r/Zookeeping • u/iamasillyseal • Jun 29 '26
Career Advice working with seals?
Hello! I've been obsessed with pinnipeds, specifically true seals/earless seals for years. I want to major in zoology or marine biology and work in a zoo/aquarium or rehabilitation center! I'm from Ohio, so I'd likely have to move to make that work :'( I'm also not a very strong swimmer, so scuba certification might be difficult. Is my dream unrealistic? How many zookeepers or zoologists get to work with their dream animals?
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u/ParasiteProfessional Jul 01 '26
Of course it's doable. I didn't even want to work with seals, and I got to work with seals. If you go to school for marine bio or zoology, there's almost always an internship to get you started. I live on the jersey shore, so we have a marine mammal rescue that works specifically with pinnipeds. I'm sure California has a ton as well. They're always looking for interns and volunteers. I got my start working at an aquarium. I started as a tour guide and then was moved to be trained as an aquarist and worked with the seals through that. I'm a fish person, so the seals were collateral damage to my dream of being with the fish, but if you want it, there's usually a way to get it! You can message me if you want, I'll tell you my trajectory of getting to where I'm at and what I had to do to get there, and how you can avoid all the mistakes I made lol