List of Animal related Careers

Large-animal veterinarians treat horses, cattle and other livestock.

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From treating sick horses to training killer whales, you can choose from a diverse range of careers with large animals. Veterinarians heal large animals, while zoologists study their habits and help them thrive in their natural environment. Farmers and ranchers care for livestock, and trainers teach large animals tasks and tricks. Education requirements vary, from a bachelor's degree to a four-year doctoral education. Veterinarians, who need a doctoral degree, have the best career opportunities based on job-growth forecasts.

Veterinary Medicine

About 15 percent of veterinarians worked with large animals as of 2010, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Equine vets treat horses, while food animal docs work with pigs, cattle and sheep, visiting ranches and farms to treat disease and vaccinate livestock. Food-safety vets check livestock for communicable diseases, and inspect food products and factories for sanitation practices. Vets may also treat llamas, goats and other large farm animals. Plus, large-animal vets can specialize in areas including surgery, lameness evaluation, equine sports medicine, reproduction, diagnostic imaging or anesthesia.

Zoology

As with vets, zoologists and wildlife biologists can choose careers with large animals. Land-dwelling mammals such as elephants, bears and big cats are career options. Marine biologists work with whales, dolphins and other large, saltwater animals. Zoos, government agencies and research and development firms employ wildlife biologists to study animals’ habits, collect tissue specimens for analysis and write reports on their findings. For policymakers, zoologists and wildlife biologists recommend regulations that cover wildlife conservation and management issues.

Related Reading: Careers in Animal Rescue Organizations

Farming

Farms and ranches need large-animal experts to fill jobs in meat production, livestock feed and dairy manufacturing. Typical duties include monitoring and tending to livestock animals’ daily health needs, as well as feeding, watering, milking and birthing. Employees can work as animal care technicians, animal nutritionists, quality control inspectors or livestock managers. Feed companies, inspection consultants, university extensions, meat and dairy processors and federal agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration also hire large-animal experts, caregivers and managers.

Animal Training

Animal trainers work with horses and marine mammals, among other large animals. An equine trainer might teach police horses to stay calm around loud noises, fire or smoke. A marine mammal trainer works on a team of trainers at an aquarium to teach whales and dolphins performance tricks. Trainers also keep animal health records current, feed animals, clean habitats and interact with the public. Trainers at zoos teach large animals to allow veterinary checkups.