http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/

Philadelphia Zoo

Environmental Education Intern

June - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I was able to interact with the public and engage with them about animals and conservation. This was important to me because I wanted to improve my skills at public speaking and I enjoy connecting with people about the environmental issues I feel strongly about.

What I wish was different

I wish there had been an opportunity for more specialization.

Advice

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Animal Care Intern

May - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

The keepers I worked with were very nice and always made sure you felt included and gave jobs that weren’t just busywork. The animals were so wonderful and we learned so much about them, how to take care of them and how to handle them.

What I wish was different

I had such a positive experience and loved every moment of this opportunity, I can’t complain about anything or wish anything to be different.

Advice

Animal care intern is very different from the Behavioral and Education intern position at the zoo. If you are waitlisted for the animal care internship, try to do the interview anyway! You might just get it and if anything it’s an opportunity to practice being an interviewee.
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environmental education and animal behavior intern

May - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

This was definitely a great experience. I got to educate guests about the animals at the zoo, which greatly improved my social skills. I also got to conduct a behavior study on an animal of my choice.

What I wish was different

I wish it had been a paid internship, and that I was able to interact more with the animals.

Advice

The key to helping and educating guests was to memorize the names and a couple facts of animals in a certain zone, as well as to memorize the zoo map as fast as possible to give directions.
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Environmental Education and Animal Behavior Intern

May - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I loved working with kids all the time as well as being at the zoo 3 days of the week. It was awesome to get to go behind the scenes of the zoo and see how a large business like that is run, especially since my goal after college is to find a job at a conservation center or animal sanctuary.

What I wish was different

I wish there had been more interaction with the animals themselves. We never got to actually hold any of the animals at the zoo and talk about them and I wish we had gotten to do that.

Advice

Be prepared to interact with kids everyday and in all kinds of situations. As long as you keep an open mind and are caring and helpful, this internship will be a great fit for you.
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Animal care intern

May - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I liked being able to work with animals I usually would not be able to work with. I also liked interacting with children and being able to teach them about the animals.

What I wish was different

I wish I had gotten paid. I also wish it did not take up as much time (3 days a week 8 hours a day)

Advice

I would say to research all the internships the zoo offers before applying.
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Animal Nutritionist Assistant

April - September 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I loved my bosses and co-workers. They were so friendly and really taught me a lot about animal nutrition. I also loved working near so many amazing animals and being able to learn all about them, as well as how zoos work.

What I wish was different

Honestly nothing I was really happy there.

Advice

Follow your heart and do something you love.
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Philadelphia Zoo Intern

May - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Vast range of experiences and animal observations. As an intern, you create your own observational research project to present. Lots of interaction with the public and animals.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Environmental Education and Animal Behavior Intern

May - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Experience in monitoring animal behavior and interpreting behavior for guests. Also able to assist with nutrition and camp education programs.

What I wish was different

Would have liked more experience caring for animals but we did get the opportunity to talk to keepers and the veterinarian.

Advice

Go into it with an open mind, talking to everyone you can and try to help with anything you can.
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Environmental Education Intern

May - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Being able to work with a wide range of people and teach them about animals and their importance.

What I wish was different

The internship being more compact would have been nice.

Advice

Keep yourself occupied when you are not working.
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Environmental Education and Animal Behavior Intern

May - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Being exposed to different aspects of working with animals outside of the veterinary field Learning about conservation and animal species

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

It gets hot
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Environmental Education and Animal Behavior Intern

May - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

The supervisors were super informative and the company really appreciates all of their employees.

What I wish was different

Advice

Use it as a learning experience, both to learn about the animals, and to foster your people skills
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Animal Behavior and Environmental Conservation

May - August 2017 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I liked the work the environment as well as being able to learn so much about various animals and different job fields within the Zoo field.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more hands on interaction with the animals.

Advice

I would recommend talking with other interns, employees, and your supervisors to get the most out of your experience as well as to get more information about different career fields and any other questions you may have.
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Environmental Education and Animal Behavior Intern

May - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Working with animals every day, educating guests made me feel like I made an impact

What I wish was different

Advice

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Animal Behavior Intern

October 2016 - January 2017 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

The one zookeeper was incredible and super engaging in the Kid Zoo. She gave true behavioral analysis and history of the animals in the kid zoo ranging from mini horses to ants. She made learning for and tending to ants interesting. They really allowed for you to be with the animals too.

What I wish was different

It was a lot of cleaning of their habitats at times which was not very fun.

Advice

Really ask questions of the keepers. They want you to ask them about their job and more particularly, the animals.
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