Animal Behaviorist Career Guide

Animal behaviourists study the way that animals behave to try and determine what causes certain types of behaviour, and what factors can prompt and change that behaviour.

Animal behaviourists can work in colleges and universities researching behaviour, or in zoos and companies that design and produce products for pets. Animal behaviourist typically have a specialized field of study (e.g., birds, livestock, fish, wild animals or pets) and focus on certain types of behaviour such as: hunting, mating, human interaction or raising offspring. Animal behaviourist identify behaviours and ask questions such as: why do animals perform this behaviour at this particular moment, what is the development of this behaviour, is there a purpose of this behaviour, and what is the evolutionary history of this behaviour?

To become an animal behaviourist, most will need to complete a bachelor?s degree in something related to animal science. To have a career in the academia surrounding animal behaviour, then you will most likely need a master?s degree in a related field. Once this is done, you should seek to get the Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviourist (ACAAB) certificate and then the Certified Applied Animal Behaviourist (CAAB) certificate.

A career as an animal behaviourist can be quite physically demanding, especially if you do not take the academic route, as you can expect to be on your feet all day working with a range of animals. There is also the added factor of danger surrounding a career as an animal behaviourist as you may work with large or aggressive animals that could harm you. However, animal behaviourist love their job because they get to work with animals every day, which leads to great job satisfaction. There is also a lot of room for development, advancement and specialization, making it a fulfilling career to choose.

Animal behaviourist should have excellent communication skills and should be able to build relationships and trust with their clients. They must have a genuine love for animals and a passion to study and understand them.