Wildlife Rehabilitation Nursery Intern
WRC provides qualified internship applicants the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working with wildlife in our seasonal Mammal or Avian Nurseries. Nurseries are open from late March through late October; there are different sessions within that time frame available for interns depending on availability (see https://wrcmn.org/Wildlife-Internships-at-WRC/12/ for details).
College students, college graduates, or people just looking for a fun hands-on experience with wildlife are all welcome. Internship positions are unpaid and housing is not provided. Applicants must be 18 years or older.
Duties and responsibilities:
- Commitment of 20-30 hours per week and 300 hours minimum to complete the internship. Interns are not working directly with veterinarians in the treatment room, however, upon completion of >400 hours of internship time, the intern may be considered for an hour of veterinarian shadowing per week.
- Working with wildlife requires some labor-intensive tasks, so you must capable of listing 30lbs, being on feet for 4+ hours, working in a hot and humid environment, bending down/sitting on the ground, and working in varying weather conditions
- Follow all WRC policies and procedures relating to safety, personal protective equipment, biosecurity, animal care
- Be dedicated to providing the best care possible to patients and maintaining the wild nature of patients
- Work closely with volunteers by providing ongoing training and guidance
- Admit new patients: Set up caging, prepare food, organize paperwork, and follow protocols
- Prepare food for and hand-feed young patients, using a variety of techniques
- Maintain caging with appropriate furnishings for a wide variety of species
- Learn to recognize signs of illness and notify supervisor when there are concerns about a patient’s health
- Administer medications (including injections)
- Maintain paperwork
- Maintain laundry and clean cages; keep the nursery clean and orderly
- Treat everyone including staff, volunteers, other interns with respect
Requirements:
Our requirements for internships are fairly simple. You must, however, be very willing to do a lot of manual labor. Working with wildlife means a lot of cleaning and lifting. It means being on the ground while cleaning out cages and feeding animals. You'll be moving cages and large boxes/bags of food and you'll be working outside on and off throughout the day. This is a very labor-intensive, hands-on experience.
- 20-30 hours/wk for a minimum total of 300 hours/season
- Available days, nights, weekends, holidays
- Able to follow specific instructions
- Minimum age of 18 years
- Prior management experience or hands-on animal experience is desirable but not necessary
- All interns must be up-to-date on their tetanus vaccine and have health insurance
- NOTE for Mammal Nursery interns only: Rabies pre-exposure vaccine series and titer are required before beginning your internship. Additionally, shifts will be at both Roseville, Minn. and Grant, Minn. locations so a vehicle will be necessary.
To apply:
- Fill out an online application form at https://wrcmn.org/Wildlife-Internships-at-WRC/12/
- A resume, letter of recommendation, and cover letter are required materials
