You can begin as an intern after basic short courses and expert guidance (maybe working under a mentor). The money made can then be used to pay for studies towards a promotion or another career, and the experience helps in gaining knowledge. One paying to help get to the other.
Some of the possible paths:
Training and apprenticeship
Even though it is important to study to get into some of the animal caregiver careers, most of the skills you will need will be acquired through on-the-job training. This means that you will learn how to perform some of the daily tasks by actually doing it a few times and learning the steps.
In some cases entry level positions (or junior positions) require training sessions even before you are allowed to actually perform your job duties. These sessions are offered by the place of employment, after you have successfully applied.
Apprenticeship is also possible where you need to learn skills from a more senior person or expert. The more hands on careers, such as working with wildlife might require apprenticeship.
Join the Wildlife Farm Workers Group to learn more and even interact with the educational institutions that will help you secure your dream career!
Average level of education of people entering this career
Licenses, Certificates, Registration and Professional Associations
Certain animal care careers require some form of legal certification to prove that you can indeed do the work, and work with the necessary equipment.
Wildlife Farm Workers do not require specific legal documentation, certification or licenses to enter this career.
Learn more about the concept of requirements if you are thinking of actually ssstarting and running your own wildlife farm, by joining the Group.
Where can I study further?
All of the above information will help you understand more about the Career, including the fact that there are different paths to take to reach it. But if you are almost done with High School (Grades 11 or 12), you also need to start thinking about further studies, and WHERE you will study.
See the List of Universities, Colleges and Online Training Academies who offer courses towards animal care.
Do you want to Contribute?
Do you have information that you would like to contribute to this career?
Join our OZT Community and Wildlife Farm Worker Group
Join us as a special member and learn more about becoming a wildlife farm worker.
Members of the Platform have special access to:
- Info on the best places where you can study (colleges, universities and online)
- Expertly designed advice to prepare you for the career, and links to places where you can gain valuable experience. For some career experience is necessary, otherwise you wont get the job!
- Top notch info on each of the different species you will work with
- Make friends around the world and share knowledge
- Compete and win points, badges, games, prizes and certificates. Be the best of the best, while you learn and prepare!
If you have decided on being a Wildlife Farm Worker, please click on the JOIN GROUP button. Members will be directed to the Group, and non-members will be assisted to register first.
If this career is NOT the career for you, then you may return to the MAIN CAREER menu.
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