ANIMAL ADVENTURE PARK INTERN PROGRAM 2024

Animal Adventure Park is a ZAA accredited interactive educational zoological facility that is open May – December, with peak season and standard operations being May – October.
Throughout this time during the year, our park becomes a booming hub of action, interaction, and education - with guests visiting from all corners of the world. 

Animal Adventure Park prides itself on providing our guests with educational experiences through animal interactions. With this approach, our guests are not merely visiting our facility, they become involved in our facility, by being allowed the opportunity to remain up close and personal with our animal ambassadors. 

Animal Adventure Park extends our reach beyond educating our guests, and provides educational experiences to students who have a deep interest in becoming zoo professionals. Our facility would like to open its doors to outstanding upcoming professionals that share in our passion for animals, as well as our passion for educating our guests. 

We would like to begin our season offering fifteen openings for professional internships with two main rotations all interns can expect to take part in:

1. Education/Outreach: This rotation will encompass caring for our children’s zoo animals, as well as our ambassador animals. This includes domestic and exotic mammals, birds, and reptiles. The intern in this area will have the opportunity to learn from our keeper staff not only how to care for these animals on a daily basis, but also be directly involved with educating our guests during offsite and onsite shows, as well as our up-close animal encounters. 

2. Park and Preserve: Animal Adventure’s unique internship program allows for interns to rotate throughout the facility, allowing them to gain experience with all of our species, and work with a variety of keepers in both facilities. These rotations have allowed for a more well rounded intern opportunity, and allowed for interns to learn from all of our staff members. Once an intern has completed a rotation through all the main areas they will be evaluated and stand out team members are given the choice to request more time in specific areas, or with a specific keeper to gain more specialized experience if they so choose.  Interns assigned to rotate through the facilities will also get the opportunity to provide guest education as well. 

Experience you can expect to gain while interning:

Learning safety procedures, diet preparation/nutrition, animal management, behavioral observation, enrichment techniques/implementation, record keeping, and assisting with exhibit maintenance. 

Interns will also be educated on proper delivery of formal and informal public presentations that keep guests interested, engaged, and intrigued by animals and the message being delivered. Providing our guests with a deeper connection to our animals, results in interest in their wild counterparts and conservation efforts. This will be a large part of your internships at our facility; guest experience and involvement is one of our top priorities. 

Each intern will be expected to perform daily keeper chats throughout the zoo during their internship. As well as make an approved enrichment item for an animal of their choosing. You will have the opportunity to work hands-on with our keepers and side by side with management staff to learn training and enrichment techniques, and many other “tricks of the trade.”

Interns will be expected to:

- Maintain a safe environment for themselves, our staff, animals, and guests

- Maintain clean and sanitary work areas, and keeper spaces. 

- Adhere to all Animal Adventure Park rules, policies, and procedures

- Function as an integral team member of the facility

- Assist our teams in spreading the mission of Animal Adventure Park and Preserve by approaching our guests in a confident and friendly manner to enrich their experience with knowledge of the park and our animals. 

REQUIREMENTS

1. Outgoing, approachable and positive attitude

2. Individuals must be 18 years of age or older

3. Working on (or completed) a degree in Bio, Zoology, or other wildlife related field

4. Public speaking or performance experience preferred

5. Must be able to lift and move up to fifty (50) pounds

6. Must be available to work 40 hours per week including weekends, and holidays

7. Must be able to work while exposed to outdoor weather conditions

8. Must be able to remain active and on their feet for long lengths of time.

OTHER RELEVANT INFO

1. Candidates seeking academic credit must have arrangements agreed upon between AAP and their institution before beginning the internship.

2. All offers are contingent on the successful completion of a criminal background screening and execution of a required hold harmless/liability release agreement, and non-disclosure & confidentiality agreement.

3. Interns must have personal health insurance coverage for illness or injury.

4. At a minimum; Internships will begin June 1st, 2022 and end August 1st 2022. All candidates must commit to this schedule and be available to work a regular 40-hour work week including holidays and weekends. If a candidate would like to begin before June 1st, or stay past August 1st arrangements can be made.

All qualified applicants; please submit a resume and cover letter to the Internship Program Team by March 15th, 2024.

Send to Internship Program Supervisor: Kayla Burke at:    kaylaaburke240@gmail.com
If you are a candidate for our internship program you will be contacted for an interview.