If I Wasn't a Zookeeper...

I love my job.  I really do.  Oh sure, there are some things about it that I'm not crazy about.  The hours can be a pain, as can the scheduling.  Oh, and dealing with the public isn't always a blast.  Sometimes it's freezing cold, other days (like today) boiling hot.  The pay isn't incredible.  That and I've had a spider monkey poop in my hair before.    Still, for the most part, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

But if I did...

It's not too uncommon for me to hear about a colleague who has left the profession.  Often it's a relative newcomer who has started the job and found it not to their liking.  Sometimes, it's someone who has had to move to another city, perhaps following the career of a significant other.  Other times, it's someone who has just found the economics of the job to just be impossible, especially if there is a family to support.  Whenever someone leaves the field, it's not uncommon to wonder, what would one of us do if we were forced to seek alternative employment.

Some ideas come to mind...

A lot of keepers go into the vet field.  Not so much going to vet school as becoming veterinary technicians, helping out in a vet's practices.  Many of the skills that we acquire - restraining animals for treatment, coaxing pills down unwilling throats - translate well to that line of work.

Others go into education.  Animal professionals tend to be very passionate about issues pertaining to wildlife and conservation.  This gives them an opportunity to share their passion with the next generation.  It doesn't hurt to sneak in a little pro-zoo perspective as well...

A lucky few get to work in the field with wildlife directly.

As for myself, I think I'd settle for being a travel writer.  I could cross the world, paying special attention to wildlife sights and zoos and aquariums.  I would enjoy being able to learn more about different countries and their wildlife, helping potential visitors differentiate between those wildlife attractions that promote conservation and those that are exploitative.

Still, at the moment I doubt that anyone is going to hand me a fistful of money and tell me to start globetrotting.  Until then, I guess the zoo will have to do.