Posted: 1/2/2025
Salary: $8.50/hr
Application Deadline: February 13th, 2025
Ambassador Commitment: Create meaningful connections and inspire actions that will have a lasting impact on wildlife and wild places.
Responsibilities: The Aquarium Department at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is proud to offer internship experience for qualified students. The purpose of an internship in our Aquarium is to gain an in-depth knowledge of working in a public aquarium. At the completion of the internship, you will have a greater understanding of maintaining a living collection of fishes and aquatic invertebrates, as well as hands-on skills related to this profession.
Our Aquarium Reptile Conservation Center, commonly referred to as the ARCC, is comprised of five distinct ecosystems showcasing over 125 species of aquatic vertebrates and 200 species of aquatic invertebrates in over 80,000 gallons of water. Interns, alongside our staff, will provide the highest standards of care for our living collections, conserving biodiversity through careful utilization of all available resources.
The categories of study during the internship are water chemistry, fish and invertebrate identification, life support systems, veterinary practices, fish disease, and fish and invertebrate husbandry. Skill development and learning opportunities in these categories will include the following:
- Assisting with daily maintenance of animal enclosures and exhibits.
- Learning about animal nutrition and preparing diets.
- Learning about animal behaviors in both captive and natural environments.
- Observing operant conditioning techniques of captive animals.
- Designing and implementing environmental enrichment techniques.
- Observing medical procedures alongside Aquarists and Veterinarians.
Each intern will have the opportunity to work with different members of our aquarium staff learning specific skills and knowledge from the above categories.
Scholarship Opportunity: The Weinkle Family Internship Scholarship at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden will be awarded annually to one or more students participating in a zookeeping or horticulture internship at Riverbanks. Scholarship opportunities will be needs-based and made available to future zookeepers specifically but may also be awarded to future horticulturists. Participation in either of these areas will expose students to the zoo industry as well as the field of conservation and horticulture. Interested students should submit an up-to-500-word essay describing the reason for participating in Riverbanks’ internship program and the nature of financial need.
Education and Experience: This is an internship open to recent graduates and undergraduates seeking degrees in biology or related fields. Interns must complete 12 weeks of work, 40 hours per week and complete a minimum set of learning objective skills as determined by the staff supervisors. Working hours are typically 8:30am-5:00pm for full days and 8:30am-12:30pm and 1:00pm-5:00pm for half-day blocks. Applicants must be able to work any day of the week, including weekends and holidays.
