AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 39-2021.00
Will AI replace Animal Caretakers?
Animal Caretakers: AI can already handle 1 of 22 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 22 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Animal Caretakers, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advise pet owners on how to care for their pets' health. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Feed and water animals according to schedules and feeding instructions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Provide treatment to sick or injured animals, or contact veterinarians to secure treatment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Examine and observe animals to detect signs of illness, disease, or injury. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Mix food, liquid formulas, medications, or food supplements according to instructions, prescriptions, and knowledge of animal species. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Collect and record animal information, such as weight, size, physical condition, treatments received, medications given, and food intake. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Clean and disinfect surgical equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Find homes for stray or unwanted animals. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Answer telephones and schedule appointments. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Discuss with clients their pets' grooming needs. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Transfer animals between enclosures to facilitate breeding, birthing, shipping, or rearrangement of exhibits. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Perform animal grooming duties, such as washing, brushing, clipping, and trimming coats, cutting nails, and cleaning ears. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Adjust controls to regulate specified temperature and humidity of animal quarters, nurseries, or exhibit areas. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Anesthetize and inoculate animals, according to instructions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Order, unload, and store feed and supplies. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Sell pet food and supplies. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Observe and caution children petting and feeding animals in designated areas to ensure the safety of humans and animals. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Respond to questions from patrons, and provide information about animals, such as behavior, habitat, breeding habits, or facility activities. | Observed | Efficient | |
| Train animals to perform certain tasks. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Exercise animals to maintain their physical and mental health. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install, maintain, and repair animal care facility equipment, such as infrared lights, feeding devices, and cages. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Do facility laundry and clean, organize, maintain, and disinfect animal quarters, such as pens and stables, and equipment, such as saddles and bridles. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 1 of 22 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 21 of 22. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 88% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 95% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 5% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 266,910
- Median annual wage
- $35,360
- Middle half of earners
- $29,820 to $40,050
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +12.1%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers 79% skill overlap, about 7 months to move Exposure32
- Farmworkers, Farm, Ranch, and Aquacultural Animals 74% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure16
- Animal Control Workers 73% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure34
- Animal Trainers 68% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure35
- Veterinary Technologists and Technicians 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure50
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Animal Caretakers and AI
Will AI replace Animal Caretakers?
AI already handles 1 of the 22 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 48 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +12.1% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Animal Caretakers?
48 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 1 of the 22 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 21 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Animal Caretakers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Advise pet owners on how to care for their pets' health. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 88% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Animal Caretakers, and what do they earn?
266,910 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $35,360 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +12.1% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Animal Caretakers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/animal-caretakers
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