Wildlife Rehabilitation Internships
2024 Program Schedule:
Session 1: Sunday May 19 - Saturday Aug 10, 2024
Session 2: Sunday June 23 - Saturday Sept 14, 2024
Application Deadline: April 1, 2024
(02/04/24)Page Contents:
Intern Program Information Documents
Printable documents with complete description of the current program, including duties, requirements, and application instructions, are available through this link:
(04/07/24)
About Lindsay Wildlife Experience and the Hospital
Lindsay Wildlife Experience, a natural history, environmental education, and wildlife rehabilitation center located in Walnut Creek, California, connects people with wildlife to inspire responsibility and respect for the world we share. Founded in 1955, Lindsay houses a collection of live native California animals, an Exhibit Hall with hands-on discovery activities for children and changing natural history exhibits, and a wildlife rehabilitation hospital. We are licensed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. With a caseload of approximately 4,000 native wild animals each year, we are one of the oldest and largest rehabilitation centers in the nation.
The goal of Lindsay’s wildlife hospital, started in 1970, is to rehabilitate and return injured and orphaned native wild animals back to their natural habitats. To give them a chance for survival after release, our patients are kept as wild as possible. Animals are handled only when necessary for feeding, cleaning, and medical care; infant animals are raised with their own species and are not socialized by humans.
(02/05/24)Wildlife Rehabilitation Internship Program Description
This unpaid educational position requires a self-motivated, flexible, and responsible individual with good problem-solving skills for a job that can be intense, fast-paced, and often repetitive. The intern helps with care and treatment of injured or orphaned native California birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
Working in conjunction with Lindsay staff and approximately 200 volunteers, interns are given the opportunity to learn about all aspects of wildlife rehabilitation with hands-on experiences. Wildlife rehabilitation combines aspects of veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, and biology/natural history to provide rehabilitation care specific to each native species. (Lindsay annually sees about 100 species commonly or semi-commonly, with about 100 additional species seen infrequently.)
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Internship includes both husbandry and medical training and experience. Skills you can learn include: identification of the most common species in the region, basic care and husbandry needs of native wildlife, proper handling and restraint procedures for a variety of species, wildlife nutrition, basic bird and mammal anatomy, medication preparation and administration, fluid therapy, basic initial exam procedures, parasitology, microscope skills, basic raptor care, and time management skills. Interns work closely with Wildlife Rehabilitation Technicians, RVTs, volunteers, and veterinarians.
We also offer Research Internships for students working on degree programs, and veterinary/technician externships. Please inquire for more information.
(02/05/24)Internship Primary Duties
General husbandry of all patients in the hospital at any given time, including neonatal birds
Caring for neonatal birds and mammals, which includes hand feeding, weighing, and cage cleaning
Prepare species-specific enclosures and diets for incoming and existing patients
Maintaining a clean working environment in the hospital, which includes sweeping, laundry, dishes, wiping down counters, cleaning syringes, restocking linens, putting away clean supplies or enclosures
Documenting daily care and special notes for the patients online as well as on paper charts
Administering oral fluids and medications
Assisting with exams and medical procedures
Basic diagnostic lab work
Program Completion Requirements
The program requires completion of:
A minimum of 200 Intern Program hours during one of the 12-week sessions.
Minimum of three 5-hour shifts per week for the 12 weeks, usually 2 weekday shifts and one weekend day shift per week. Additional shifts may be added by prior arrangement.
Two of the weekly shifts are patient care/husbandry shifts, one shift is a medical shift under the direction of wildlife rehabilitation technicians and veterinarians.
Shifts are usually 8:30 am - 1:30 pm (AM shift) or 1:30 pm - 6:30 pm (PM shift)
During “baby bird season” (May – August) there is opportunity for additional shift coverage from 8:00 - 8:30 am and 6:30 - 8:00 pm. During the extended shift hours there is more opportunity to work closely with the technicians.
Includes weekend and holiday shifts
Alternate scheduling, including an extended timeframe into the next session, may be available by prior arrangement. Interns can choose to continue on after their session ends to receive more advanced hands-on instruction and accumulate additional hours
All required training, including orientation and weekly class sessions that may require attendance on a non-shift day.
Program Sessions
There are two different 12-week Intern Program sessions, scheduled to align with college/university semester system and quarter system calendars. All program sessions have a first day orientation, regularly scheduled in-person Thursday afternoon classes, and associated reading requirements. Interns are expected to be on-site with a regular work schedule.
Session 1: May 19 - August 10: Timed to correspond with common college/university semester system summer breaks.
Session 2: June 23 - September 14: Timed to correspond with common college/university quarter system summer breaks.
There is the opportunity, by previous arrangement, to start early husbandry shifts, gaining additional credit for intern program hours. An early start requires acceptance into the hospital shift volunteer program and completion of initial training.
(02/04/24)Application Process
Candidate Requirements
Click the "down arrow" to view the list of intern candidate requirements.
Minimum age of 18 at the start of the program (minimum age of 16 by prior arrangement)
Must provide proof of full COVID vaccination (primary series) and wear a mask at all times while in the hospital
Ability to work well both independently and with others
Ability to follow directions
Ability to professionally and productively handle stressful/difficult situations
Ability to bend, kneel, twist, stoop, squat, reach, lift and move 20-pound objects, and do repetitive tasks
Ability to stand on a concrete floor for long periods of time
Ability to prepare diets which may include live/dead mealworms or mice
Must be willing to get their hands dirty
Can tolerate unique or sometimes unpleasant smells
Can work well in sometimes loud, busy environments
Willing to work outdoors in various weather conditions for short periods of time
Emotional ability to work with injured and/or orphaned wildlife, which will involve exposure to death, suffering, and possible euthanasia
Science background preferred
How to Apply
To apply, submit a cover letter, resume, and fill out the Intern Availability Form, by April 1, 2024. References or letters of recommendation that would assist in our evaluation may be included.
Indicate which internship program is of interest in your cover letter.
Email submission to: hospitalrecruiting@lindsaywildlife.org
Please include “Intern Application” as part of the email subject line.
Note: If your work experience and references are not directly related to the field, then the cover letter becomes very important, relating your past experience and career goals to the wildlife hospital intern position.
Important Dates
Application deadline: 11:59 PM (PDT) April 1, 2024
Lindsay schedules interview: Within 10 days of receipt of application
Lindsay notifies applicants of decision: By April 14, 2024
If accepted, please let us know within 7 days whether or not you will accept the internship position.
Deadline to accept internship and submit required paperwork: Midnight May 1, 2024
Shift schedules are posted: May 15, 2024
Session 1 Orientation: Sunday, May 19, 2024
Session 2 Orientation: Sunday, June 23, 2024
(04/07/24)