Facility

Audubon Nature Institute

Closing Date

Description

The Sea Lion Department is seeking applicants for 2019 internship positions in advanced marine mammal training and care.

Internship Overview:

The Advanced Sea Lion Internship at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, Louisiana is designed for college students or recent college graduates who are interested in a career in marine mammal training. Our interns work side-by-side with experienced marine mammal trainers and educators. Interns will be exposed to all aspects of the daily care and training of California sea lions. An advanced intern will spend the first half of their internship completing the duties of the basic internship. Once the intern has successfully completed all the requirements of the basic internship, they will then move into their role as an advanced intern. The advanced internship focuses on the intern first understanding the concepts of operant conditioning and then working to successfully apply those concepts in the hands-on training of California sea lions.

Responsibilities:

Assist in diet preparation, exhibit maintenance, cleaning, water quality testing, and other section responsibilities.
Assist trainers in training and husbandry sessions.
Implement enrichment for sea lions and design original enrichment.
Complete weekly study guides and quizzes.
Participate in lecture series given by the training staff.
Speak on microphone during daily educational presentations in the Sea Lion Theater.
Work alongside an experienced trainer to train a new behavior
Assist in the training of basic interns and act as a leader
Complete a research project of your own choosing
Construct original enrichment items
Learn to ask animal behaviors in a presentation setting
Develop an original project that will be used in the education of basic interns in the future
Develop ability to properly keep training, enrichment, and diet records
Requirements:

Must be at least 18 years old.
Must have successfully completed one semester of college.
Must have one previous animal internship focused on operant conditioning.
Must be able to afford housing, food, and transportation to and from the zoo as this is a full time (40 hours per week) unpaid internship.
Must be available for the full 28 week internship period.
Must be able to lift 50 pounds and work in all weather environments (extreme heat and humidity, rain, and freezing temperatures).
Must provide a current negative TB test prior to start date.
Must be able to acquire housing on own.
Must be a self-motivated, upbeat, and hardworking individual.

Education and Pre-requisites

Not specified.

Compensation and benefits

Not specified.

Application instructions

Send cover letter and one-page resume, and two references via e-mail to sealions@auduboninstitute.org. Please write “Advanced Internship” in the subject line and please indicate which internship term you are applying for.

Applications deadlines are as follows:

Summer (May/June – Aug/Sept) March 1, 2019
Fall (Aug/Sept – Nov/Dec) June 1, 2019
Winter (Nov/Dec – Feb/Mar) September 25, 2019
Spring (Feb/Mar – May/June) December 1, 2019

In the event their preferred placement has been filled, qualified applicants may be referred to other Audubon departments. By submitting application materials, the candidate agrees to release their information to our internship staff.