Unpaid Animal Care Internship - Giraffe (Fall 2026)

Animal Care Internship – Giraffe

Interns work directly with animal care staff to gain firsthand experience of all aspects of animal husbandry including diet prep, enclosure maintenance, training, enrichment, guest interactions and more.  The goal of the program is to provide college students (or recent graduates) with pre-professional career experience through hands-on experiential learning opportunities. 

Species: Reticulated Giraffes, Bongo and Red River Hog with the potential to work with Southern White Rhinos, Grant's Zebra and Scimitar-Horned Oryx.

This internship is unpaid but housing may be available seasonally. The program spans 10-12 weeks and participants will be scheduled up to 40hrs per week. Spring internships begin in January and end in May. Summer internships will begin in May and end in August. Fall internships begin in August and end in December.

Intern duties will vary upon season and departmental needs, but could include:

• Assisting staff in all aspects of animal care including, but not limited to, diet preparation, exhibit cleaning/disinfection, maintenance, training and enrichment, record keeping, and guest interactions.  Contact with class one animals is minimal and directly supervised.
• Actively observing animal's behavior
• Facilitates formal and informal public presentations to engage guests and provide a positive guest experience.
• Assisting with the production of special events, animal celebrations, and awareness days
• Maintaining animal areas, work areas, and all resources in a clean, organized manner
• Completes a special project covering observations, research, enrichment or another area of interest.

Qualifications:

• Must be a dependable, hard-working college student or recent graduate with an interest in the fields of education, interpretation, environmental science, biology, zoology, or zoo management or might be considering a change of career.
• Must be able to work between 24-40 hours per week for 10-12 weeks.
• Must be able to work outdoors in all weather conditions.
• Must demonstrate enthusiasm and good judgement while working with children and zoo guests.
• Must demonstrate excellent communication skills and the ability to follow directions.

Beneficial Skills:

• Proficiency in Office 365, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

Work Environment: While performing the duties of the job, the intern will frequently work in outdoor settings (Zoo grounds). When outdoors this position is required to work in various weather conditions including rain, humidity, and extreme heat or cold.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

This position requires frequent sitting/standing/walking/bending/kneeling and may occasionally move or lift objects up to 50 pounds.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Other Requirements:

• 18 years or older.
• Clear background check.
• Clear TB screening.

EEOC and Inclusion Statement: 

The Memphis Zoo believes that human diversity is as important as the biodiversity we seek to conserve. World-class zoos are comprised of world-class team members representing a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We value a diverse workplace and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, and veterans to apply. 

The Memphis Zoo is an equal-opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws. If you need to request any accommodations for the interview or hiring process, please let the Human Resources team (HR) know. HR can be contacted at hrteam@memphiszoo.org. 

The Memphis Zoo participates in E-Verify and is an EEO/ADA/Veteran employer.

All offers of internship are contingent upon the successful completion of pre-internship screening. Memphis Zoo is a drug-free workplace.

How to Apply:

Applications should be submitted via the Memphis Zoo Internships page. Please note that any other application submissions will not be considered.