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40th out of 42 books
—
23 voters
Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched: Life and Lessons at the World's Premier School for Exotic Animal Trainers
An invitation into the magical, grueling, and virtually unknown world of exotic animal training
Behind the imposing gate of the Exotic Animal Training Program at California's Moorpark College lies a kingdom full of small mysteries, deep passions, and a camel that shoots hoops. Each year a select group of students descends on this teaching zoo to learn an improbable talent...more
Behind the imposing gate of the Exotic Animal Training Program at California's Moorpark College lies a kingdom full of small mysteries, deep passions, and a camel that shoots hoops. Each year a select group of students descends on this teaching zoo to learn an improbable talent...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
June 1st 2006
by Viking Adult
(first published 2006)
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I read the book Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched: Life and Lessons at the World's Premier School for Exotic Animal Trainers by Amy Sutherland. In this novel it describes every aspect of life working at the famous Moorpark Teaching Zoo. In every chapter the book touches on different areas at the zoo and tells numerous memories and stories that different students their have come across. I give this book a 5 star rating because of my passion for animals and how it hides no secrets in sharing hot ruthl...more
Pretty tasty mind candy, especially for me since I consider a fish tank the ideal pet. It seemed like a very good perspective on those, to me, odd folk who are willing to put up with a great deal of crap (in every sense of that word) to be around animals.
The title sums up things pretty nicely. This is NOT a book about animal training, it is a book about the people (and animals) involved in the two-year EATM program at Moorpark college.
I am kinda sensitive to overly dramatic prose, and at times S...more
The title sums up things pretty nicely. This is NOT a book about animal training, it is a book about the people (and animals) involved in the two-year EATM program at Moorpark college.
I am kinda sensitive to overly dramatic prose, and at times S...more
Amy Sutherland tackles an interested subject in this book and succeeds in describing "life" with believable detail but falls somewhat short of the promised "lessons." She refrains from passing judgement of any kind, or really even exploring the issues, of a fairly controversial subject. I would have appreciated some discussion of the ethics of keeping zoo animals as student projects or even some sort of summary of the "lessons" applicable to life in general. Sutherland barely brushes the surface...more
Of course this was a book in my mom's library that I read while I was taking care of her exotic animal farm while she was out of town. I'd never heard of this school before my mom told me about this book. Really fascinating. Unlike my mom, I am not at all interested in attending such a school (--my grandma's words: "You couldn't *pay* me to go to such a school."), but I enjoyed reading about it. It was probably more interesting to me because my mom is such an animal person than it would have bee...more
I can see the point of the people here who have complained that the book lacked focus. Sutherland was faced with a rather difficult situation: She wanted to talk about a place, and to chronicle the inhabitants of that place, both animal and human (or animals, both human and non-, if you prefer). However, there were two many of both ilks to follow in any comprehensible way. So instead she chose the non-traditional route of profiling the place rather than the people. This did mean that characters...more
I was drawn to this book by the Op-Ed that Sutherland wrote promoting it when it came out. The piece, titled What Shamu Taught Me About My Marriage, was about applying animal training techniques to humans, specifically her husband.
In the first 100 pages that I was able to read before I completely lost interest, there was very little discussion of animal behavior. The book details life at the Exotic Animal Training and Management program at Moorpark Community College, but never gets close to any...more
In the first 100 pages that I was able to read before I completely lost interest, there was very little discussion of animal behavior. The book details life at the Exotic Animal Training and Management program at Moorpark Community College, but never gets close to any...more
A NYT article about how learning about animal behavior was better than marriage counseling prompted journalist Amy Sutherland to write a whole book about it. A self described animal lover, she spends a year at the exotic animal training college, Moorpark, in CA, following a year of students through the main travails and trials of the year. It is definitely a very interesting book, and you learn all sorts of factoids about animals and get a glimpse into the world of animal training--which one rar...more
This was a fabulous book a very different from the usual books on animals that I find myself reading. A great look at the ups and downs of students going through the two year program there. This is not an explanation at how perfect a job with animals is, but a realistic look at the profession, from the low salaries and job shortages to the PETA controversy and the evolution of animal training. A great book for anyone looking to get into the animal field and have yet to be bitten. Because whether...more
This book was an interesting look at the Moorpark College's animal training program. It follows the students through their joys and failures during the rigorous program. The book was especially interesting to me because of my profession. Working with animals can be one of the toughest yet rewarding fields to be involved in and this book illustrated that well. The writing did get sloppy at time and sometimes the writer used so many names you forgot what animal or person they were referring to. A...more
For an animal lover, this was a great read! It was really fascinating to learn the ins and outs of training and caring for exotic animals. It's truly quite amazing the things they can do with all sorts of animals that you'd never think could be trained. Not only is it about animals, it's about the students and their experience at this rare zoo school. Did you know that about 95% of movie animal trainers, dog trainers, and other exotic animal trainers have gone to this school? If you've ever wond...more
Really fascinating insight into the world of animal training. Very well written. My only bone with it was the author's introduction - contrary to her own experience, you should NOT feed turtles iceberg lettuce, you should NOT release your domestic rabbit into the wild, and you should neuter your dogs. Amen. (Luckily this had nothing to do with the content of the book).
Considering I borrowed this from a friend who found it at the Dollar Store it was pretty darn good. Sutherland is a good researcher. It was an interesting topic to read about as I had never given it much thought before. (I watched Evan Almighty for the first time right after reading this and had to scan the credits to see if I recognized any of the animal trainers names (0:)
A nice survey of a year of schooling at Moorpark, indeed a school for folk who desire to work with exotic animals such as tigers or monkeys. The author rarely intrudes and gives a detailed, fairly well-balanced account of the politics and history of the school along with lots of day to day workings of the compound and its animal inhabitants.
A great book that follows a group of students through the two-year exotic animal training program at Southern California's Moorpark College. You begin to understand just how demanding and competitive this field is. I found it very interesting, especially because a friend's sister recently graduated from the program. Recommended.
I read this book because of Amy Sutherland's piece in the New York Times about using animal training techniques on her husband (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/25/fas...). If you want more like that, don't read this book. If, however, you would like a close-up of the EATM animal training school, a no-romance look at animal training and the hazards (physical, emotional, psychological), this is the book for you. Sutherland give a frank look into what must surely be one of the most stressful educati...more
Nothing like vicariously living through a grueling year of upper education in a single night. It was fascinating, but I can't imagine anyone voluntarily going through this. SO HARD. So insufficiently rewarding! I'd rather just visit the zoo. Maybe try to find an exotic petting zoo if I needed interaction.
This book was neither fish nor fowl. The location was very interesting and the stories were crazy and unbelievable. But the decision to follow dozens of students, teachers, and animals made it hard to get connected. I had a lot of trouble remembering who was who, despite the descriptions of "shoulder-length chestnut hair" or "big brown eyes" or whatever. And I still don't know what the hell a cavy is.
I think a strong-handed editor could have helped. Or really, a total reorganization of how the b...more
I think a strong-handed editor could have helped. Or really, a total reorganization of how the b...more
This book was OK ... she just had so many characters that I forgot who was who and did not even know if I cared some of the time. She also repeated herself and I never really knew what direction we were going in... and it would have been nice to get an epilouge of what happened to the first years too..
This is my favorite type of nonfiction - getting a good look inside the inner workings of a tiny subculture - in this case, a college program for animal trainers at a California teaching zoo. Unfortunately, I didn't like this particular book very much.
The primary characters (human and animal) all kind of blurred together and it felt like little more than a blow by blow account of daily chores. When dramatic things happen during the course of the school year, it was hard to care because I had no...more
The primary characters (human and animal) all kind of blurred together and it felt like little more than a blow by blow account of daily chores. When dramatic things happen during the course of the school year, it was hard to care because I had no...more
As an animal lover I enjoyed the stories and quirky incidents shared by Sutherland about oorpark College's EATM. But, the writing could still use a heavy handed editor to clarify style and perspective. I skimmed the last 70 pages... I was just bored by that point.
This was a very enjoyable read - a year in the life of a (the) school for animal trainers, and the students, faculty, and critters that make it up. It read more like a novel than most non-fiction texts.
Of course, with such a large cast, I found myself getting confused ... hmmmm ... "Legend", what breed was he? (She?) Or was it a nickname for one of the teachers? The author did often intersperse a description with the name - too often for some readers, but not quite enough for me!
Of course, with such a large cast, I found myself getting confused ... hmmmm ... "Legend", what breed was he? (She?) Or was it a nickname for one of the teachers? The author did often intersperse a description with the name - too often for some readers, but not quite enough for me!
Fascinating look at a year or two in the life of students studying to be animal trainers, which was a childhood dream of mine. Also a very good explanation of and in-depth introduction to operant conditioning
AWESOME BOOK, i loved this book... Again, since i'm a zookeeper i totally could relate. The book was written about the exotic traiing school in Moorepark, CA
Now I'm dying to go join EATM and become an animal trainer! But I don't think it would help my finances out any better than what I'm currently doing unfortunately...
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. No matter what, don't complain."
If you want to work in a zoo, you'd better be prepared for a life of poverty, and read this book.
a dollar store find
I picked this book up because when I was a kid working with animals would have been a dream job of mine.
In 'Kicked Bitten and Scratched' journalist Amy Sutherland chronicles the year she spent with students at the grueling exotic animal training program at Moorpark College in CA.
If you are looking for a 'how-to' you won't find it here, but I wasn't expecting it to be one. This is more about the lives of the trainers than the animals. I found it an interesting and entertaining...more
I picked this book up because when I was a kid working with animals would have been a dream job of mine.
In 'Kicked Bitten and Scratched' journalist Amy Sutherland chronicles the year she spent with students at the grueling exotic animal training program at Moorpark College in CA.
If you are looking for a 'how-to' you won't find it here, but I wasn't expecting it to be one. This is more about the lives of the trainers than the animals. I found it an interesting and entertaining...more
A journalist's account of students' first year in the exotic animal training program at Moorpark College in CA. A well done book, it certainly convinced me I should have no regrets in having not tried for this program. It was a great read, but I was disappointed to see how little really happens in the program (though the somewhat sketchy origins, so common in the exotic animal field, are quite interesting). I recommend this to anyone considering an exotic animal career, it totally nails both the...more
I was hoping for more on training exotics than this offered, a lot of this was from the perspectives of the students and their feelings...
An interesting, but not deep book. Would be a good summer break book. Anecdotes about students and animals from a school for exotic animal training.
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Jan 20, 2013 09:00pm