Animal Keeper Internship

Birds, Mammals, and Wigglers (BMW) Internship

Our interns learn valuable hands-on skills, taught by our BMW team, including cleaning animal areas, animal nutrition, diet preparation, organizing and cleaning animal food storage areas, and observing and documenting animal behaviors. While BMW interns work near our animals, applicants for these positions should not expect direct animal contact, handling, or training on any regular basis. The typical BMW team member’s day consists of a lot of cleaning, dealing with biosolids, and chemical odors.

What you may do: 

• While interning with the BMW team, you may be trained and may interact with river otters, alligators, black bear, hellbenders, owls, snakes, beaver, and salamanders to name a few.
• Actively observe animals’ behavior.
• Cleaning of the commissary.
• Prepare daily diets and maintain accurate records of assigned animals.
• Gain knowledge with mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian identifications.
• Assist with maintaining back of house areas.
• There may be times when an intern assists BMW team with animal training, watches a veterinarian procedure, and interacts with guests.

Skills & Experience Needed: 

• Intern must be 18 years or older.
• Self-starter
• Detail-Oriented
• Must be willing to take direction and ask questions.
• Requires walking/standing most of your day, needs to be able to bend, squat, stretch, reach, walk on uneven terrain, and lift up to 30 pounds on regular basis

Availability/Time Commitment: 

• Intern must commit to a minimum of 24 Hours per week, with at least one 8-hour shift for a minimum of 10 weeks. Interns must complete a minimum of 240 hours, along with delivering a presentation on an assigned project to the Life Science, Education, and Volunteer Services teams.
• Intern will work early morning hours through the early afternoon, typically 6am until 3pm.