Wildlife Capture Expert Career Profile
- Career Name - Wildlife Capture Expert
- Category - Business / Farming & Livestock Management / Marine Conservation / Wildlife Conservation
- Skills Required - Life skills 40% - Career skills 60%
- Basic School Subjects - Business Studies, Biology, Science
- Minimum Required Education - Bachelor's Degree
- Species Worked With - Wildlife
- Kind of Interaction with Animals - Direct
Do you want to work as a wildlife capture expert?
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 your 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 MENTOR
UPDATED:
1 August 2023
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What is a wildlife capture expert?
A wildlife capture expert is an individual who uses knowledge of specific species, as well as acquired skills, to safely capture wildlife, without putting them under undue stress or harm.
There are different kinds of capture experts, but they can be divided into two groups:
- Those who use tranquilizers to dart and immobilize the animals,
- Those that use herding or capturing techniques to capture the animals, without the use of tranquilizers.
Career Categories
The Wildlife Capture Expert career can be found in the following career categories:
- Business
- Farming & Livestock Management
- Marine Conservation
- Wildlife Conservation
What does a Wildlife Capture Expert do?
Groups of animals a Wildlife Capture Expert works 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.
What does a Wildlife Capture Expert focus on?
The primary focus of wildlife capture experts is to use different techniques to capture wildlife (whether in the sea, on land or in the air) for research, commercial benefits, or relocation.
With who does a Wildlife Capture Expert work?
Besides working with all of the animals, Wildlife Capture Experts 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:
- Operational staff, such as Human Resources, Finance and Maintenance
- Wildlife Veterinarian
What are the daily tasks of a Wildlife Capture Expert?
- Discuss brief with clients
- Develop a plan of action
- Research the kind of animals to be captured
- Plan and prepare the method of capture (dugs, herding, netting etc)
- Travel to location and complete the capture
- Administration and filing
The Work Environment of a Wildlife Capture Expert
Where does a Wildlife Capture Expert work?
Environment –
Wildlife capture experts work primarily outdoors.
Places of Employment –
Most capture experts are licensed veterinarians, legally trained to use certain tranquilizers, and work on contract. However, some are permanently employed by large game farms, research institutions and governments.
What is the average annual salary of a Wildlife Capture Expert?
As most capture experts are self employed, their income is based on obtaining contracts. The value of contract may differ, based on difficulty, kind of animals, and location of the capture. Employed capture experts may earn around US$ 60,000 per year.
Can a Wildlife Capture Expert be promoted?
An assistant with relevant years of experience may be promoted to Store Manager, or move on to other animal care careers, such as animal caretakers, kennel workers, or rescue center staff. They may also decide to venture into business by opening their own store.
What are the difficulties a Wildlife Capture Expert faces?
The most difficult part is working with stressed animals, which can retaliate and cause huge amounts of damage. In addition, they may work long hours and over weekends and holidays, travel frequently, and perform captures in very difficult terrain.
Future growth and Possibilities
The market for new capture experts has shown positive growth, and will keep on increasing slowly as capture experts assist in the relocation of game.
Which Skills does a Wildlife Capture Expert require?
The skills required for a career as a wildlife capture expert 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
- Good business knowledge
- Excellent animal care and handling
- Basic customer service skills
- Excellent health and physical fitness
- Excellent computer literacy
Which Subjects must I have at School to help prepare for this Career?
Business Studies will be important to help you lay a solid foundation in understanding how to run your own wildlife capture business.
Biology must be your primary subject at High School, as most tertiary institutions will require high level biology for admission.
If you are looking at using wildlife capture as a sideline while working as a veterinarian, then Science must be a primary subject at High School, as most tertiary institutions will require high level science for admission.
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 Capture Expert?
Minimum Requirements
The minimum requirement to enter this career, is a Bachelor’s Degree. To study towards a Veterinarian will require a Doctoral Degree in Veterinary Science.
Study Focus
Major –
Wildlife management and relocation, zoology.
Short Courses –
Short Courses may include capture techniques, the use of different capture tools (such as nets), or even first aid to ensure safety in the wild.
Study Duration
The duration of College and Bachelor’s Degrees can be up to 3 or 4 years. Short Courses are usually between a few weeks and a year.
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 be.
Possible Paths:
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 Alternatives (there are a lot more):
Training and apprenticeship
Even though it is important to study to get into some of the animal 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.
If you do want to work for a business, 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 animal trainers might require apprenticeship.
Join the Wildlife Capture Experts Group in the OZT Community learn more and even interact with the educational institutions that will help you secure your dream career!
Average level of education of all the people who enter the career
Licenses, Certificate, Registration and Professional Associations
Certain animal careers require some form of legal certification to prove that you can indeed do the work, and work with the necessary equipment.
Although not required by law, certifications may help workers establish their credentials and enhance their skills.
Learn more about requirements by joining the OZT Community.
Professional Associations
None added yet
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 capturing, management and relocation.
Do you want to Contribute?
Do you have information that you would like to contribute to this career?
Join the OZT community & chat Group
Join us as a special member and learn more about becoming a wildlife capture expert.
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 Capture Expert, please click on the JOIN GROUP button. Members will be directed to the Group, while non-members will be assisted to register first.
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