As the Animal Care Intern, I had the opportunity to participate in the care of each and every animal at the Science Center! It's a great way to gain experience working with a variety of species. Though there is a lot of shadowing/assisting, interns are also given a good amount of independence. For example, after proper training, I was allowed to perform daily cleaning and diet distribution for all exhibit raptors and program animals on my own. I also got to design and carry out my own animal training project!
As an intern, you also get to research and formulate your own Up Close to Animals presentations for the public. It's a great opportunity to develop your interpretation and public speaking skills!
The staff is all super supportive and they want to help you succeed. The animal care staff would rather have you shadow and learn new things than spend all day doing dishes. You feel truly appreciated as an intern!
You get a stipend and (rustic, but free) housing as well, which is relatively rare for animal care internships, especially AZA ones!
What I wish was different
As with many non-profits, there are a lot of projects that there's simply not enough staff for or time in the day to complete. Because animal training requires consistency and time over the long-term, it tends to be something that falls through the cracks. Animal care staff is expanding though, so that should help in the future!
There's also no wifi and close-to-no cell reception at the intern house, which is great if you want to "un-plug" for the summer, but inconvenient if you have school work or job-hunting to do. That being said, there are areas in town and on Science Center campus where you can get wifi-- and staff discussed the possibility of getting a reception booster or wifi for the intern cabin in the future.
Advice
If there's something you're interested in, like working with a particular animal, or helping with an outreach, speak up! The staff will happily make arrangements for you to do so.
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One person found this helpful
Education Intern
May - August 2021 • Holderness, NH
What I liked
I liked the experience in educational programs and getting to work with the animals.
What I wish was different
I wish the staff had considered the animals comfort more.
