Dolphin trainer (Dolfijnentrainer)
Information on this skill...
A dolphin trainer or dolphin caretaker is responsible for various activities related to the care and training of dolphins. The profession of dolphin trainer can be regarded as a popular profession because dolphins have a great attraction for many people. As a dolphin trainer, you generally work for a dolphinarium, within the Netherlands only present in Harderwijk. In general, other mammals can also be found within a dolphinarium, such as sea lions, seals, penguins and orcas, depending on the type of dolphinarium. The mammals in a dolphinarium are trained, in many cases so that they can be used to give different types of shows to the public. Although dolphins are very smart and seem to have human qualities, properly training dolphins is not easy, and it takes a lot of perseverance and energy to let a dolphin perform certain tricks on command. Actually, becoming a dolphin trainer is very difficult because in most cases a strict selection procedure has to be completed. This selection procedure does not only relate to animal knowledge because a good dolphin trainer can also be expected to have good social skills. Think, for example, of working with visitors during shows, or working with visitors who have a disability. Dolphins are widely known for their intelligence and can behave very socially. They are therefore very popular with everyone for their appearance and social character. Dolphins have relatively large brains, which according to many explains their high intelligence. Dolphins are placed just after humans in terms of intelligence. Dolphins are very social animals in nature and are able to hunt for food en masse by forming groups, in which there may be up to a thousand dolphins. Normally, the groups consist of a few dozen dolphins.
A dolphin trainer is therefore an animal trainer who specializes in training dolphins. Training dolphins is not easy because dolphins communicate in a special way. Dolphins communicate with each other by means of clicking and whistling sounds, which are produced in different ways. Not all the ways in which a dolphin produces sound are known yet. In addition, dolphins are highly intelligent and social mammals. The intelligence and social compassion of dolphins is expressed, for example, in the way they guide their sick animals. A dolphin that is sick is not left alone by other dolphins. The biggest attraction of dolphins to humans is the playfulness of dolphins. Their playfulness and curiosity ensures that people have so much and so much contact with dolphins. Dolphins usually live in the shallower seas and eat mainly fish and squid. The profession of dolphin trainer is not entirely uncontroversial nowadays because there are also people who are against captivity of dolphins. This is also the case, for example, when we speak of circus animals.
EVOLUTION DOLPHINS
Dolphins are descendants of land mammals and started living in the water about fifty million years ago, just like whales and porpoises. Despite the fact that the dolphins have been living in the water for a long time, dolphins have to surface every few minutes to breathe. When dolphins are asleep, they do so with one hemisphere at a time so that they remain able to surface in order to breathe. A dolphin has about two hundred and fifty teeth, which also have an antenna function, with which the so-called clicking sounds can be picked up. A dolphin does not breathe through the mouth but through the nozzle at the top, which can be closed by a valve. Dolphins have excellent vision both above water and underwater and can hear much better compared to humans.
WHAT EXACTLY DOES A DOLPHIN TRAINER DO
A dolphin trainer trains dolphins that live in captivity in a dolphinarium. In addition to training dolphins, a dolphin trainer will take care of the dolphins so that they stay healthy. This means that a dolphin trainer is also responsible for holding so-called health training. By applying health training, a dolphin trainer can take a closer look at the dolphins to be able to check the dolphins for any wounds and scratches. Weighing dolphins and taking blood is also possible due to the health training. In everything a dolphin trainer does, the health of the dolphins is paramount and if in doubt, the dolphin trainer will call in a veterinarian. Other activities include feeding the dolphins and cleaning the dolphin enclosures. In addition, a dolphin trainer will spend a lot of time training the dolphins. Training the dolphins is something that a lot of time, practice and attention is spent on. If a dolphin has performed a certain trick or assignment well, it will be richly rewarded with fish. As a dolphin trainer, it is important that you can also swim well yourself because you will regularly swim with the dolphins in the water.
WHAT DOES A DOLPHIN TRAINER DO:
DOLPHIN TRAINER TRAINING
If you aspire to a career as a dolphin trainer, it is best to follow a training as a zookeeper that gives different directions and possibilities. However, it is important to do an internship at the right companies, such as a dolphinarium or a zoo. However, the ultimate chance of being able to work as a dolphin trainer is very small because there are certainly not many workplaces within the Netherlands, and it is a popular job. But with the right commitment and perseverance, it may take a longer period of time, but it certainly does not have to be impossible. In addition, there are also plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE A DOLPHIN TRAINER CAN BE EMPLOYED
Within the Netherlands, as a dolphin trainer, you can actually only work in the Dolfinarium in Harderwijk. There are certainly more dolphinariums abroad, but working as a dolphin trainer is also very popular there. With a targeted training as a zookeeper, you can, of course, go to several animal parks, which may also offer opportunities.
COMPETENCES DOLPHIN TRAINER
The most important competence of a dolphin trainer is the love for dolphins. In addition, a dolphin trainer must have the right motivation because otherwise you cannot work in a good way as a dolphin trainer. Perseverance is also an important competence of a dolphin trainer. Training dolphins should not be underestimated because most dolphin trainers are training with the dolphins every day. Also, physically, the profession of dolphin trainer can be called fairly heavy. Because as a dolphin trainer, you will also regularly perform in front of an audience, your communication skills must be good. As a dolphin trainer, you are also regularly engaged in education because you will also receive school children, for example. Generally important words are energy, planning, organizing, sensitivity, social and passion. Of course, a dolphin trainer must also have animal knowledge and a great sense of responsibility.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS A DOLPHIN TRAINER
The labour market perspective of a dolphin trainer is very small in the Netherlands. In addition, it is a popular profession for which you will not just be eligible. Anyone who aspires to a career as a dolphin trainer will in most cases also have to look abroad. The career opportunities of a dolphin trainer can be seen in obtaining a managerial position. Consider, for example, a dolphin trainer who can be classified as an operational manager. In that case, you will, for example, manage various other employees.
WORKING CONDITIONS AND SALARY DOLPHIN TRAINER
There are no specific employment conditions to be named as a dolphin trainer because the profession is almost non-existent in the Netherlands. What exactly a dolphin trainer will earn is also not very clear, but in general, a dolphin trainer will earn a salary between 2500 and 3500 euros gross per month depending on age, education and specific responsibilities.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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