Internships at Wildlife Images are an excellent way to gain valuable experience in the professional fields of wild animal care, wildlife medicine and environmental education.
Program Highlights:
- Premier Rehabilitation Training
- Animal Husbandry
- 118 Resident Animals
- 1000 Clinic Patients each year
- Year-round Internships
- On-site Housing
Wildlife Images Internship Program
Interns assist professional rehabilitation staff in multiple areas of our daily operations. This insures participants can explore and experience as much as possible. We here at Wildlife Images are accustomed to working wherever we are needed and encourage our interns to do the same. A Wildlife Images Intern is ideally an individual that wants to learn about all aspects of caring for wildlife and is designed for those interested in a career in wildlife medicine, rehabilitation, or those interested in being a keeper at a zoo/sanctuary or becoming an environmental educator.
This program is competitive and internships are awarded through an application and interview process.
Internship description:
Interns will have the opportunity to learn and participate in ...
- Working in the clinic alongside animal care staff to assess, treat and care for sick, injured and/or orphaned wildlife.
- Assisting staff in the daily maintenance and husbandry of both rehabilitating and permanent animals housed at the facility.
- Clinical duties - administer medications, assist with x-rays, collect lab samples, admit new patients, bandage and splint, feed and foster orphaned wildlife and of course, clean.
- Learn about the role of euthanasia in a wildlife rehabilitation and animal management setting.
- Husbandry duties - diet preparation, clean, observe health checks
- Developing and implementing novel enrichment.
- Wildlife education - deliver walking tours of the facility, present to visitors on-site, assist the education staff in presentations off-site.
- Learn handling skills of permanent resident animals.
- Assist with youth camps, playing games and hosting activities, developing and maintaining educational props and organizing bio-facts.
Hands on training focuses on clinical functions, treatments and rehabilitation, as well as wildlife husbandry and ambassador handling skills to support educational endeavors. In spring and summer much of your intern time will be dedicated to juvenile songbird rearing.
Internships last for a minimum of 12 weeks (3 months at 40 hours a week).
These opportunities are unpaid, but there is low-cost housing available on-site.
We do not have a veterinarian on staff, so those needing experience working one on one with a veterinarian should seek internship opportunities elsewhere.
Intern Experience Qualifications:
- Must be at least 18 years of age to apply
- Currently enrolled in higher education in a related field (zoology, biology, etc.) for at least 1 year (recent college grads are encouraged to apply)
- International students welcome to apply, must have functional English language/writing skills
- Able to do rigorous work in all weather conditions and perform tedious tasks for long periods of time
- Must be able to work independently and cohesively with co workers
- Work safely, quickly, efficiently and calmly under stressful conditions and handle multiple responsibilities while following directions and protocols
- Represent Wildlife Images professionally at all times
Applications for internships should be submitted as soon as possible prior to start of desired internship; internships are competitive and will be filled as soon as qualified applicants are accepted.
About the Process:
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year. (Spring and Summer are most competitive)
- If selected, you will be scheduled for a phone interview.
Please Submit the Following to Apply:
1. RESUME
2. APPLICATION - Please fill out the Internship Application. CLICK HERE Attach/include it with your submission.
3. LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION
Please send your application materials to:
internships@wildlifeimages.org
Emailed applications are preferred.
Subject Title: Internship
You can mail applications to the following address.
PO Box 36
Merlin, OR 97532
Your application MUST include a valid contact e-mail address in order to be accepted. Applications without a valid e-mail address will be considered incomplete and will not be considered. Thank you.
About On-Site Housing and Southern Oregon...
Housing -
Wildlife Images has free housing available on-site. The guesthouse, located at the facility, is a historic home, built in the early 1900s set amongst fruit trees in a beautiful wooded area. The guesthouse has a kitchen and laundry facilities available for intern use. Interns are responsible for providing their own food and cleaning the facilities used. Lodging is co-ed with 3 shared rooms available. Bunk beds, mattresses, linens and towels are provided. There is one shared bathroom inside, and an outside shared bathroom complete with shower facilities. The kitchen in the house is used communally by all guests and is well furnished with utensils, pots, pans, etc.
Location -
We are located in Southern Oregon, approximately 12 miles from the town of Grants Pass, with a population of about 35,000. So, depending on your perspective, it can be considered rural. Grants Pass has shopping, movie theaters and restaurants. There is no public transportation in our area, but accommodations may be made with staff for interns to get to the grocery store or run other essential errands if they do not have their own transportation.
Recreation -
Southern Oregon, especially the Rogue Valley, is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream. We are located less than a mile from the beautiful Rogue River and there are two other scenic rivers, the Applegate and Illinois, a short distance from us. They offer awesome rafting and kayaking, great swimming, and world-famous salmon and steelhead fishing. Grants Pass is also nestled in densely wooded mountains, full of hiking trails, mountain biking, wildlife and amazing plant life. Approximately 30 minutes west are the Oregon Caves, and the beautiful, rugged Pacific Ocean is only an hour and a half from Wildlife Images.
