Spring 2023 Wildlife Rehabilitation Internship

Applications are currently being accepted for candidates 18 years or older interested in a rehabilitation internship at a

wildlife refuge in the Florida panhandle. The Emerald Coast Wildlife Refuge (ECWR) is a non-profit organization, which

means the internship positions are unpaid. Interns should have a reliable mode of transportation and are responsible

for securing their own housing for the duration of the internship. (However, there is a possibility that ECWR will be able

to provide free housing for the duration of the internship period, but this is not guaranteed as it is dependent on ECWR

receiving a special grant to fund this, so please be sure to look into the cost of housing for this area to see if you are

financially stable enough to support yourself with housing here.) The internship duration is 5 days (~40 hours) per week

for a minimum of 15 weeks (can be longer if desired) and interns will be scheduled to meet the needs of the refuge. The

facility is open 7 days a week from 8am-4pm; staff and interns work until all tasks are finished for the day, which can lead

to extended hours during busy seasons.

Our internship program is designed to provide rehabilitation training that focuses on native Florida wildlife. With this

training, the intern will be able to participate in actual patient care and practice hands-on wildlife rehabilitation skills.

Interns are trained under the direct guidance of our licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, who also teaches weekly lectures and

lab activities to the interns in order to provide as much information as possible throughout the internship. The

experience gained from this immersion into the world of wildlife rehabilitation and animal husbandry is extremely

beneficial to those who are contemplating careers in the fields of veterinary medicine, wildlife management, wildlife

rehabilitation, conservation, biology, or zoology.

Internship Session Dates:

Spring (February to May) – application deadline November 15

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Summer (May to August) – application deadline March 30

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Fall (August to November) – application deadline July 15

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*Individual internship start and end dates can be flexible to accommodate students and their academic calendars.*

Learning opportunities:

● Hands-on wildlife experience through proper handling, feeding, and rehabilitation procedures.

● Neonatal care with a multitude of avian and mammalian species.

● Animal husbandry experience with a variety of wildlife species for permanent residents as well as rehabilitation

patients. This includes proper cleaning procedures and understanding the importance of appropriate enrichment

for captive animals.

● Understanding nutritional requirements for native Florida species based on the time of year (seasonal diets).

● Exposure to the operations of a non-profit organization and a wildlife rehabilitation center.

● Knowledge of humane coexistence with wildlife, natural animal behaviors, and reuniting babies with parents.

● Performing initial exams and assessments of injured native wildlife such as raptors, songbirds, shorebirds,

raccoons, foxes, squirrels, opossums, deer, and turtles/tortoises.

● Learning to calculate medicine dosages, administer fluids, give injections, bandage techniques, etc.

● Observe/assist with marine mammal and sea turtle strandings/necropsies, as needed (not guaranteed).

Intern responsibilities:

● Complete daily exhibit/cage cleaning.

● Prepare diets, feed animals, and record appetite.

● Handle and restrain various wildlife species.

● After hours care for avian and mammalian neonates.

● Assist in rescuing injured and orphaned wildlife; assist in releasing animals when ready.

● Create and provide enrichment activities to resident animals.

● Administer medications and treatments to wildlife patients.

● Answer the wildlife hotline for animals in distress and to answer the public’s inquiries.

● Monitor animal areas and provide exemplary guest service to visitors.

● Convey potential problems to staff members.

● Train new volunteers on various animal care tasks.

● Assist with general housekeeping and other duties as assigned.