Wildlife Rehabilitation Internship Program
The unpaid internship program offers an unparalleled opportunity for hands-on experience with care and treatment of injured or orphaned native California birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
Working in conjunction with over 200 volunteers, interns are given the opportunity to learn about all aspects of wildlife rehabilitation with hands-on experiences, and to educate the public on wildlife-related subjects.
There are two different 12-week intern program sessions, and an extended session, during the 2022 peak season:
- March 20 – June 11 session 1: Does not have regularly scheduled classes and gives schedule flexibility when many schools are still in session. Classes are scheduled according to staff and student availability, and may include pre-recorded or remote classes. If available before the session starts, intern may start early, including with a reduced schedule.
- May 29 – August 27 session 2: Timed to correspond with common college/university summer breaks. This structured session has regularly scheduled Wednesday classes. If schedule allows, interns may start the program early and receive mentoring from Session 1 interns.
- August 28 – September 17 extended session: Designed to provide additional, advanced instruction.
The program requires completion of:
- A minimum of 200 intern program hours during one of the 12-week sessions.
- Minimum of three 5-hour shifts per week for the 12 weeks, usually 2 weekday shifts and one weekend day shift per week.
- Shifts are usually 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (a.m. shift) or 1:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. (p.m. shift).
- Includes day, evening, weekend, and holiday shifts.
- Alternate scheduling, including an extended timeframe into the next session, may be available by prior arrangement.
- All required training, including weekly class sessions, that may require attendance on a non-shift day.
For more information about the intern program, including duties, requirements, and application instructions, please refer to the ‘Wildlife Rehabilitation Intern Program’ section of Wildlife Rehabilitation Volunteer Opportunities.
Questions? Email [email protected]