Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work with animals from Down Under? This may be the opportunity you’ve been looking for to work with mammals and birds from Australia and beyond. This continent's isolation of millions of years is inhabited by many unique species (like egg laying mammals) that are found nowhere else in the world.

You would work both indoors and out, in diurnal and nocturnal settings alongside experienced Animal Care Specialists on a dedicated and enthusiastic team. You would be caring for Western grey kangaroos, Bennett’s wallabies, Brush-tailed bettongs, Short-beaked echidnas, Rodrigues fruit bats, Emus, Cape Barren geese & Laughing kookaburras.

Interns will have the experience of working in with every species and will learn how to operate safely around these different species. Interns will learn how to identify individuals within large social groups, the bats and kangaroos, and learn about their group dynamics.

Interns will also gain practical experience in duties including animal nutrition, habitat maintenance, guest interaction, record keeping, animal observation, training and enrichment. There are breeding recommendations for several of the species housed here, so reproductive observations and development of young is another potential aspect of this internship.

The Australia House team is involved with AZA’s Marsupial & Monotreme Taxon Advisory Group (M&M TAG). The M&M TAG is filled with a lot of devoted and dynamic people who share a passion for these animals and as such, there are multiple online collaborative meetings and summits about these magnificent mammals throughout the year. Should any of these meetings or summits occur during the internship, attendance is strongly encouraged, exposing the intern to a broader view of cooperation & participation within the North American zoo community.

A research project on an aspect of animal husbandry is also required.