Center for Wildlife

Wildlife Care Intern

June - August 2022 • Cape Neddick, ME

What I liked

I liked that I was able to get experience with different types of animals, which helped me to start thinking about which kinds I may be most interested in for future work. I was surprised by how approachable they made our clinic work to be. The new facilities are beautiful and pretty functional. I enjoyed working towards a common goal with the team. They were so lovely and I loved working alongside my interns and apprentices, as well as observing and learning from the staff. I think our daily meeting with everyone present was so important and helpful in keeping us all included and on the same page. Overall, it was a great hands-on way to get into animal care with a great community of support.

What I wish was different

I wish there was a little more time to explore the education side of the conservation efforts at CFW. I had one day to travel out to some pre-schools, but it would be neat to maybe shadow some ambassador care or learn how the education team develops programs. A lot of this was likely due to the avian influenza protocol, though (the same goes for not having the chance to work with waterfowl and raptors). We had one zoonotic disease presentation at the end of the internship, so I wish we had some more learning opportunities like that throughout the summer.

Advice

I recommend that you make an effort to chat with the staff, apprentices, other interns, and volunteers to learn all about their experience and background. They are the best source of advice for wanting to go into this field or similar careers!

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Wildlife care intern

June - August 2019 • Cape Neddick, ME

What I liked

I loved getting to work with animals and learn about their needs and troubles in the modern world. I also enjoyed getting to peek my head into the examination room and get a close up look at the animals we bring in.

What I wish was different

Even though it was an important part of the facility’s upkeep, A lot of my time was used washing dishes and doing laundry. It’s necessary, but not preferable to animal care

Advice

It’s a lot of manual labor. Be prepared with bug spray and sun block if you go in the summer. Also be prepared to stand for most of the day!

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Medical Center Intern

June - August 2018 • Cape Neddick, ME

What I liked

EVERYTHING! Working with the animals was amazing, some of the other interns are now people I consider lifelong friends, and I learned something new every day.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been able to get funding from my college. This wasn't possible as their application cycle didn't grant internships until well into May. This is a 40 hr per week internship and I had to work an additional job just to have income.