Fall 2026 Wildlife Intern

Piedmont Wildlife Center•Durham, NC

4h•Onsite

About The Position

Piedmont Wildlife Center is seeking a Wildlife Intern interested in live-animal care and husbandry practices, education, and environmental non-profit experience. This is a paid internship with a $2,200 stipend, part-time (20 hours/week) for a minimum of 12 weeks. Most hours occur during normal business hours, though occasional weekend and evening work is available, and exact start and end dates are flexible. Piedmont Wildlife Center is a Durham-based non-profit environmental organization encouraging conservation and inspiring people to build lifelong connections with nature through immersive outdoor education, citizen science, and wildlife stewardship. The center offers year-round outdoor education programs as well as conservation-themed outreach and citizen science programs with resident ambassador animals. The organization operates out of Leigh Farm Park in Durham County, a site with preserved historic structures, and acknowledges the history of Indigenous and enslaved peoples who cared for the land.

Requirements

Designed for college students or recent graduates (a degree is not a requirement).
Flexible schedule, but available 20 hours per week for a minimum of 12 weeks.
Attention to detail, especially in relation to the safety and health of animals.
Confident and enthusiastic about our mission and work.
Dependable with reliable transportation to PWC.
Comfortable working independently with a proven ability to take initiative on tasks.
Comfortable handling live animals (snakes, turtles, birds, mammals).
Ability to dissect rats, mice, chicks, and other raptor food.

Responsibilities

Perform daily husbandry for animal ambassadors (including reptiles, mammals, birds like raptors, snakes, turtles, opossums, rats), carefully following animal care guidelines and assisting with medical care when necessary.
Safely handle educational animals.
Work with the Animal Enrichment Manager to develop, implement, and maintain enrichment opportunities for animal ambassadors.
Assist with and lead on-site and off-site Wildlife Education programs with live animals.
Assist with daily maintenance tasks essential for non-profit operations, including administration, cleaning, laundry, and tool use.
Develop, plan, and implement a self-led capstone project to benefit Piedmont Wildlife Center and explore new skills.
Learn and assist with all aspects of running an environmental non-profit.