Enrichment and Animal Well-being Internship

Toledo Zoo•Toledo, OH

7d•Onsite

About The Position

This internship is a hands-on opportunity for college students or recent graduates who are interested in careers in zookeeping, animal behavior, animal welfare, enrichment, or behavioral research. As an intern, you’ll work closely with the Curator of Behavioral Husbandry and Wellbeing, the Enrichment Program Assistant, and animal care staff. You’ll gain real-world experience in environmental enrichment – designing and implementing enrichment activities that encourage natural behaviors; animal behavior and welfare – observing animals, assessing their wellbeing, and learning how behavior relates to health and care; training techniques – participating in training sessions and workshops to understand positive reinforcement and behavior shaping; and behavioral research – developing and carrying out your own research project, analyzing data, and sharing your findings with animal care teams. Additional responsibilities may include setting up enrichment in animal habitats, brainstorming new enrichment ideas, helping with animal well-being assessments, and possibly assisting with public interpretation of enrichment and training sessions. This is a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of animal care in a professional zoo environment, build valuable skills, and contribute meaningfully to the animals’ welfare.

Requirements

Junior or Senior in college or recent graduate
Major in Biology, Animal Behavior, Psychology, Zoology or other related field
Strong willingness to learn, positive attitude, team mentality
Previous hands-on work with animals
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel preferred
The Toledo Zoo is a drug-free workplace, including marijuana

Responsibilities

Develop, coordinate and implement daily enrichment for several species in the zoo
Construct, implement, and evaluate new enrichment devices
Conduct behavioral observations
Data entry and analysis
Assist keepers in setting up exhibits to offer dynamic, complex experiences for the animals
Participate in animal training sessions
Setting up enrichment in animal habitats
Brainstorming new enrichment ideas
Helping with animal well-being assessments
Assisting with public interpretation of enrichment and training sessions