Event Operations Crew Member

About the Zoo

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden is an equal opportunity employer and accepts employment applications and/or resumes for current open positions only.

Qualifications

• Be 18 or over and interested in pursuing a career in the zoological or botanical field;
• hard-working, highly motivated, professional, and committed to following detailed instructions;
• positively approach team-based, collaborative working environments and engaging with visitors;
• comfortable working with and/or handling many different species encompassing all taxa of animals;
• full availability to work the entire intern session and days required.

Internships

• Internships are 14 weeks and typically follow a full-time workweek pattern: 4-5 consecutive days per week, ~8 hours per day, generally from 7-8 am to 3-4 pm. The Zoo is open 364 days a year, so your schedule may include weekend and holiday work.
• Internship is conditional upon passing a pre-start drug & nicotine screen;
• Must provide a negative TB Test result before beginning internship;
• Applicants must provide proof of current medical insurance & maintain insurance for the duration of the internship;
• If applicable to your department, COVID vaccination may be required.

Internship Program

• The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden Intern Program provides participants with early career experience in a specific department. Interns gain valuable skills through hands-on training with staff, attending lectures and continuing education courses presented by staff from various departments, and networking opportunities to develop professional contacts throughout the Zoo community.

Africa Department Internship

• The main role of interns is to work with animal care staff to keep areas clean, thus helping contribute to the welfare of the animals. Cleaning, maintaining our various habitats, and behind-the-scenes holding areas may include: raking and shoveling, moving heavy wheelbarrows, lifting hay bales, hosing and scrubbing, etc. Other duties include preparing daily food diets such as cutting and weighing out produce and meat diets and helping maintain behind-the-scenes keeper spaces as well. Interns will have the opportunity to observe animal training sessions and various forms of routine husbandry including: giraffe foot care, blood draw and injection training with a variety of species, bird capture and restraint for wing trims and beak coping, and the management of recently expanded hippo bloat.

Animal Ambassador Team Internship

• The main focus of this internship is the daily husbandry and care for these animals, but there is also an opportunity for educating the visitors and offering encounters on grounds. We constantly strive to provide our animals with the best welfare possible through positive reinforcement training, dynamic habitats, and behavioral-based enrichment.
• Some of your daily tasks will include: Daily husbandry, Diet Preparation, Habitat set up, Animal Handling, Enrichment, Observing Training Sessions, Random Animal Encounters/Engagement with Visitors, Assisting with other tasks and projects that come up.

Animal Excellence Research Internship

• This internship is a 14-week program (40 hours per week, stipended, un-benefited). Interns can expect to have a regular set schedule but may be scheduled to participate on some weekends, holidays, etc. Housing may be available for a minimal fee.
• The Animal Excellence Research Intern will assist with the planning and execution of various animal behavior monitoring and welfare projects around the zoo. As the Animal Excellence Research Interns, they will work under the direction of the Animal Excellence Scientist to promote an evidence-based approach to animal care and management.