Zoo and Exotic Animal Medicine

<p>I am helping a high school student (junior) start to research undergraduate programs that would be a step to her dream of being a vet, working with exotic animals, elephants in particular. I see a lot of programs geared toward farm and equine studies, but not exotics in particular. She would like to be someplace warm (she lives in Florida now, and when I mentioned Berry, she said Georgia? Too cold.) So snow is not her first choice. She has a Canadian card of some kind - that's where her mom is from originally, and said that she would qualify for Canadian stuff, so I am not eliminating Canadian schools. I don't know what her GPA or test stats are, but I am meeting with her and her mom next Monday, and would like to have a list of schools to discuss. I'm intimately familiar with art schools (DD is a senior at MCAD in Minneapolis), but have no clue about pre-vet programs. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks. :) </p>

<p>Eventually, she should get a job in or near Kruger National Park, in South Africa! I was there last month. I met a young woman from London who was returning to Kruger. She had had an internship there the year before, and was returning tor work at an elephant rehabilitation center. She liked it so much that she hoped to stay there permanently.</p>

<p>Seriously, if I were young, I would do the same thing! What an amazing country.</p>

<p>She needs to be very realistic in her expectations and have a very solid plan b (one in veterinary medicine and one outside of veterinary medicine). There are very, very few jobs available zoos/wildlife parks/etc and very rarely do these jobs open up. I would encourage her to research vet schools in general first and foremost and try to find a vet school with a strong emphasis in exotics. if possible. She should also be aware of the significant debt she will be coming out of school with and realize that will play a role in her career choice as well. Note, I am not saying chase the dream. Just be wise and have back up plans. </p>

<p>Yes, I totally agree ^^. At one point after undergrad I thought I might try to pursue my long time dream of being a vet as well, but after researching it and talking to a local vet (who turned out to be very disillusioned at the time), realized it would have been impossible for me to go to school full time and support my son also. So I passed on that. We have an elephant rehab place near where we live, but there’s an age limit for volunteers and I’m not sure if she meets that yet.</p>

<p>Our pediatrician said his daughter was interested in becoming a vet, but that the cost for vet school is more than medical school, and you can’t earn as much. Yikes!</p>

<p>If Georgia is too cold, that certainly narrows down the list of possible hot weather states (Arizona? California? Florida? South Carolina? Texas?). She’s not likely to find many schools that offer specific coursework with exotic animals. She can apply to vet school as long as she meets the pre-vet requirements. She should focus on majors in zoology or ecology & evolution, which should meet the pre-vet requirements. The pre-vet requirements are similar to the pre-med requirements (a year each of general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, calculus, and general physics) plus any requirements specific to the vet schools to which she will apply (for example, microbiology and animal nutrition often are recommended courses). For her interest in exotic animals, she can satisfy that via study abroad programs in relevant African or Asian countries. There are several that involve animal conservation, most of which are open to qualified students from any university.</p>

<p>Though she might choose not to major in animal science, she should keep in mind that experience with large animals might be an asset for vet school admissions., she should know that some colleges of agriculture offer study abroad programs focused on conservation in tropical locations. She may be eligible to participate even if she doesn’t choose a major animal science.</p>

<p>Other considerations: Schools that are located in cities with large schools may offer more opportunities for relevant internships or research. Some of these opportunities might be through programs in animal behavior, either through a psychology department or through an ecology & evolution or zoology program that has some strength in ethology. She also might consider another major, minor, or certificate in African Studies, which might offer some additional study abroad opportunities, so that might be something to think about when choosing schools.</p>

<p>Finally, she can check the websites of various animal conservation organizations (World Wildlife Fund, et al.) to find bios of their staff and see what schools they attended or what they studied. Some of them might even reply to an email asking for their recommendations.</p>

<p>Cost more to go to vet school, and much more competitive to get into vet schools, because there are fewer.</p>

<p>UPenn has a great large animal part of their vet school, outside of Philadelphia. But if she wants warm, it might be a good idea to try somewhere other than the US - or try California.</p>

<p>Thanks to all for their responses. I’m going to print out this thread so she knows what she might be up against. I’m, not one to trash someone’s dream, only present all points of view. :-D</p>

<p>Redbug, please check out the University of TN at Knoxville, too. They treat the Knoxville Zoo animals as well as a all the inhabitants of the nearby Tiger Sanctuary. Last summer they operated on a gorilla, and during my daughter’s first week in August she got to watch a necropsy of a baby giraffe :(</p>

<p>Thank you, I will! That sounds like a really awesome program. Sad about the giraffe.</p>