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About Jonathan Wright
Expertise
I can answer questions about wild mammals, as well as other wild animals. I can also answer questions on extinct animals and zoos. PLEASE DON'T SEND ME ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT PETS. IF YOU ARE REALLY WORRIED, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A VETERINARIAN. PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME THAT UNPAID PEOPLE ON ALLEXPERTS ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY AND WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH ADVICE THE MOMENT YOUR ANIMAL GETS ILL. Find out how to look after a pet before you get it. It is unfair to keep an animal in inappropriate conditions and give it the wrong food. If you can't keep an animal in good conditions, please don't bring it into your home. I'm not a vet and I don't have any expertise in animal medicine and care. I don't agree with people taking animals out of the wild and then expecting other people to give free advice on how to look after them. It is cruel to take animals away from their parents, who are able to look after the babies and may look for them, while putting their other babies at risk. You may need a licence to look after some animals. You may be breaking the law by keeping wild animals; please check with a local wildlife organisation. IF YOU FIND AN INJURED ANIMAL, PLEASE CONTACT A WILDLIFE VETERINARIAN OR CHARITY AND LET TRAINED STAFF LOOK AFTER THE ANIMAL. DO NOT TRY TO LOOK AFTER AN INJURED ANIMAL IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING. Please do not remove eggs from nests. The mother birds will know the right temperature for the eggs and will not sit on them if the temperature is warm enough for them to develop naturally. It is illegal to remove eggs of some species and, unless you have an incubator or a broody hen, the egg may not develop. If you are allowed to touch the eggs, you can candle them (check details on websites) to see if the eggs are fertile. If the eggs are not fertile, they will not hatch. I do not agree with fights between different animals. Please do not ask me questions about them.

Experience
I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two years old. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.

Organizations
World Wide Fund for Nature. Zoological Society of London. London Bat Group.

Publications
Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group

Education/Credentials
BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' levels in Zoology and Chemistry. 'O' Level in Biology.

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Veterinary Medicine > Wild Animals > career help!

Wild Animals - career help!

Expert: Jonathan Wright - 11/3/2009

Question
Hello
I have just completed a National Diploma in Animal Management in England, I came out of the course with the top grades and a bigger passion to work closely with intelligent animals. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel around the world in search for my “dream job”. The problem is I don’t know what type of animal I want to work with: tigers, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, dolphins, whales, seals, orangutans, horses, dogs, cats the list is endless. Right now I am in Australia volunteering at the local RSPCA centre, Australia zoo and the wild life warriors, I also have a job at a riding centre. I guess what I am asking you is do you know any zoo/organisations that take on paid/volunteers, that help out and get hands on experience with the animals in your field of expertise.
Thanks charlotte

Answer
Dear Charlotte

Thank you for your question.

There are several zoos around the world that take on volunteer keepers. These are unpaid and, in some cases, the volunteers have to pay for their training. I know various people who have started as volunteer keepers and become paid keepers, so I suggest that you continue with your voluntary work and watch out for paid employment. Please note that if you are doing a good job, your colleagues can help you prepare for the interview. Also, if the job is at the Australia Zoo, your experience should make it more likely that you will get the job, rather than a volunteer keeper who has less experience.

Apart from whales, the animals you list tend to be very popular zoo animals. If you gained experience working with them, it may help you gain experience that could be used elsewhere. Please note that you would be competing with other keepers.

When I did my zoology degree, I did my specialist essay on marsupials. If I were in your position, I would try and work with these animals, as they tend to be less popular than the 'Noah's Ark' animals and many are endangered. Also, many are only kept at a few zoos, so you could become one of the world experts on a species and this would raise your profile if you wanted to work at another zoo.

All the best

Jonathan

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