Working with animals is
very rewarding work. As a
naturalist at the World Bird Sanctuary, I enjoy working with our critters every
day. But many people get the idea that
it’s all cuddles and fun! No
matter if you want to become a veterinarian, wildlife rehabilitator,
naturalist, or biologist, if you work with animals, you will be doing a lot of
dirty work.
All animals poop. It is a fact of life. And that poop doesn’t magically
disappear! At WBS, we have to
clean bird poop several times a day.
In fact, birds do not have a bladder, which helps them to stay light
since they don’t have to carry around the weight of their waste. This means that they go to the bathroom
A LOT! Whether you work with
birds, reptiles, or mammals, you can be sure that cleaning up animal poop will
be a big part of your job. Clean
enclosures make for happy, healthy animal
residents.
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Wedge-tailed eagle Duncan enjoying a meal of rabbit. (photo: Paige Davis)
Another big part of animal
jobs is preparing food. At WBS, we
have more than 250 animals to feed every day! Most of our animals are birds of prey, which are
carnivorous. We feed our birds a
natural diet consisting of things such as rats, mice, rabbit, fish, etc. All of these food items need preparation
on a daily basis. It can be messy
work gutting and prepping hundreds of food items each week! If you want to work with animals, you
will very likely have to prepare diets for the critters you care for. It is all worth it when one sees the
animals enjoying a good meal.
All of our enclosures need to be maintained...from chicken coops to Condor enclosures,,,
Another part of the job is
maintaining animal enclosures. At
WBS, we have to do major maintenance days twice a year, in addition to the
daily maintenance. It is important
for the safety of the animals that their enclosures are monitored and kept in
good condition. With the change of
seasons, we have to make adjustments to our enclosures to keep the animals
comfortable as the weather transitions.
It can be hard work, consisting of climbing, using power tools, and
getting muddy. But the safety of
our animal residents is our top priority.
...including the behind the scenes enclosures which the public rarely sees,,,and, alas, none of them clean themselves (photos: Gay Schroer)
On a different note, some
animal related jobs do not allow “cuddling”. If you work in a wildlife rehab for example, the animals are
to be kept as wild as possible to give them a good chance of being returned to
nature. Cuddling is
prohibited. At WBS we do not even
pet our birds. Not only are these
wild animals that would not appreciate being touched, but also the oils in
human skin can cause damage to birds’ feathers. It may seem tempting to try and pet animals as cute as owls,
but they are much happier and healthier getting love through your hard work
caring for them.
Even though a big part of
working with animals is dirty work, it is definitely worth it. I wouldn’t give up the opportunity to
work with such amazing animals for anything in the world. But it is important to know just what
you are getting into. If you love
animals, and don’t mind getting down and dirty, a career in the animal field
may be right for you! One way to
find out is to gain experience through volunteering and interning. WBS offers unique opportunities to gain
hands on experience in the wildlife field.
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