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 Bird Department oversees the daily management and care of all the Zoo’s exhibit birds, with a collection of about 300 birds representing about 66 different species. Although the Bird Department oversees all of the Zoo’s exhibit birds, the majority are located in the Zoo’s three acre indoor Tropics Trail.

Year-round Internship Opportunities:

Starting and ending dates are flexible. The internship would involve 40 hours per week for 12 weeks. Scheduled hours are 6:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. College credit is required.

Responsibilities for the Bird Department Internship include cleaning, husbandry, diet preparation, feeding and monitoring of birds that are exhibited throughout the Zoo. Work hours are 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, from 6:30 am to 3:00 pm daily.

Duties to include:

• Daily maintenance of bird exhibits.
• Learn identification of all birds in the collection and their daily needs.
• Monitor birds daily for health and breeding behaviors.
• Learn incubation techniques.
• Assist in the care of newly hatched chicks as needed.
• Assist in animal health procedures as needed.
• Interact with guests and volunteers when working in the public areas.
• Maintain accurate records.
• Daily diet preparation and feeding of the birds in the collection.
• Assist in developing and implementing a conservation message or project.
• Enter bird records into the computer.
• 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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