Facility
California Wolf Center
Closing Date
[jobclosingdate]
Description
California Wolf Center Animal Care and Education Internship
The California Wolf Center is a unique conservation center dedicated to the return of wild wolves to their natural habitat and to the people who share the landscape with them. We foster communities coming together to ensure wolves, livestock, and people thrive in today’s world. To fulfill our mission, we work closely with a large and diverse group of stake holders. We have a strong presence throughout the Pacific Northwest focusing on California wolf recovery and in the Southwest focusing on Mexican gray wolf recovery.
At our conservation center in Julian, CA, we host several packs of gray wolves. Many are potential release candidates as part of a Species Survival Plan so we must keep them as wild as possible in order to give them the best chances for survival in the wild. As a result, we avoid any interaction with our resident wolves and ensure the minimum amount of human contact possible. You will not be handling the wolves, interacting with them, etc.
Program Description:
Animal Care
• Learn how to perform daily behavioral observations (hands off health checks/observations) of the resident wolves.
• Learn how to perform routine animal care. This includes removing scat from animal habitats, removing uneaten food, cleaning and scrubbing wolf water tubs, weighing wolf food, and feeding the wolves.
• Learn about the permitting organizations that oversee our organization, and how to meet and exceed regulations.
• Keep the animal care and work areas clean and organized.
• Learn about enrichment and how to provide the resident wolves with enrichment while working within the enrichment protocol. You will help enrich the daily lives of the resident wolves and help with record keeping for enrichment.
• Learn how we keep our animal food inventory accurate and up to date. Help perform some food pick-ups (this will require you to drive the California Wolf Center’s truck).
• Gain valuable skills in grounds and habitat maintenance. This varies from season to season and includes, but is not limited to, helping fix broken fencing or pipes, clearing brush for fire defense, and maintaining trails and access roads.
• Help with upkeep of center’s animal care equipment. This includes, but is not limited to, cleaning freezers, putting away equipment, and cleaning any equipment used throughout the day.
• Help with any ongoing research projects occurring at the center
Note: this is infrequent and should not be expected as part of the internship. Applicants are welcome to propose their own projects. However, the approval process can be time-intensive, so keep that in mind when applying. This is an optional component of the internship and is not mandatory.
• Learn the inner workings of a non-profit organization’s office. Aid in administrative tasks as needed.
• Learn to work on a team in a fast paced and cooperative work environment. Help to create a positive and welcoming work environment for all volunteers, staff and fellow interns.
Education
• Learn how to give effective and interesting educational presentations to the general public.
• Practice public speaking skills and become confident speaking in front of large groups of people.
• Assist with or lead off site presentations (optional, and may require travel in your personal vehicle)
• Prepare the conservation center for educational programs
• Stay current on ongoing wolf issues
• Assist with supporting roles during educational programs
• Learn how to communicate complex information in an engaging manner
Job Logistics:
The internship is unpaid, and all interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation to and from the conservation center. The commute includes 3/4 of a mile of rugged dirt road, and interns must be willing to drive in and out on this dirt road. Housing is not available on site.
There is no fee to participate in the internship program, but you will incur costs for travel, accommodations (if coming from out of the area), and transportation during the internship. You are responsible for covering all of those costs.
There will be an agreed upon weekly schedule (three days per week). Animal care and educational programs are on set days, so your schedule will preferably be Mondays and Wednesdays, as well as either Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. There is some flexibility in the schedule, so please let us know what your availability is and we will try to work around that. Internships run three months in length.
The program is designed for people who are currently enrolled in an educational program in a field related to the internship, i.e. biology, ecology, animal behavior, zoology, education, psychology, etc. A desire to teach and a passion for conservation is highly desired. Public speaking is required.
This internship program is not specialized in one area of animal care such as behavioral research or veterinary care. Instead, it is a general animal care and education program designed to introduce candidates to the wide range of skills required to work with captive wildlife and the public. If you are looking for a program focused on research, this program may not be the best fit for your goals.
Most of our animals are potential release candidates, so they must be kept as wild as possible to give them the best chances for survival if they are selected for release. As a result, we are very hands-off with our animals and do not interact with them. On rare occasions, interns may be allowed to observe veterinary care, but the actual handling is performed by our experienced staff for the safety of both wolves and humans.
Interns are able to propose their own research projects if that is of interest to you. There is a formal approval process that will require submission of a proposal to the Director of Operations and then to our Board of Directors. The approval process may take several months, and any research considered invasive will also require approval from an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Any research involving Mexican gray wolves will require additional approval from the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan.
Education and Pre-requisites
Requirements/qualifications:
• Must be at least 18 years of age
• Must be available 3 days per week for 3 consecutive months
• Must be currently enrolled in an educational program (university or otherwise) that relates to the internship
• Must provide your own reliable transportation and housing
• Must be in good physical condition and able to lift and carry 50 pounds
• Must be able to work in extreme conditions including rain, snow and extreme temperatures
• A valid driver’s license, proof of insurance, and safe driving habits are required
Compensation and benefits
This is an unpaid internship.
Application instructions
Please submit a 1-2 page resume, 1 page cover letter, and 2 letters of recommendation to heidi@californiawolfcenter.org