Care and Management Internship, The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota

Dates available
Internships start on or about:

• January 15
• May 15
• September 1

Title
Raptor Care and Management Intern 

Term length
Terms from three months to six months are available.

Location
The Raptor Center, 1920 Fitch Ave., University of Minnesota St. Paul Campus

Qualifications

• Education
  Minimum two years of college; bachelor's degree preferred 
• Other
  Interns must be in excellent physical condition and be able to lift and carry 40 pounds.

Description
The raptor care and management intern is responsible for assisting with the care and management of The Raptor Center's 28 education birds of prey. Interns are responsible for the daily care, cleaning, and maintenance of the education raptors including food preparation and feeding, cleaning of mews, building and maintaining raptor housing, and maintenance of education bird equipment and perches (75% time). Interns also assist with training and handling of education raptors, transportation of raptors, general raptor physical exam and medical care, and public education (25% time). This position reports directly to The Raptor Center's bird curator and works as an integral part of the education team.

Learning outcomes
The Raptor Center care and management intern will learn:

• In-depth raptor biology and natural history, especially of the common Midwest raptors
• The basics of feeding, housing, equipping, and training raptors for education
• Basic raptor handling and transportation techniques for public education
• General maintenance and medical care of captive birds of prey
• The basics of interpretation and education for the general public

Hours
35-40 hours per week; may include weekends and holidays. Schedule may vary. 

Salary
This is an unpaid internship.

Benefits
No benefits are provided with this position. 

Deadlines

• Fall semester internship applications are due by July 31. (Internship runs from September to December.)
• Spring semester internship applications are due by December 1. (Internship runs from January to April.)
• Summer internship applications are due by April 1. (Internship runs from May to August.)

Documentation needed
Resume, cover letter, and three references. Current U.S. driver's license

Contact
Gail Buhl
The Raptor Center
1920 Fitch Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: 612-624-3261

Miscellaneous information
On-campus housing may be available; a variety of excellent affordable housing options are available in the area. For more information about housing at the University of Minnesota, visit http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/rap/housing/

Credit for this internship may be arranged through the intern's current college or university.