Thursday, December 31, 2020

Internship - zoo keeper department



 Internship - zoo keeper department

 

Linton Zoo Conservation Park

 

We have a voluntary internship available to begin in February/March 2021 for a period of 6 months (including a one-month probationary period) working within our animal keeping department, with learning opportunities that are dedicated to the care and husbandry of animals.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate a prior knowledge of various species and have the interest to learn more about the animals in their care. The successful candidate will also receive training in animal husbandry for a range of other species including other birds, reptiles and invertebrates.

The intern will be supporting the animal keeping staff throughout the 6 month period, and in return will gain valuable hands on experience in a busy zoo environment, alongside the opportunity to learn skills that will form the foundations of your Zoo keeping career. The successful applicant will be full-time, five days a week, including weekends and Bank Holidays.

Benefits of an internship

If you are keen to get the practical experience many zoos require when applying for a keeper position then this is the ideal opportunity for you. You will get to learn hands on skills with a range of animals that will form the basis of your zoo keeping career. Increase your experience and understanding of the work of a zoo animal keeping department and the wider role zoos play in wildlife conservation across the globe.

Expected duties / training provided

  • Assisting with daily animal husbandry e.g. food prep, feeding, cleaning etc
  • General site and enclosure maintenance
  • Undertake and record animal observations
  • Visitor interaction e.g. answering visitor questions in a polite and sensitive manner
  • Visitor interaction and delivery of keeper talks, animal shows, encounters and tours

Requirements / what you will need

Applicants must 18 years old or over, be hard working, conscientious and uphold high standards of animal husbandry and welfare. Applicants must be willing to assist with other areas of the park, including general maintenance and upkeep of public areas.

  • Reliability and punctuality are essential requirements for anyone working in animal care,
  • The ability to work as part of a team is essential as are excellent communication skills,
  • Proficiency in public speaking or confidence to learn is necessary in this role,
  • Ability to adapt to different working environments,
  • The ability to work both in a team and independently,
  • You must be physically fit for the demands of the post,
  • You must be able to adapt to a flexible rota
  • Ability to show evidence of a long-term interest in animal care e.g. animal related volunteer work,

This position is voluntary and therefore unpaid. We are unable to provide any financial support, expenses or accommodation to those wishing to apply, so we recommend applicants to be within suitable travel distance for the duration of this placement. We recognise that this position takes a level of commitment from individuals and therefore we aim for interns to come away with experience that will help them in their future careers. To ensure that interns are provided with valuable experience; regular reviews will take place ensuring that the training agreement will be successfully accomplished with a training record that will be provided upon completion of the placement.

If you would like the chance to join our great team, please download the application form on the vacancies tab on our website www.lintonzoo.com

 

Please send this with a covering letter to the Kim Simmons, Linton Zoo, Hadstock Road, Linton, Cambridgeshire, CB21 4NT or email to lintonzoo@hotmail.co.uk

Closing date for applications is: 17th Jan 2021



FYI

This vacancy has been posted out to the many thousands who read the popular Zoo Jobs Blog Page and then on to the 129,400 plus followers of the  ZooNews Digest Facebook Page. It is then immediately forwarded on to Twitter and then to Pinterest and Linkedin (8,000+ connections). Many vacancies are shared to individuals and groups. In short your vacancy will have the potential of reaching something in the region of some 80,000 plus people within 24 hours. Most of these people are working in a zoo environment, Keepers, Curators, Vets, Zoo Directors, Trainers, Aquarists and more.

ZooNews Digest has subscribers in over 1200 Zoos in 150+ countries. Zoo professionals are International.

The number of people who will actually read the posted vacancy  will actually be considerably less. Usually this will be between two hundred and three thousand. This will depend on the type of post, the time of the year and where it is located…of course not all will apply. I wish you the very best of luck in finding the right candidate for your post.

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photo 
Peter Dickinson
Independent International Zoo Consultant

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