Facility

Wildcat Sanctuary

Closing Date

Description

Animal Care Internship
The Wildcat Sanctuary has a dynamic intern program looking for highly motivated, dedicated, and passionate individuals looking to gain experience in all aspects of animal care/husbandry and running a sanctuary. If you’re looking for a challenging, yet rewarding experience, and the opportunity to provide the ultimate care for our rescued felines, this may be the internship for you.

We’re an accredited, non-profit sanctuary nestled between the beautiful lakes, fields and forests in Sandstone, Minnesota conveniently located between Duluth and the Twin Cities. We’re home to over 100 wild cats with a mission to provide a natural sanctuary to our residents and inspire change to end the captive wildlife crisis.

Our goal is to provide a rounded experience in the animal industry, teach our interns what it takes to be a caretaker while educating them about the sanctuary field and the captive wildlife crisis. Interns will gain valuable experience from exotic feline husbandry, assisting staff in the building of animal enclosures, diet preparation, enrichment, grounds keeping, emergency response, assisting volunteers while on site and more.

Please note: contact is prohibited between the wild cat residents and interns.

With applicants from across the country applying annually and only 12-14 positions available, TWS will only accept those individuals with a strong work ethic and a passion and commitment to providing exceptional care to all our residents.

This internship program has also provided a means of recruiting for animal caretaker positions. Over half of our animal care staff have been former TWS interns.

Intern applicants with previous animal experience are encouraged to apply (rehabilitation, domestic animal shelters, other internships.) This is also a great internship for college graduates with degrees in the fields of zoology, biology, animal psychology, veterinary sciences or other animal-related experience. A degree is not required.

NOTE: TWS is not accepting international applicants at the time.

The internship duration is 6 months.

Spring Session runs every March thru August
Fall Session runs every September thru February
See below for specific start and end dates. A 3-month, unpaid internship is available on a case-by-case basis, but priority is given to 6-month applicants.

Spring Session 202 starts March 3rd thru end of August 2020-accepting applications
Fall session 2020 start Sept 1st end of Feb 2021 – accepting applications

Applications are received year-round for all upcoming terms. Preference will be given to all applications received prior to the deadline, however any applications received after the deadline may be considered if positions are still open.

Education and Pre-requisites

Intern Applicant Prerequisites:

Must be 18 years of age
Fluent in the English language (verbal and written communication)
Provide your own health insurance
In good physical condition
Able to kneel, stoop, bend, twist, lift, reach, push, pull, and walk on uneven terrain
Ability to consistently lift 60 pounds
Comfortable on ladders and using power tools
Hold a valid driver’s license
Comfortable driving SUV/ Cargo Van (or willingness to learn)
Work in all weather conditions (rain, snow, wind) and during weather extremes (hot and cold)
Work 8-10-hour shifts, 6 days per week, including weekends, holidays and evening.
Provide their own mode of transportation to TWS
Must obtain tetanus vaccination prior to participating in the internship program
Positive attitude and good working in a team environment
Must be able to multi-task and be flexible in a work environment
No allergies around animals that would preclude you from living or working with cats

Compensation and benefits

TWS provides free intern housing and a $50 weekly stipend for food. Interns are required to live on-site for the entire duration of the internship period.

Application instructions

Interested applicants should send their resume, cover letter and a copy of your driver’s license, with this completed application to P.O Box 314 Sandstone, MN 55072 or email the information to elysed@wildcatsanctuary.org. If emailing the document, please try and send the combined files in pdf format.

Resume – Please be sure to include the following:

Any paid or volunteer experience with animals- native wildlife, domestic, or exotic – add in contact information for supervisor where possible
Any experience working with the public or large groups
Any other experience that you feel may be relevant in consideration for this internship
Three professional (preferred) or academic references from individuals, not related to you, with complete contact information
Cover letter – Please be sure to include the following:

Explanation of previous experience that would be valuable to TWS
What your career goals are for the future and how this internship will help you attain your future career goals
Any special skills or personal attributes that you feel make you an ideal candidate for the internship
Any other information that you feel may be relevant in consideration for this internship