Most places gfo fish or mammals as a whole. Very few do both well. The needs are very different, so support areas (food prep, cleaning supplies, filtration) are all different.
Volunteering is a great way to start. Just to put it into perspective check out this as an example:
Out of 200 volunteers, 10 will end up with entry level paid jobs. Of those 10, 2 or 3 will make a senior level position. Of those in a senior, less that half will ever make it to facility manager.
A lot of people who start out loving it end up hating it. They are disillustioned about what rehab is really all about. They start out thinking it's like working as a plastic surgeon working in Beverly Hills, and end up as a medic on the beaches during the Normandy landing.
That being said, for those who stick with it, it is an amazing career path to follow. It took me over 10 years in the industry to gain enough knowledge to run a husbandry department for a facility. I still wouldn't want to run an entire facility. It puts you no where near actually working with the animals.
As for centers being open to the public, most are not. There are a few that are, and a few more that do selected public tours/interactions. The biggest reason behind keeping the public out is stress on the animals. It's also hard to focus on the job with people staring at you. The public can't really handle what it takes to rehab some animals. Seeing animals on the edge of death isn't for everyone. And then you also have to deal with the crazy people who try to sneak in and say you are hurting them/making them worse and will try to 'free' them. The general rule of rehab is that you only take in the animal if it will die in the next 24 hours if left on it's own. It brings in a lot of cases you don't win.
Volunteering is a great way to start. Just to put it into perspective check out this as an example:
Out of 200 volunteers, 10 will end up with entry level paid jobs. Of those 10, 2 or 3 will make a senior level position. Of those in a senior, less that half will ever make it to facility manager.
A lot of people who start out loving it end up hating it. They are disillustioned about what rehab is really all about. They start out thinking it's like working as a plastic surgeon working in Beverly Hills, and end up as a medic on the beaches during the Normandy landing.
That being said, for those who stick with it, it is an amazing career path to follow. It took me over 10 years in the industry to gain enough knowledge to run a husbandry department for a facility. I still wouldn't want to run an entire facility. It puts you no where near actually working with the animals.
As for centers being open to the public, most are not. There are a few that are, and a few more that do selected public tours/interactions. The biggest reason behind keeping the public out is stress on the animals. It's also hard to focus on the job with people staring at you. The public can't really handle what it takes to rehab some animals. Seeing animals on the edge of death isn't for everyone. And then you also have to deal with the crazy people who try to sneak in and say you are hurting them/making them worse and will try to 'free' them. The general rule of rehab is that you only take in the animal if it will die in the next 24 hours if left on it's own. It brings in a lot of cases you don't win.
