Animal Care Apprenticeship

The Animal Care Apprenticeship will focus on developing future animal care skills along with our animal keepers and the animal management team. Additional opportunities include assisting with animal-related guest interactions and local field conservation projects.
Six month positions are available to develop experience for individuals interested in becoming future zoo or animal care professionals.

Candidates must be responsible, flexible, self-motivated and able to work both independently as well as in a team.

Typical Tasks: daily care of collection animals including feeding and cleaning, animal observations, record keeping, animal training, facility maintenance, assisting with research projects, interacting with zoo guests, and assisting with the animal enrichment program.
Skills Training: techniques and guidelines for working safely around zoo animals; selection, preparation and presentation of proper foodstuffs; cleaning and disinfection of animal holding rooms and enclosures; recognizing significant changes in animal behavior or condition; techniques for training collection animals; selection, preparation and presentation of proper enrichment; moving animals including shifting, crating or other transport; animal identification methods including transponder placement; assisting with veterinary procedures; implementation of conservation breeding programs; guest interaction skills; and research skills including spreadsheet development, statistical analysis, use of field biology specific equipment potentially including but not limited to: acoustic monitoring systems, camera traps, GPS, GIS, transponder readers, rangefinders, and water chemistry testing equipment.
The position is physically demanding at times, requiring outdoor work in a variety of temperatures and sometimes challenging conditions.
Must have a valid driver’s license and be able to lift at least 50 lbs.

Bachelors degree in animal science, biology, ecology, environmental science, wildlife and fisheries biology, zoology, or zoo science.

The position is unpaid. Housing is available on-site for $250/month.