It’s also worth pointing out that becoming a zoo vet is one of the most (if not THE most) competitive profession within the veterinary field. An average of one position opens up in the US each year (some years a few more, some years none). It’s to the point that there is a running joke that the only way to get in is to kill your predecessor.
A solid 1/3+ of my class is interested in working with wildlife, and realistically one, maybe two of them will end up somewhere where wildlife are a large portion of their work. If that is your ultimate goal, it is still possible but it will be very challenging. Zoo residencies basically have their pick of the cream of the crop. It’s perfectly fine for that to be your ultimate goal (its my own ultimate pipe dream), but if you don’t think that you could be happy or at least content working in another area of vet med, I dont think I would recommend vet school. Your chances of becoming a zoo vet are very tiny. If you make it all the way through vet school without the excellent grades, wildlife experience, research/publications, and connections to land a zoo internship then residency, you’re going to be in deep trouble trying to pay back your loans unless you settle for a different area of vet med. Zoo med itself also pays like crap even if you do get in, so paying back loans will be a large effort even if you do succeed.
There are plenty of other opportunities in vet med that don’t necessarily have much dealings with clients. Would you be okay working in a research lab and all that entails? Government work? Public health? Food safety inspection service? Are there any other areas of vet med that you can see yourself in? I’ll reiterate that it’s okay to want to be a zoo vet, but it’s a lot like saying your goal in life is to be a famous singer. It’s partly skill/effort, partly connections and who you know, and some part sheer dumb luck. There are endless droves of people who dream of it, but ultimately very few who actually get there. If you don’t have a solid plan B, then vet school probably isn’t a smart investment.