Facility

Columbian Park Zoos

Closing Date

Description

Summer internships at Columbian Park Zoo include the following areas of specialty: General Exotic Animal Care, Australia/Americas, Family Farm, Landscape/Horticulture, Zoo Education. Interns focus on mastering a basic skill set in their assigned area with some opportunities for cross-training and shadowing in other areas. Animal care responsibilities include daily husbandry tasks such as diet preparation, enclosure cleaning/disinfection and light maintenance, record-keeping, and assisting with medications/veterinary procedures, operant conditioning, and behavioral enrichments. Education interns focus on visitor engagement, interpretive talks, and assist with a variety of summer education programs, which includes the handling of live animals. Landscape/Horticulture interns focus on maintaining the botanical collection through watering, planting, weeding, etc. and assisting with special projects. All interns interact with visitors and may make public speaking presentations, provide customer service, serve as exhibit monitors, supervise youth and adult volunteers, and participate in general housekeeping tasks. Internships are competitive and participation is limited. Summer internships are full-time or part-time with a minimum commitment of 20 hours per week. A minimum of 13 weeks and 240 total hours is required.

Education and Pre-requisites

Must be at least 18 years of age.
Must be a current college student or recent college graduate with a minimum 2.5 GPA.
Basic biological knowledge required.
Must be capable of the physical requirements to work in a zoo setting (i.e. lift 50 pounds, stand for prolonged times, work outside in various weather conditions, tolerate hay/dust/dander/other allergens, climb, lift, grasp, bend, and operate a variety of hand-held tools and equipment, etc.)
Must be able to work with and without direct supervision, and follow oral and written instructions.
Must possess strong verbal and written communication skills.
Must be able to work days, evenings, weekends and holidays, as required.
Must be able and willing to engage with audiences of diverse backgrounds in a courteous and professional manner.

Compensation and benefits

Internships are unpaid. Housing and transportation are the responsibility of the intern.
Course credit may available to current college students.
Participation in the internship program is not a guarantee of future employment.

Application instructions

Application materials are available at www.columbianparkzoo.org. Application packet, including cover letter, resume, transcripts, application form, and two letters of recommendation must be received in a single packet, no later than 5:00pm on March 2, 2018. Please direct questions to Jennifer Spence, Internship Coordinator at jspence@lafayette.in.gov.