The province of Alicante will host the first official course for the care of wild animals in zoos and aquariums in the Comunitat Valenciana.

The course will be given by Grupo CIM Formación Alicante in collaboration with Terra Natura Benidorm.

At the end of this official qualification, students will obtain a professional training qualification valid throughout the European Union.

Alicante is positioned as a benchmark in the field of training for the care of wild animals in zoos and aquariums in the Valencian Community. Caring for elephants, rhinoceroses, primates, snakes, among other animals, will be part of the content of the first and only official course available in the Valencia Region for professional training in the care of wild animals in zoos and aquariums.

This official qualification is recognised in the European Union, so students will be able to practice their profession in any country of the European Union. The training provided by the CIM Formación group, with more than 35 years of experience in the sector, will be given entirely on-site and will begin in November. The course is structured in different training modules that will take place both in the facilities of CIM Formación in the city of Alicante, and Terra Natura Benidorm where students will have the opportunity to get a practical training experience in the park’s facilities with elephants, felines, primates and birds, etc., always under the supervision of the teaching team and park managers ensuring compliance with all safety measures”.

The director of CIM Formación Alicante, Alberto Gómez, highlighted, during the signing of the agreement, that his group has been a pioneer in giving this course officially in Spain and that, in addition, they are the only ones in the whole of the Valencian Community who are currently offering this training.  “The course will have a total duration of 500 hours, of which more than 40% will be of a practical nature, taking place in the facilities of Terra Natura Benidorm, as well as in the rest of the zoos and aquariums in our province. Alicante is the ideal place to study this qualification, as we have a large number of animal recovery areas, making us one of the Spanish provinces with the highest number of this type of facilities, which means a high potential for future employability for the students of this course”.

Alberto Gómez also explained that the students will also learn about “different ecosystems to locate the existing dangers, captive breeding programmes for species of interest, the rehabilitation of injured animals and their subsequent insertion, as well as the development of environmental education and dissemination programmes”.

For his part, Luis Perea, as general manager of the Terra Natura Benidorm nature and animal park, expressed his great satisfaction at hosting this pioneering course which “promotes and favours the specialisation and training of professionals dedicated to the care of wild animals in zoos and aquariums”. “It is important that this training includes practical work with animals to learn about their handling and conservation in a close and real way, as this way the students will be able to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in the day-to-day work they will encounter when they work in zoos and aquariums”, said Perea.

The professional opportunities for the students who take the training are wide and diverse. In fact, in the Valencia Region there are some of the most important national animal recovery centres, including Terra Natura Benidorm. After their time at Terra Natura Benidorm, and once the students have completed the practical part of the course at CIM training, they will receive this official qualification with which they will be able to work and take care of the wildlife heritage. Thanks to this training, students will be able to provide care for different types of wild animals in Spain and Europe.

FIND OUT MORE HERE: https://www.cimformacion.com/cursos/cuidados-de-animales-salvajes-de-zoologicos-y-acuarios-oficial/alicante/2_2_81