Wildlife Rehabilitation Enrichment Internship -Stark Park

Stephon Echague, Wildlife Conservation Center Manager, Stark County Park District

Stark County Park District is currently seeking unpaid, part-time Wildlife Enrichment interns for each quarter of the year to further their education in animal enrichment and experience at our Wildlife Conservation Center. Students will perform enrichment on a regular basis to WCC’s wildlife patients being rehabilitated, whether healing or being raised to adulthood. If you're passionate about wildlife animals, big and small and wish to gain some hands-on experience in animal care, we're the place for you!

Essential Functions:

• Gain a working knowledge of Ohio's native wildlife, human/wildlife conflicts, non-lethal solutions, and state and federal regulations governing wildlife rehabilitation.
• With close supervision care for education animals (cleaning, diets, and enrichments) and learn species specific daily enrichment practices for our education animals and some rehabilitation animals through diets, caging criteria, handling techniques, toys, programing, data collection and entry, etc.
• Students may be asked to help with basic general duties as needed such as laundry, dishes, cage cleaning, equipment cleaning, etc.
• Students will also be responsible for creating and completing a project, Featured Case featuring a novel enrichment item and any findings from their enrichment item. This feature will be displayed on our website and/or face book for public viewing.
• Gain valuable customer service, communication, listening and leadership skills through customer interactions.
• Encounter moderate to frequent exposure to insects, poisonous vegetation, zoonotic diseases and moderate exposure to outside weather conditions throughout the year.

Skills/Experience/Abilities:

• Must currently be actively working on a degree in field of biology, pre-vet, zoology, conservation, or equivalent field(s)
• Lower or upper-class students are encouraged to apply
• Effective organizational skills
• Effective interpersonal skills
• GPA of 3.00 or higher preferred

Basic Requirements:

Non needed. Interest in animal enrichment and observation/research required. Please note that students will not be able to care for any Rabies Vector Species (RVS) unless they are up to date on vaccinations and have signed off on appropriate waivers as per the Wildlife Conservation Center policy.

Hours:

12-16 hours a week for duration of 14 weeks. Ability to work a pre-determined hours and days of the week and the possibility of a varied schedule including weekends is required. Typical scheduled shifts may include four 3 hour to 4 hour shifts per week between the hours of 8a and 4p but may vary with advance notice.

Spring and Summer programs run 14 weeks. Spring- March 9th to June 7th. Summer- May 11th to August 16th. Flexible start date options can be discussed to align with student schedules.