There are 175 zoological parks and aquariums in the US and Canada. Characteristically, they are staffed by trained animal specialists who work to preserve endangered species and promote animal-focused education for the general public.
Numerous career paths exist within the zoo field, including those of animal keepers, curators, and marine mammal trainers. There are also a variety of people-focused positions in zoo education and public-relations departments as well as in diverse wildlife conservation societies. The zoo biology minor offers excellent preparation for students who go on to veterinary medicine.
Competition in animal related fields is fairly intense. Yet, Canisius College graduates have an excellent track record for gaining desired positions. We do this by providing our students with rigorous background preparation through coursework and an abundance of hands-on experiences. They are fully prepared for the job market.
Interested students should be advised that zoo careers, like most other animal-focused careers, are usually characterized by two things: (1) relatively high job satisfaction, and (2) relatively low salaries. That is, most zoo workers love their jobs and wouldn't change for anything, but they follow their careers knowing that they could probably earn more money by working as teachers, as computer programmers, as health-care technicians, or in many other lines of work. So, if you are thinking about your future, pursue zoo biology only if you love it and couldn't see yourself doing anything else. Don't pursue it in the hopes of getting rich.