tortoise college??

[jobeanator]

i was wondering, since im finishing up college and wanting to go to a 4 year college, is there any colleges that have like tortoise care or anything like that? ive looked around and i really cant find any, but im open to do anything involving turtle, tortoises, frogs and such. ive been devoted to animals all my life, and i want to go to college doing something with the animals i mentioned. anyone know of any places that have such classes or majors?? let me know thanks!!

 

[chelonologist]

There are quite a number of universities offering degrees in biology, wildlife biology, zoology and the like. Many of them employ professors that are herpetologists. Though the curriculum doesn't usually focus on "care" of the animals, you can certainly learn enough about the biology of the organisms to become a wildlife biologist, ecologist, geneticist, or conservation biologist. Then you can study and "care" (or make recommendations for management) for wild populations, or perhaps a captive breeding population within a zoo.

 

[spikethebest]

i go to california state university of northridge. im getting my masters in biology. there is a herpetologist at my school and you can study turtles, tortoises, lizards etc with him.

link to the professor, what he is studying, and his student's projects...
http://www.csun.edu/~ree77914/

link to department
www.csun.edu/biology

you can get a biology degree as a BA or BS, and you can get a MS, soon a PhD. good luck!

 

[purpod]

In addition, Moorpark College in Moorpark, CA has an incredible "exotic animal" program that is known as a "Americas Teaching Zoo", altho from what I understand, it is difficult to get in, as it is so popular.

Here is the link: http://www.moorpark.cc.ca.us/~eatm/

Bestest wishes in your endeavors!
Purpod

 

[spikethebest]

I have two friends who got into that program. The both got BAs in Animal Science, and they used to work at the Long Beach Aquarium, and other zoos.

At that school there is a Galapagos tortoise. And they say it has learned behaviors.

Their goal is to work at Sea World.

They are very good at training animals.

 

[Laura]

I am a Moorpark Grad,.... takes a Bow.... from way back when.. before it moved to the hill and was called a zoo..
It is a much different program now then it was back then.. but I would say it is still very worth while doing if you want to do anything with animals.
My classmates are in the Film Industry, Zoos, conservation, Vets, Animal Control, Sea World etc... And they STILL are.
And yes, Clarence, the Galop has been trained.. so they say.. He is very cool.

 

[purpod]

Yeah, there's a pic of that gorgeous galapagos on the website that I sent out as the link..

Well wishes to All ~
Purpod

 

[Shawn and Dianne]

Hi,

There is a A.S. Zoo Animal Technology Program (zookeeping school) that I attended in Gainesville, FL at Santa Fe Community College. They run their own zoo. It is actually where I got to like tortoises. They have many species of tortoise and turtles, along with many other mammals, birds, herps, etc. For tortoises they have redfoots, leopards, burmese browns, galapagos, as well as box turtles and pond turtles. You learn everything hands on and in classes. I highly highly recommend the school. I would be happy to tell you more about it if you are interested, just send me a message (that goes for anyone). That school got me my amazing job at Disney's Animal Kingdom as an animal keeper.
http://www.sfcc.edu/zoo/
Dianne

 

[redkim]

Another EATM grad here. Clarence was at the LA Zoo for many years and only recently moved to Moorpark. It would have been about 2002 ish?

At LA Zoo he would approach the keepers for attention, but at Moorpark - with all the emphasis on training - I could see the students teaching basic behaviors. Probably food driven A to B's.

Hey Laura - you must have been of the lucky folks who learned under Briz huh?

I know each group thinks they had it harder than the newer ones but when they switched from a selection based on merit for admission to a lottery based admission, it kinda took some of the "specialness" out of it.

I have also heard of the school in FL. It is the East Coast version of Moorpark and really good too. You have lots of options.

 

[Laura]

Yep, I'm a kid of Briz. and proud of it. He was a very special person and is very missed. :-(
Its so funny to go back now or even hear stories of 'hardships' after our time. We had nightwatch, the true tyep. awake all night or try to sleep to the sound of wolves howling, lions tigers roaring.. the roosters crowing int he morn.. usually sleeping where you were! in a barn or under a tree.. or waking up to an ice covered sleeping bag and now knowing why it was so hard to get warm!! Yep, it DOES get cold in Southern Calif.. Nightwatch is now 'illegal' at the school. Too hard or dangerous...My class was the last Briz one. After that, people who always hired EATM grads stopped or started being really picky.. lots of good people still come out of the program, its just different.
Rake Marks and moving Oil pipe... ahhhhhh memories...

 

[redkim]

Yup - we have the night watch but we were lucky enough to have a spider infested bunkhouse! Still no heat and I remember the cold. Also remember trying to find poop when it's dark at 6 am, had to tape a flashlight to the shovel.

We had the rake marks but I have ALWAYS chuckled at the oil pipe stories Lynne would tell!

However there was definitely give and take. Wile you guys were definitely in more "rustic" conditions your freedoms with the animals were greater. As they have progressed, the conditions got nicer to conform with politics or whatever but on the other hand the animal freedoms were lessened too. Not too many carns come out on walks and there are more don'ts than do's. And after Briz the caliber of EATM grads dropped so that's why the hiring became tougher. With Briz the people knew they were hiring quality, after that it was kinda a cr*pshoot. From some of the stories I was told - I think some grads got puffed up on their own importance.

Eh - the world turns and changes right? I am still irked on the NO nightwatch thing!

 

[Laura]

Myself and another classmate just put together a 20 someot year.. reunion.. We had it down south, Lunch at the Zoo and dinner out.. We found almost all of our classmates, but only about 10 made it..
The memories are awsome, the bond is something no one will ever understand.. unless youv'e been there...