Exotic Animal Careers

Exotic Animal Training and Management, Moorpark College

Have you always had a strong desire to care for animals? Have you been intrigued by the amazing performance of dolphins and killer whales in oceanariums? Do you want to help save wild animals from the threat of extinction? Do you want to teach others to love animals as much as you do? We can help you turn your dreams into reality.

The Exotic Animal Training and Management (EATM) Program at Moorpark College is an unique vocational program offering education in the care and training of animals and the presentation of educational shows utilizing animals.

Students receive instruction in modern techniques of zoo keeping including nutrition, restraint, and veterinary procedures. A variety of animal training procedures are presented, ranging from techniques applicable for confined zoo animals to methods used in working animals in the movie industry. The human elements of the animal industry are also covered in courses dealing with public relations, fund raising, planning, and supervision. At the college's animal facility, the students are able to put into action practices they have learned in the classroom.

The EATM Program was established as a major at Moorpark College in 1974. The animal collection has gradually increased over the years as animals were acquired through donations and breeding loans from major zoos and research centers. This extraordinary collection has included exotic animals ranging from marmosets to an Asian elephant, blue-tongued skinks to alligators, button quail to ostrich.

As the animal collection grew, so did the program. New courses were developed and enrollment increased. The present animal collection, numbering 150 animals, is maintained on a five-acre facility on the college campus called America's Teaching Zoo.

Each fall, fifty students are admitted to begin the two-year program. Applicants come from all across the U.S. and abroad. Each applicant must meet admission requirements to be considered as a candidate for the program.

Students receive instruction from the EATM staff and guest lecturers with expertise in all areas of the animal industry. Besides the invaluable experience they gain working at America's Teaching Zoo, students perform internships at the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara Zoos and special projects at animal facilities across the country.

Students receive classroom instruction in the techniques of presenting educational and entertaining animal shows. Then they refine their understanding of these principles and develop their own style by actually performing before the public.

The students are involved in special presentations for school children and regular shows for the general public throughout the year and a large-scale, fund-raising production each spring. Always, the emphasis is on instilling in the public an appreciation for wildlife and an understanding for the need to conserve the diversity of life. It is hoped that EATM graduates will continue to promote such ideas as they follow their careers in the animal industry.

Graduates receive a certificate of achievement and, to those satisfying the general education requirements of the college, an AS degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management. After completing the core curriculum in the first year, the student can choose one of three areas of emphasis to follow in the second year. These areas are: General Exotic Animal Training and Management, Animal Behavior Management, and Wildlife Education.

The demands of the program are rigorous. Not all students admitted are able to actually complete the full course of study. The rewards are high, however, for those that demonstrate the ability and commitment needed to fulfill the requirements of the program as more than eighty percent of the EATM graduates are placed in the animal industry. They find employment at public and private zoos, aquariums, oceanariums and private and government training and care facilities throughout the U.S. and abroad.

If you have questions about the program or how to apply, please fill out our information request form, or send e-mail.