Application

A student intern MUST be receiving academic credit from, or fulfilling an academic requirement for an accredited educational institution. In most instances, student interns are upper division majors or minors in the areas of biological science, horticulture, pre-veterinary medicine, education, conservation biology or related disciplines.

Internships are unpaid and are 10 to 14 weeks in length and 30 to 40 hours per week.

Applications MUST Include:

• Completed application form
• Cover Letter including a paragraph explaining why you are interested in an internship at the Minnesota Zoo;
• Resume;
• Official Transcripts; and,
• Letter of recommendation from an advisor or supervisor

Application Deadlines:

All application materials must be received by the following deadlines unless otherwise noted in the internship descriptions.

The marine mammal department oversees the daily management and care of the Zoo’s Northern sea otters. We conduct training sessions with our otters numerous times throughout the day and during the summer months narrate our training sessions to the public.

Year-round Internship Opportunities:

Approximately 40 hours/week for a 12 week period with days off usually falling between Monday through Friday. College is credit required.

Responsibilities for the Marine Mammal Internship include preparing diets, assisting in cleaning kitchen and animal areas, and being involved in behavioral enrichment. Interns will assist staff in their daily observations of the Zoo’s three male Northern sea otters. In addition, marine mammal interns are instructed in various areas of marine mammal management and given weekly quizzes on a particular subject, such as training or nutrition. Interns are asked to memorize part of a script so they can become comfortable and have experience on a microphone, and they are required to complete a 2-3 page paper on a topic of marine mammal conservation, species, or environmental issue that interests them. The marine mammal intern supervisor meets with each intern to discuss career opportunities in the field and offer advice regarding next steps once their internship is completed.

Duties to include:

• Prepare food for otters and daily maintenance of kitchen area
• Assist in cleaning animal, staff and kitchen areas
• Interns will be involved in behavioral enrichment and observations for the otters
• Work individually and also with the marine mammal staff as a team
• Accurate record keeping
• Assist with reference work or additional tasks as needed

For more information, please contact:
Internship Coordinator, Human Resources
13000 Zoo Boulevard, Apple Valley, MN 55124
E-mail: Human.resources.mnzoo@state.mn.us
Fax: 952.431.9211
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