According to most, a career in animal care nearly always begins via two common pathways. A bachelor’s degree in biology or wildlife science helps get your foot in the door, though jobs are found largely through experience in the field. Still, as demand for college degrees has increased, more universities are creating specialty programs to aid students. Dr. Linhoff is an assistant professor at Tarleton in the Department of Wildlife and Natural Resources. For years he has worked in the zoology field, and is now taking his expertise to the next level by attempting to provide Tarleton students with one of the most comprehensive wildlife care curriculums in the country.
What does building this new curriculum look like, and how will it help students? Dr. Linhoff says that there is a lack of specialization in most programs, leading to graduates without practical skills for specific jobs, and a lack of education in their preferred specialty. Specialties are more in-depth focuses within the world of wildlife science. To find a career in a specific field like herpetology, animal behavior or aquarium science, you need to learn from experts within that niche.
As part of their attempt to bolster their program, the team at Tarleton is focusing on a few things: building a foundational knowledge of zoo facilities and how they work, while offering a well-rounded wildlife science education with access to multiple specialty courses. Experiential learning is also emphasized, so that students can practice necessary skills like using hand tools, mopping and more in addition to animal husbandry.
Dr. Linhoff, in addition to experienced coworkers like Dr. Todd Bowsher, the retired Director of Animal Operations at the Dallas Zoo, hopes that the variety and high quality of these new courses will get students excited and prepare them for a variety of careers as they pursue their degree.
Fossil Rim joined Tarleton State University in a memorandum of understanding beginning in 2013. Since then, we have welcomed students to work in various positions and utilize Fossil Rim as a living lab for their research. As a part of this departmental upgrade, we will have the honor of hosting organizations like the TSU Zoo and Exotics Club, as well as a 10-15 day field camp, where student applicants will get in-depth instruction on mammal care from our team.
Ideally, this new zoo program will create a new generation of quality graduates, who are both prepared and excited to take on the industry. Tarleton hopes to bolster their reputation among other university zoo departments, by creating a nationally recognized, world-class program.
Fossil Rim is excited for this next chapter in our partnership with Tarleton State, and we look forward to helping tomorrow’s conservation leaders accomplish their dreams.