Conservation Education Internship

This internship provides introductory exotic animal husbandry experience and is open to applicants exploring the animal career field, especially conservation education.

Providing everyone the opportunity to connect with, understand and be amazed by wildlife is paramount to preserving our natural world. Our Conservation Education Internship is key to providing these opportunities for EPZ guests. CE Interns will learn how to inspire guests through delivering animal interactions and experiences at the zoo. They will gain basic animal care experience in an AZA accredited facility, knowledge of exotic animals and conservation as well as valuable public engagement experience.

As part of the internship, interns will facilitate our daily giraffe feedings with guests, perform basic care and husbandry for and manage our barn contact yard experience, assist the walk through exhibit “Harmony Hideaway”, and work directly with the Education staff to deliver the guest experience throughout the zoo. Each shift will begin with basic animal care for our barn contact yard animal collection, including our goats, sheep, mini donkeys and chickens. In addition to guest engagement and managing the interactive experiences, Conservation Education interns will observe informal education utilizing live animals in the zoo, and have the opportunity to develop educational activities for guests.

Interns will be working side-by-side with experienced educators and keepers as well as staff and volunteers from various departments in the Zoo and should be comfortable working in a team environment. All applicants should be willing to approach the internship as a valuable opportunity to learn, gain experience, and create a network to advance their career.

This internship requires standing and interacting with the public for long hours. Animal care tasks are physically taxing, and require being able to lift at least 50 lbs, and a great deal of bending and lifting. Shifts occur in all weather conditions, regardless of temperature or rain, and interns must prepare to work outside in all conditions. No previous animal care experience is required for this position.