Facility
Summerfield Farm & Zoo
Closing Date
[jobclosingdate]
Description
This is an unpaid internship. All of our internship programs run 12 weeks.
Interns at Summerfield Zoo fulfill a large range of duties during their time here. Internships at the zoo include working with the animals directly and working with the public to help educate them about the animals that reside at the zoo. The zoo houses over 40+ species of mammals, birds, and reptiles – ranging from hyenas, wolves, alligators, to reindeer and horses. Each day of the internship can vary quite a bit. A standard week day consists of preparing diets for the animals, maintaining the cleanliness of the animal food prep kitchen, cleaning animal habitats, bottle feeding babies, maintaining health records, helping with any of the health initiatives that need to be done for the day, maintaining animal habitats, helping to maintain USDA records, animal enrichment, etc. Some weekdays also could include helping with field trips.
The zoo is open to the public on weekends during the summer & fall. Weekend days may consist of any of the above activities along with helping to educate the public about the animals that reside at Summerfield.
We have a large variety of species that reside at Summerfield including threatened and endangered species. Our interns have all said that the experiences that they have received while here have helped them in their future careers. We have interns that have gone on to become veterinarians, zoo keepers, and to work in other animal and conservation related fields.
The summer internship begins in the middle of May and ends in the middle of August. The applications for the summer internship program are due on March 15th. Earlier applications are always appreciated as we can then let the intern applicants know their status earlier. The internship is 3 days per week. We also have fall, winter, and spring internships available. The admission for the these is rolling and applications are accepted at any time.
Education and Pre-requisites
*Must be at least 18 years of age
*Must be either a recent college graduate or current college student with a degree or seeking a degree in an animal care related field
*Must be capable of the physical requirements to work in a zoo setting (ie. lift 50 pounds, etc.)
*Must be able to work with and without direct supervision
*Must be able to follow oral and written directions
Compensation and benefits
*This is an unpaid internship
*Current college students may be able to apply for course credit. Ask for more information with application
Application instructions
*Email Summerfieldfarmandzoo@gmail.com to request application form
*Applicants will also be asked to submit additional information upon the receipt of application form