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Animal Care Internship
The field of marine mammal care and training is one of exciting, rewarding and challenging opportunities for animal enthusiasts. Yet, without hands on experience, animal training can be a very difficult and competitive field to pursue. Most facilities seek educated and charismatic individuals who are eager to serve the marine mammal community. Our facility offers internships developed to educate individuals interested in pursuing career choices in the following areas: Biology, Marine Biology, Psychology, Animal Behavior, Oceanography, Ecology (Environmental Protection), Education, and Communication. We offer both credit and non-credit internship opportunities.
Why Apply
Have you always loved marine mammals and been interested in the field of animal training? Do you love the earth and want to help make a difference? Are you passionate about public education and want to assist with our mission for conservation? Then our internship programs are a great fit for you! Oceans of Fun is actively interviewing for fall, winter, spring and summer internship positions. Our programs teach individuals how to be an animal care and environmental specialist. Learn about animal diets, facility care, animal training, medical programs, and assist our staff in educating the public about how to care for the environment.
About Our Program
Oceans of Fun is a globally recognized leader in the field of marine mammal care and training. We receive internship and volunteer applications from around the world. Our internship programs have been designed to provide participants with valuable experience in a wide variety of activities that occur throughout a trainer's day. Interns are trained to assist our animal care staff in the following areas:
- General understanding of the care and husbandry needs of marine mammals
- Dietary requirements and food preparation for marine mammals
- General water quality understanding
- Public presentations: hosting, guest interaction, crowd control, safety, trainer assistance
- Interactive programs: guest interaction and assistance, safety
- Public interaction: professionalism, assistance, question and answer, safety
- Facility maintenance and sanitation
- Animal observations
- Training session and procedural assistance
- Animal behavior and training
- Environmental enrichment
- Current conservation issues
Requirements
- Interns must be at least 18 years of age.
- Individuals receiving college credit must be eligible for credits though a college or university.
- Students and sponsoring universities (Mentoring Professor) must agree to Oceans of Fun policies and release forms.
- Interns must supply Oceans of Fun with a completed application, resume, and two letters of recommendation. Students pursuing college credit must also submit a written confirmation from their sponsoring professor.
- College credit or non-credit interns must be willing to commit to the required hours.
Oceans of Fun offers several seasonal internship programs. The "off seasons" programs: spring, fall, and winter will require 300 hours of work over a 16-week period. This is approximately 2 days per week. The summer internships require 600 hours of work over a 16-week period. This is approximately 4-5 days per week. All interns will be assigned independent readings and projects to be completed during their time with us. Internships are on a voluntary basis, therefore will have no financial compensation.
Locations
Oceans of Fun operates two marine mammal facilities. Our primary location is a year-round facility located within the Milwaukee County Zoo in Milwaukee, WI. Our sister facility, located at HersheyPark in Hershey, PA is a seasonal facility, only operating through the summer months. Animal Care internships are available at both locations. Please be sure to indicate your preference in location on the application below. Note that preferences will be considered but are not guaranteed.
Get Involved
We are actively looking for individuals that are 18 years of age or older and that are highly motivated. If you are interested in applying, please apply below or contact our Interim Intern/Volunteer Coordinator, Kelly Kamrath at kelly@oceansoffun.org for more details. Due to the large number of resumes received and the limited number of positions available, we recommend getting your applications in as soon as possible for consideration.
Deadlines for Application
| Term | Term Length | Appplication Deadline |
| Summer | Approximately May 15 - Labor Day | March 15 |
| Fall - Winter | Approximately September 15 - January 1 | July 15 |
| Winter - Spring | Approximately January 15 - May 15 | November 15 |
If interested please complete this online application.
(You will be required to submit a resume; so, please have it ready. Your resume must be saved as a .doc or PDF file. All other formats will not be accepted.)
