Hi everyone! I wanted to do a final reflection on my experience this summer, as well as provide some tips for others who may want to work at a zoo or other animal-related area.
If I could describe my zoo internship with one word, it would be fulfilling. I committed to commuting to the zoo for an unpaid internship. I cleaned up bearcat feces, scrubbed chinchilla pans, swept floors, and did many other similar tasks. I also hosted or participated in Amphitheater shows by memorizing a script and several animal facts. While the work was hard, it was very rewarding in terms of the skills and lessons I learned. I learned how to safely handle over twenty animals. I was able to ask a zoo veterinarian for advice about getting into veterinary school. I learned how to enrich and train animals, keep records, and more. So, it may have been difficult, but the time was so worth it to help me gain more animal experience to prepare for my career goals. I also have some tips for anyone considering a similar path to mine. If you want to get an internship or job at a zoo or in any animal setting , the biggest advice is to just APPLY! I had no previous exotic animal experience before my internship. I had worked with horses, dogs, and cats, but I had never held an owl or a lizard. Yet, I was able to get in because I applied and showed enough interest and initiative to succeed. I have also learned that a career in a zoo setting is often shaped by the idea of "right place, right time." If you have a certain goal to work with lions, you may have to start working in an aquarium. The point is that there is usually not a straight path to your goals. You have to position yourself to be ready for anything. One other main tip I have is to seek out assistance through scholarships for support. I am so thankful to have received funding through the Super Internship Committee at Juniata College to help me pay for my commute. It helped me have more time this summer to do unpaid work, such as shadowing veterinarians. I also had additional time to complete my veterinary school applications, which I have recently submitted. I now anxiously wait to hear back from schools. With the Super Internship funding, I feel confident that I had enough time to produce a proficient application. Overall, thank you to anyone who has read this blog as I have documented my time as an Animal Ambassador Intern at the Pittsburgh Zoo. Thank you to the Super Internship Committee for the help this summer! Good luck to anyone pursuing a similar career or goals, and please reach out if you have any questions! -Emily
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Hi everyone! I have completed my internship at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. I worked for the last time over the last weekend in July. The daily activities were generally the same as previously. I was involved in Amphitheater presentations, as well as a special program called "Breakfast with the Animals." I held Duro the armadillo as a staff member talked about him to a crowd eating breakfast. Later, I showed them one of our prehensile-tailed skinks. It has always been fun to watch people's faces when they see the animals. The kids loved seeing them the most! I was also given my final lessons. We learned about record keeping by reviewing the online system used to keep track of all animals' behaviors, enrichment, and other details at the zoo. Another lesson was on career building, which gave me tips on interviewing and writing resumes for animal-related jobs. Finally, I had a few final animal handling lessons, which included holding Artemis the Great Horned Owl. Overall, I was sad to say goodbye to the other interns, staff members, and the animals, but I am so glad I got to have the experience! Hi everyone! Today is Saturday, July 23rd. I have three more workdays left of my internship at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. As I wrap up these days, I still want to describe my daily activities. Later, I plan to write up an overview of my experience and tips for others pursuing internships at zoos or for veterinary medicine!
Until then, today was another day full of new experiences. This morning, I was able to see a behind-the-scenes look at the aquarium and the commissary where they keep and distribute food goods for many zoo animals. Since the zoo is also preparing for the Asian Lantern Festival coming up, I also got to see many lanterns displays as we drove in a golf cart to and from locations. After that tour and some other cleaning and animal care, all the interns got to have a Q&A session with one of the zoo veterinarians. He told us about his journey of becoming a zoo veterinarian. His message of persistence and resilience in tough times was inspiring. After lunch, we exercised some of the animals, including the kinkajous. I was even able to handle their male kinkajou. He is a little shy, but he was very sweet for me! After we finished our tasks for the day, I got some dinner and relaxed for a little bit. Then I worked on some of the assignments/activities that I still have left to do for the internship. For one, I had to think of a new enrichment item idea. I am still thinking about it, but I think I want to pick something for the turtles or tortoises. Once I finish those, I'll head to bed and get ready for another day at the zoo tomorrow. Have a good day/night! Hi everyone! I can't believe this is the tenth weekend of my internship! I have learned, seen, and worked so much over these weeks. As I am winding down toward the end of my twelve weeks, I am being given some extra time for lessons and activities that we have not done yet. For example, today after we gave a "Meet an Animal" presentation at the Safari Amphitheater, we had lessons on safe and proper animal restraint. This was different than the handling we have previously done. Restraint is more so used during veterinary procedures or check-ups where an animal needs to be still for the veterinarian to work. We learned how to secure animals' positions to make sure the animal was safe, but also so any people involved are safe from bites or scratches. In another lesson, we talked about the equipment used by the keepers to keep the kestrels, owls, and other birds safe.
In between the lessons and other regular tasks, we got to go on a field trip to a different area of the zoo. We got to visit the keeper who care for the giraffes, zebras, and a few other animals. He walked us through their barn to show us where they prepare diets, where they corral the animals safely to and from the exhibit, and where they keep records or schedules. Then, we got to walk up to the giraffe and zebra exhibit to see the animals up-close. We were able to meet them in a way that is usually done in Animal Encounters, which are special programs that the zoo offers for people to meet animals in a closer way than just seeing them from the pathway. I got to feed the male giraffe some lettuce. He was very sweet! I had a very fun day today, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we will be doing at the zoo tomorrow! Hi everyone! This week, I was involved in animal care and amphitheater presentations again. On Saturday, I led three Amphitheater presentations, as well as presented some new animals (for me) including the blue-tongued skinks, prehensile tailed skinks, and the boa constrictor. Later in the day, I was tasked with cleaning out the mealworm and superworm tanks with another intern. We had to individually remove the worms to an alternate container, clean their tank, and then replace them back in. These worms are used as food for many of our carnivorous or omnivorous animals in the Conservation Education department.
In the evening after work, I worked on some of my homework assignments for the internship. These are simple assignments meant to help emphasize the main ideas that we are learning about each week. For example, one assignment has us research additional animal facts or feeding facts online to see what other animal caretakers or zoos feed animals of the same species as we care for here. Once I’m done with the assignments, I will ask for approval and if they are satisfactory, I earn a check mark. The goal is to get as many check marks during the twelve-week internship as we can. Besides completing tasks for the internship, I was working on some of my application materials that I am compiling for my veterinary school application. Applications are due in September, but it’s important to get things done and sent in early to ensure everything is completed on time. I am aiming to submit everything by August 1st, and right now I am on track. I am grateful that I have the time to work on this application thanks to the generosity of Juniata College and the Super Internship Funding. The assistance has helped me have extra time to prioritize my vet school application, and I cannot thank them enough for everything. Have a great week! Hi everyone! The last few weeks have been very busy! My responsibilities at the Zoo have increased since I've been there for several weekends now. Also, I have found new fun activities to do in Pittsburgh when I visit for the internship. First, one of the largest responsibilities of the internship is being involved in the Conservation Education department's Amphitheater shows. In the past, my role was to handle animals while staff members provided facts about the animals or ran the rest of the show. I then advanced to give animal facts on my own, such as when I talked about the gulf coast box turtle that I mentioned in an earlier blog. Last weekend, however, I was ready to lead my own show! We have a general script to memorize beforehand and follow, but otherwise I was on my own! I did this on Father's Day, so there was a sizeable crowd there to watch the show. I was proud of myself and my speaking ability since I have struggled with public speaking in the past. While the shows are a main part of the internship, animal handling practice and lessons are another part. I had the opportunity to handle turtles, snakes, cockroaches, fire skinks, tenrecs, and an armadillo early on in my internship. More recently, I was taught how to handle a fennec fox, chinchillas, a duck, a tarantula, and even an American kestrel! Some of these animals require multiple training sessions before I am officially allowed to handle them on my own, but I am certainly making progress! Finally, besides interning during the day, I have found new fun things to do in Pittsburgh. My dad and sister visited with me last weekend, and we decided to go to a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game. Since June is Pride Month, they were having a special Pride Night at the game. It was really fun! I had never been to a major league baseball game before, so it was a new experience. Overall, I'm looking forward to what the next few weeks bring! Hi everyone! This week during my wild summer, I thought I would outline one of my interning days to show how I intern and have other fun during my time in Pittsburgh. This time, my parents drove down with me since they also had a business meeting and dinner on Saturday night.
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