Internships

The NEW Zoo seeks dedicated, enthusiastic interns to work alongside our staff to assist in public programs and caring for animal residents. Interns are involved in various aspects of animal care, including husbandry, diet preparation and delivery, ambassador animal handling, behavioral enrichment preparation, animal observations, and both formal and informal educational interactions with Zoo guests. Interns also assist with zoo-wide special events and see the behind-the-scenes workings of an accredited zoological facility.

Interns gain valuable, hands-on experience in a variety of areas, including but not limited to:

• Interpretation, public speaking, and program implementation such as Birthday Parties
• Small animal handling & presentation
• Guest interactions and customer service
• Discovery Cart and animal/habitat interpretation
• Clerical & organizational tasks such as data entry
• Animal observations
• Zookeeping tasks such as habitat cleaning and meal preparation
• Special event operations
• And more!

Candidates must have excellent communication skills, observation skills, and have the ability to work in a team environment. They must be reliable, trustworthy, and be able to follow oral and written instructions. Zookeeping is a physically demanding profession and interns are subjected to a variety of physical and environmental challenges. Interns may be required to work outdoors in all weather conditions. Tasks are occasionally strenuous, and interns should be able to lift a minimum of 40 pounds. 

Days and hours are flexible, but ideal candidates work 10 to 16 hours per week (spring/fall) or 24 to 36 hours per week (summer); schedule is negotiable, but some evenings/weekends are expected. Minimum of one full semester commitment required; students who commit to more than one semester will have additional opportunities for growth open to them.

The NEW Zoo seeks dedicated, enthusiastic interns to work alongside our staff to assist in formal and informal public programs, educational experiences, and parties. Interns learn how to care for and handle ambassador animals such as small mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and arthropods. Interns also gain hands-on experiences assisting with and leading various educational experiences around the zoo, such as giraffe and Children’s Zoo feeding experiences, birthday parties, zoo camps, classes, scout programs, animal encounters, offsite Zoomobile programs, and others. Interns also assist with zoo-wide special events and see the behind-the-scenes workings of an accredited zoological facility.

Interns gain valuable, hands-on experience in a variety of areas, including but not limited to:

• Interpretation and public speaking
• Leading group programs such as Birthday Parties
• Small animal handling & presentation
• Guest interactions and customer service
• Discovery Cart and exhibit interpretation
• Clerical & organizational tasks such as data entry
• Animal observations
• Special event operations
• And more!

Candidates must have excellent communication skills, enjoy working with people of all ages, and be able to work in a team environment. They must be self-motivated, reliable, prompt, and able to work in all weather conditions. Ability to lift heavy objects and risk periodic exposure to fairly predictable and controllable hazards associated with wild animals and zoonotic diseases.

Days and hours are flexible, but ideal candidates work 10 to 16 hours per week (spring/fall) or 24 to 36 hours per week (summer); schedule is negotiable, but some evenings/weekends are expected. Minimum of one full semester commitment required; students who commit to more than one semester will have additional opportunities for growth open to them.

The NEW Zoo seeks enthusiastic, dedicated interns to work under the guidance and mentorship of our marketing and communications coordinator to support the creation of print and digital media designs in line with brand standards. Interns assist with the expansion of the facility photography and videography library. Interns also gain experience with managing and creating content for the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park’s active social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others.

Interns gain valuable, hands-on experience in a variety of areas, including but not limited to:

• Creating materials for both on- and offline promotions, including videos, sound clips, and graphic designs/posters/etc.
• Creating graphics and design layouts for zoo signs, print ads, flyers, newsletters, webpages, social media, billboards, and more
• Use of web-based design and editing programs such as Canva
• Taking and editing high-quality photographs/videos of zoo animals, zoo guests, program participants, and Adventure Park and Canopy Tour programs and excursions for organization portfolio and for use in designs and social media
• Assist with digital-media marketing of the zoo with our large follower-base on an array of social media platforms; create effective, engaging posts for both educational and promotional purposes
• And more!

Candidates should have excellent written and oral communication skills, be an organized self-starter with attention to detail, and have experience with Adobe Creative Suite programs. Understanding of design layout and color theory principals and experience with Canva recommended. Candidates should have a smart phone and laptop with access to design and image editing software; experience with digital cameras (other than smart phone) preferred.

Days and hours are flexible, but ideal candidates work 8 to 16 hours per week (spring/fall) or 16 to 24 hours per week (summer); schedule is negotiable, but some evenings/weekends are expected. Some projects can be done remotely. Minimum of one full semester commitment required; students who commit to more than one semester will have additional opportunities for growth open to them.

The NEW Zoo seeks enthusiastic, dedicated interns to work under the guidance and mentorship of our marketing and communications coordinator to manage and create content for the Zoo’s social media platforms while ensuring consistency with brand standards and messaging. Interns design and schedule social media campaigns across multiple platforms, brainstorm and research ideas for original content, help create and edit short-form videos, and more. Opportunities also exist for interested interns to gain experiences with planning and coordination of zoo-wide special events.

Interns gain valuable, hands-on experience in a variety of areas, including but not limited to:

• Work with staff to develop and meet goals for the zoo’s social media presence; analyze similar-institution social media presence and strategies
• Assist with digital-media marketing of the zoo and interacting with our large follower-base on an array of social media platforms; create effective, engaging posts, including for educational and advertising purposes
• Monitor activities and user interactions on all platforms
•  “Live tweeting/instagraming/etc.” for special events
• Assisting with maintaining the zoo’s online digital map with zoo and species information
• Opportunities also exist for creation of digital content – including videos, sound clips, and graphic designs/posters/etc.
• And more!

Candidates must have excellent oral and written communication skills and basic knowledge of social media platforms. They must be self-motivated, reliable, prompt, and able to multi-task and work in a fast-paced environment. Experience with Canva and with editing videos for TikTok and/or YouTube preferred. Candidates should have a smart phone and laptop; experience with digital cameras (other than smart phone) preferred.

Days and hours are flexible, but ideal candidates work 8 to 16 hours per week (spring/fall) or 16 to 24 hours per week (summer); schedule is negotiable, but some evenings/weekends are expected. Some projects can be done remotely. Minimum of one full semester commitment required; students who commit to more than one semester will have additional opportunities for growth open to them.

The NEW Zoo seeks enthusiastic, dedicated interns to work under the guidance and mentorship of the Zoo’s Curator of Animals. The registrar intern will work closely with the Curator to complete tasks related to documentation of animal husbandry, health, and welfare. Individuals interested in becoming a zoo registrar or in a career in records or data management are encouraged to apply. The registrar intern will learn to maintain animal records as well as other aspects of the registrar’s role at an AZA accredited institution, including, but not limited to, learning about SSPs, CITES, USFWS permitting, AZA standards, and USDA requirements. This is a great opportunity for individuals interested in learning more about the behind-the-scenes legal requirements of housing exotic and domestic animals at a world-class accredited zoo.

Interns gain valuable, hands-on experience in a variety of areas, including but not limited to:

• Enter animal records into ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System)
• Assists with and learns a variety of tasks related to the registrar position, including:
  • Animal inventory record maintenance
  • Animal welfare data entry and management
  • Logistics for animal shipments
  • Permit applications and reports
  • Animal nutrition records
• And more!

Candidates should have excellent written and oral communication skills, be an organized self-starter with attention to detail, be able to work in a team environment, able to multi-task, and must be prompt and reliable. Ability to perform other tasks as required, including the ability to work in all weather conditions.

Days and hours are flexible, but an ideal candidate would work 4 to 8 hours per week. Minimum of one full semester commitment required.