Internship

Wild Care’s Spring and Summer Internship Program is a physically active, hands-on, ever-busy internship which allows for direct animal contact and care. Our staff, volunteers and interns all work together keeping the animals fed, cleaned, medicated, and enriched. Wild Care has its main clinic in a modest old farmhouse, a large raptor aviary for prerelease, a barn with seabird rehabilitation pools, and two clinic rooms devoted to baby birds and baby mammals. Several outbuildings including two songbird aviaries and small mammal caging are also on the property. Our business hours and phone helpline are always 9am-5pm, but, during spring and summer, animal care begins at 6am and often extends past 8pm to accommodate for infant bird and mammal feedings. Interns are expected to work a 40-hour week with a stipend of $100.

We have found through the years that both Wild Care and the interns benefit most when interns become part of the entire process of rehabilitation from an animal’s intake through its disposition. It only takes a few days for most interns to become comfortable amidst the whirlwind of phone calls, patient intakes, cleaning, x-rays, feeding schedules, and the cacophony of baby bird chirps. We include interns in our thought process and encourage them to listen and engage in the discussions about courses of treatment for the patients. We ask interns to set goals for themselves within their eight-week stay after seeing what aspects of Wild Care interests them the most.  

Wild Care must raise funds each year for our Internship Program to offer a stipend of $100 per week and to provide $150 toward intern housing, if applicable. We strive to acquire six interns for our Spring and Summer season (April through August), each for a minimum stay of eight weeks. Our Staff of Massachusetts-licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators supervise and direct our interns.

College Credits

Wild Care will work within the student’s curriculum in conjunction with college personnel if seeking college credits through this internship.

Eligibility & Selection Process

-Student must be a minimum of 18 years of age.

-Student must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in a related field of study, or have been in school or have graduated within the past two years.

-Student must be available to work five days per week for a minimum 40 hours a week. Due to the nature of the work, these hours are subject to change.

-The application selection process is competitive and we select candidates based on their academic background, CV, Essay and Interview. Extensions of the duration of individual internships will be considered, based on individual performance and is at the discretion of the Director.

-Tetanus immunization must be current. Rabies immunization is recommended but not required. Although Wild Care does not treat rabies vectors, we do occasionally assist with transfer and rescue of these species. For those not immunized against rabies, handling of mammals at Wild Care will be kept to non-vector species. Proof of tetanus immunization must be provided prior to commencement of internship.

Intern Responsibilities

REHABILITATION

1) Serve as a member of the medical and rehabilitative team.
2) Maintain and prepare species and age-appropriate housing, aviaries, and cages.
3) Prepare species-specific nutritional diets and feeding regimens.
4) Participate and assist in the admission, triage and assessment of wildlife arriving at Wild Care.
5) Participate and assist in the planning and delivery of wildlife rescues and releases.
6) Maintain and assist with the general maintenance, grounds and life support systems of the center.
7) Work closely with the volunteers in the Baby Bird Program, effectively organizing volunteers and delegating tasks (spring/summer months only).
8) Participate in the treatment and routine examination of wildlife patients.

EDUCATION

1) Research local wildlife natural history, behaviors, habits and habitat.
2) Learn to identify seasonal native wildlife in juvenile and adult forms.
3) Participate, develop and assist in education and outreach programs when applicable.

CONSERVATION

1) Document and assist in record-keeping and database management for research.
2) Disseminate important information to the general public about local wildlife through our wildlife rehabilitation hotline and in person.
3) Research and develop potential non-evasive projects either in-situ or ex-situ for the conservation of local species at the discretion of the Executive Director.

If seeking college credits through this internship, Wild Care will work within the student’s curriculum in conjunction with college personnel.

Application

Please click here to download the Application for the Internship Program 2024:

Summer Application Deadline: Feb 28th (Deadline past? Please inquire anyway!)
Spring Application Deadline: December 31st
Fall Application Deadline: July 1st

If you meet the eligibility requirements and are interested in an internship position, please feel free to email your application to [email protected] with your completed application, or by mail: Wild Care, C/O the Internship Coordinator, 10 Smith Lane, Eastham, MA 02642.

Compensation

Interns committing to a 40 to 50 hour work-week will receive a weekly stipend of $100.00.

Finding affordable summer housing on Cape Cod is difficult given the seasonal tourism industry, but whenever possible Wild Care has arranged for housing for applicants not living in the Cape Cod area. The competitive pool for students in need of housing is much larger than the pool of applicants with their own housing, so in the past we have secured housing for interns or provided a living stipend. At present we are only able to seek housing for summer internship applicants. Interns with the means to aquire their own housing on the Cape (all seasons) are encouraged to do so. All applicants must have their own vehicle for transportation.

If you find an animal in
distress, please call us at:

508-240-2255

Our helpline and our facility
are open EVERY DAY from
9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
We are located at the
Orleans rotary (on the Eastham side).

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DID YOU KNOW??

Wild Care has a state-of-the-art seabird therapy pool, which allows seabirds and waterfowl to exercise on running water. This will help our bird friends recover more quickly so they can get back to their watery habitats!