Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched

By Amy Sutherland

ONE LINE SUMMARY: Amy Sutherland follows a year in the lives of students at the Exotic Animal Training and Management Program (EATM) at Moorpark Community College.

This is a terrific book that is well-organized and engrossing. The “Harvard for exotic animal trainers,” EATM trains people who work in zoos, Hollywood, the U.S. Navy, Ringling Bros., Guide Dogs for the Blind, research facilities, aquariums, sanctuaries, and animal parks. During their twenty-one months at the school, students learn about animal anatomy as well as getting hands-on practice at the teaching zoo, which includes learning to kill rats and pigeons to serve as food for other animals.

Although this book only tracks one year of the program, it covers students from the first and last year of the program, so you get a good look at what the program entails and what kind of jobs graduates go on to take, as well as the incredibly difficult schedule they have for the length of the program.

Posted by: ssjane | November 2, 2006 | 1:42 pm
Posted in: Animal/Nature | Books | Nonfiction Other | Recommended