Wildlife, exotics, and zoo is very competitive- the most competitive specialty within the profession. You'll need excellent grades and serious networking to get your foot in the door (your networking is what will get you the residency, after all other conditions are satisfied). Start early, and make every effort to gain exposure to your field of interest (be that wildlife, aquarium, zoo, etc.). Many people start out with this same ambition, and realize that there simply aren't sufficient opportunities for well-qualified people. I'd have a few backups waiting in the wings before you invest vet school tuition to realize you won't be getting a zoo residency right out of the gate. (after the rotating and specialized internships in SA, of course)
As for an advanced degree, it depends on what you want to do. Graduate school and vet school are two completely different balls of wax. I went to grad school initially, and am now completing vet school. Do you like research? Have you done enough research to know that it's something you want to do for the rest of your life? If you intend to advance in (academic) research spheres, you will do very little hands on work as you progress, and will be primarily responsible for the acquisition of funds and manuscript publication. Are you into that? If so, a career in research may be for you. I caution against going for a graduate degree lightly (i.e. I 'may' like this line of work). It's an enormous time investment, and a very hard slog.
If you're into wildlife, I'd suggest a career with US Fish and Wildlife, or USGS. The federal government has many advertised jobs for wildlife biologists- they're located all over the country, and cover everything from range science to birding. Have a look on usajobs.gov to see what's available.
The choice of a career is less about the subject and more about the function. What is it about a job that you enjoy doing? Do you like thinking about things, or do you like doing things (i.e. with your hands)? Two very different functions. Are you a free spirit, or can you work happily in a regulated environment? Independently or on teams? These characteristics have far more to do with your happiness than whether you're working with a Labrador retriever or dingo.
Zoo, wildlife, and aquarium work is possible, it's just very competitive and entrenched (i.e. people who snag those jobs don't tend to leave their positions until they're ready to retire). If it's your goal to break into this field, networking is the name of your game. It will make or break a job/residency offer (after the didactic requirements are met).
I just mentioned in my last post (different thread), it's important to have a variety of interests in mind if the 'one true calling' doesn't work out. Many times, things don't- not because we didn't try hard, or didn't want it bad enough...but simply because, they don't. You wouldn't want to be devastated because you only saw yourself doing one (and only one thing). Good luck!
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Want to be a vet, but don't want to work with pets
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