My Unforgettable Internship Experience

[Bisonblake]

I just concluded a 12-week internship at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. I'm forever thankful for the opportunity to work at such an outstanding zoo. I had the immense privilege to work alongside amazing zookeepers who are highly dedicated to their work. I worked in the Australian Adventure section of the zoo and worked with eastern gray kangaroos, dingoes, black swans, and various birds and reptiles.

There were many unforgettable moments during my time here. From hand-feeding dingoes meatballs to seeing kangaroo joeys pop their head out of their mother's pouch. I've seen the dedication and hard work it takes to provide these species with the best care. I also had fun opportunities including feeding sharks and rays, an early preview of Red Panda Ridge, and doing a shadow shift of African birds and hoofstock.

This thread is open to any questions any of you have for me about my experience. Whether you're curious about daily husbandry routines or eager to hear about my personal journey, I'm excited to answer all of your questions. I can't wait to share the details of my experience with all of you!

Looking forward to our discussions!

 

[Sphenisciologist]

That’s awesome, I’m happy for you! As someone who partook in an environmental research apprenticeship this summer, it’s so nice to read about what other people are also doing!
What was your favorite part of the experience? Would you want to do it again, possibly in a different field or zoological facility? What would you say was the most helpful part of the experience?

 

[LiSom]

It's great to see you are so happy about your experience! What is it gonna be your next move? Are you interested in working with some specie in particular?

 

[Bisonblake]

That’s awesome, I’m happy for you! As someone who partook in an environmental research apprenticeship this summer, it’s so nice to read about what other people are also doing!
What was your favorite part of the experience? Would you want to do it again, possibly in a different field or zoological facility? What would you say was the most helpful part of the experience?

Thank you for these questions!

The people I worked with was probably my favorite part of my internship. I’ve always gotten along with co-workers in the past, but these people felt more like friends. Getting along with these people is probably the reason I was able to interact with other species than the ones I cared for.

I would do it again if it was paid. The memories I made were worth it, but I’ve worked with animals three summers in a row unpaid. I only have one year of college left, and after that I would like to be compensated for putting in hard work. Hypothetically if I were to do another internship, I would probably work at the same facility with African primates and carnivores. Order Carnivora has always interested me, and is the main order I would want to work with in the future.

The most helpful part of this experience was the advice I got from my peers. Probably my favorite piece of advice I received was to be specific during job interviews. When describing a certain situation it’s best to describe it in full detail to show the employer you know what you’re talking about.

 

[Bisonblake]

It's great to see you are so happy about your experience! What is it gonna be your next move? Are you interested in working with some specie in particular?

Thank you, these are some good questions!

The next move after this will be to finish my last year of college. I will also most likely apply for a seasonal position in the same section. The keepers I worked with have expressed multiple times they would love to have me back next year. I’m hoping there will actually be Tasmanian devils next year too.

When it comes to a particular species I would love to work with large and/or small carnivores, preferably large. Dingoes are kind of a stepping stone towards that path being listed as “potentially dangerous animals.” Though, when you work with them you learn it’s like working with a dog but with slight safety precautions. Doing another internship would be beneficial for me to head down that path, but I would prefer to be paid for the work I do. I also enjoy the feeling of doing work independently. Being an intern I was under almost constant supervision, and wasn’t often doing tasks by myself.

 

[LiSom]

Thank you, these are some good questions!

The next move after this will be to finish my last year of college. I will also most likely apply for a seasonal position in the same section. The keepers I worked with have expressed multiple times they would love to have me back next year. I’m hoping there will actually be Tasmanian devils next year too.

When it comes to a particular species I would love to work with large and/or small carnivores, preferably large. Dingoes are kind of a stepping stone towards that path being listed as “potentially dangerous animals.” Though, when you work with them you learn it’s like working with a dog but with slight safety precautions. Doing another internship would be beneficial for me to head down that path, but I would prefer to be paid for the work I do. I also enjoy the feeling of doing work independently. Being an intern I was under almost constant supervision, and wasn’t often doing tasks by myself.

Wow that sounds great, if they can offer you something it would definitely be a fantastic way to start your career!
Carnivores are for sure quite an interesting group of animals to work with! I'm currently with birds as trainer and considering to try out carnivore keeper position in the future as I have always been fascinated by them.

I would ask one more thing would you say your perception of the zoo (either the zoo you worked at or zoo industry in general) has change after this first experience working there?

 

[Bisonblake]

Wow that sounds great, if they can offer you something it would definitely be a fantastic way to start your career!
Carnivores are for sure quite an interesting group of animals to work with! I'm currently with birds as trainer and considering to try out carnivore keeper position in the future as I have always been fascinated by them.

I would ask one more thing would you say your perception of the zoo (either the zoo you worked at or zoo industry in general) has change after this first experience working there?

I’ve definitely gained a higher appreciation for this zoo, and other accredited facilities. I’ve always heard people praise AZA accredited facilities for providing animals with the “gold standard” of animal care. Before working here I mainly took their word for it, but would sometimes question what is this “gold standard.” Looking back on my time here I know understand what this actually means. The animal diets, daily cleaning, and overall attention each animal receives was impressive to see.

Some of the animal diets had different food items every day. Using the kangaroos as an example, their produce mix contained apples, grapes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and a rotation of different greens. I don’t remember the exact rotation, but they would receive collared greens, romaine, kale, dandelion greens, and a few other options once a week. The produce was also mixed with Mazuri kangaroo/wallaby grain.

Animal pens and exhibits were cleaned every day, and disinfected at least once per week. The kangaroo mob would receive new bedding every day. We’d remove all the hay and any shavings that had urine and/or fecal matter, and replace it with fresh bedding. When it came to disinfecting the roo barn all the bedding would be removed for this. We would then hose down the floor, scrub the floors with disinfectant, hose everything again, then squeegee the floor.

When it came to animal attention the keepers were familiar with any signs of stress in the animals they care for. Ask any keepers there and they will tell you how the animals act when they’re stressed. Some keepers will even communicate with others if they notice an animal exhibiting abnormal behavior. I remember watching the shark dive in the aquarium, and noticing the zebra shark digging her nose into the gravel. We instantly went to the top of the aquarium to let the aquarists know. All the keepers are willing to help each other, even with animals they may not be familiar with.