Zooligists?

Question

How much money do zooligists generallly make at a good zoo?

Ps: Im getting my Doctoret in zooligy and my bacholers in bioley and bachalers in chemistry if the raises the salary

Answer 1

First you must know that many people that work at a zoo do not have their degree in zoology.

Zoology is the study of Eukaryotic organisms that are not plants.

In other words the discipline of Biology is broken into three parts microbiology, botany and zoology.

Zoos contain mainly charismatic megafauna (big "cool" animals). This is mainly the part of the zoology part of biology.

Zoos usually start people has helpers then you work your way toward zookeepers. Zookeepers have responsibilities over a certain section of the zoo. They will feed and watch the grounds for these animals, it could be primates, big cats or however the zoo is partitioned. Salaries can range from $20,000 to $40,000. Not much for a 4 year degree.

The vets at the zoo make more money and the top administrative staff do also.

Answer 2

The above answer is a great one, just wanted to add a couple things. The bit about not needing a zoology degree is partly true but becoming less so. More and more zoos are looking for bachelor's degrees in zoology or at least biology. As far as pay goes, it can be extremely variable. I have been paid as little as $50 a week at a good place when I started out (still in college) and have seen up to 40,000. Disney and San Diego pay the best.

To really get a feel for it, check out the job postings on www.aza.org and www.aazk.org. They will list the salaries and the requirements for all sorts of jobs on different levels, all within zoos.

Also, keep in mind there are many other things you can do with a zoology degree. Here is a previous answer I wrote describing them:

Its so nice to hear about someone who knows what zoology is, much less wants to persue it, in high school. Few people realize the sheer amount of stuff you can do with zoology :

Research (what I'm supposed to be doing at the moment!)
This can be quite diverse. I have done everything from hyena diet analysis to elephant behavior research. Very interesting and usually quite easy to get into. Pay is ok, but better if you go to grad school (they pay you to go too!)

Zookeeping (what I used to do)
Another option - pretty self explainitory. This is usually not an end all career though, as the labor is INTENSE!

Veterinary medicine (where I'm going)
Exotic med is only one step away from zoology and pays much better than your average vet med (it does require more schooling however).

Environmental Science/Management (Been here too)
Since many schools do not have specific biology majors, simply a "biology" major you can usually tailor the degree to what you want. This is a hugely growing field and pays well, especially in the government.

Policy (I avoid this)
Definately not for me, but many people are really into this after a couple of classes in college. Pays well and the demand is phenomenal.

Education
Again a growing field, pay is alittle iffier, but fun in its own right.


I hope this helps. This is not an exhaustive list, but more of an idea of where to start looking. A couple good job sites to look at for an idea of what you might be getting into are:

www.aza.org
www.conbio.org
www.dnr.mi.gov

Again, hope this helps!!

Answer 3

I have my B.S. in biology. I would recommend if you are really interested in animal science, take all your core bio requirements then use your electives to focus on courses such as zoology, aquatic bios, ecologies, cordates, etc. Your specialty, zoology, really won't truly be a specialty until grad school. But it is never too early to begin learning what you can! I happen to focus on amphibians. When my Ph.d is complete I will be a herpatologist, I specialize in amphibs and reptiles.

Answer 4

Gee, I thought for sure you were getting your "Doctoret" in English Composition!

You appear to have too much time on your hands. Did you enjoy yourself?

Answer 5

"Peanuts"