Want to Become an Intern?

Our program offers you a unique opportunity to develop hands-on experience caring for rare and endangered animals. Interns shadow a keeper throughout the day until they have learned specific skills they may perform independently. Those who are motivated to learn and participate leave this internship prepared to move on to advanced study, or to apply for paid positions at similar-focus sanctuaries, private facilities, and zoos.

Interns assist with daily tasks such as butchering, sorting fruit, cleaning cages, repairing and maintaining cages and dens, providing enrichment, and transporting or relocating animals. We often offer pre-scheduled workshops or one-on-one sessions on specific topics, such as an introduction to chemical immobilization.

Participants are exposed to most aspects of the daily operation of the organization; the skills you may learn include:

basic care and husbandry of wild carnivores (and two lemurs)
species-specific behavior
operant conditioning
nutrition
design and construction of habitats
delivering conservation education programs
physical and chemical capture and restraint
veterinary recordkeeping

Some interns also have the opportunity to observe, and possibly assist with, veterinary procedures.

Housing - If needed, we can assist you in locating nearby housing.

Intensive Summer Program - There are two sessions each summer. Interns in each session are expected to work 5 days each week, from 8am to 4pm.

Fall/Spring Semester Program - Interns are expected to work 16 hours each week, on a relatively fixed schedule. We suggest you plan to work whole days to experience all areas of animal care.

Requirements - Before you apply for an internship, please consider the following. As an intern, you will be required to:

commit to 240 hours of work.
carry heavy objects. You must be able to comfortably lift and move at least 25 lbs.
work outside, no matter what the weather.
handle dead rodents, butcher dead chickens, and feed butchered livestock to the big cats. If you're squeamish about such things, this internship might not be the right fit for you.

Please note that intern positions are unpaid, and that there are a limited number of openings.

Boost your hiring potential - Participants who satisfactorily complete the program will, upon request, receive a letter of recommendation describing the skills they developed during their internship.

Still interested? To learn more, or to request an application, please email Janine Tokarczyk, Director of Animal Care at keeper@conservatorscenter.org.
Please do not call for information. Janine works outside, caring for the animals during the day and will answer all initial questions and requests via email.

"Nothing is more awe-inspiring than hearing the lions roar, the tigers chuffle, the wolves howl, and the singing dogs chime in to create a harmonious chorus! In addition to developing relationships with the animals, the interns developed a genuinely remarkable bond. Those glorious six weeks flew by. But my volunteerism with the Conservators' Center had only just begun…"

Jodie Joseph
Animal Science Major, Non-profit Studies Minor
North Carolina State University