Position Title: Bird & Ambassador Penguin Intern
Department: Animal Care and Conservation
Classification: Seasonal, Unpaid Internship
Reports To: Supervisor of Bird and Ambassador Animals
Dates of Internship: 1st week of January – 3rd Week of April
Application Deadline: October 10, 2025
Mississippi Aquarium Bird and Ambassador interns will have the opportunity to take part in all aspects of daily husbandry of our colony of ambassador African penguins under the supervision and guidance of the Curator, Managers, and Animal Care Specialist staff of the Bird and Ambassador Team. This internship will help those aspiring to enter the field develop skills in time management, communication, guest presentations, and teamwork.
The position will also be responsible for adhering to all aquarium safety protocols, standard operating procedures, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and International Marine Animal Trainer Association (IMATA) accreditation standards. The goal is to help interns succeed professionally in any chosen field.
INTERNSHIP LAYOUT
This unpaid internship is progressive and is 16 weeks in length, requiring a commitment of 2-3 consistent days per week. Due to the nature of a progressive internship, a commitment of 16 weeks is required. This will ensure the best experience and career preparation.
Our internship is divided into 5 tiers, each concentrating on a different aspect of African penguin care while continuing to build on the intern’s responsibilities:
- Tier 1: Introduction to Animal Husbandry and African Penguins
- Tier 2: Guest Interactions and Presentations
- Tier 3: Animal Behavior and Enrichment
- Tier 4: Animal Learning and Training
- Tier 5: Career Development and Intern Project
Advancement and duration of each tier is based on each individual intern’s motivation and assessment by animal care staff.
Intern responsibilities will encompass the skills needed to provide exceptional care for ambassador animals. These skills will include diet preparation, kitchen/facility cleaning exceeding USDA standards, daily guest interactions, assisting with habitat maintenance, managing daily enrichment schedules, creating novel environmental enrichment, and assisting with animal training projects alongside staff. There is no guarantee of any physical animal interaction, and any interaction will be at the discretion of animal care staff. The opportunity to work with other species within the Birds and Ambassador department located at the Mississippi Aquarium’s Aquatic Research Center or Main Campus may also arise.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assists team in the overall daily care of our African penguin colony
- Performs proper animal diet preparation
- Keeps support areas clean, organized, and safe
- Builds knowledge of operant conditioning and observes training sessions with animals under our care
- Designs, implements, and evaluates environmental enrichment under guidance of staff
- Supports interactive programs and educational presentations through formal and informal public speaking opportunities
- Ensures guest satisfaction by delivering exceptional customer service
- Complies with all standard operating procedures (SOPs) pertaining to daily operations and safety
- Promotes conservation, animal welfare, and good stewardship in daily tasks
- Undertakes special projects as assigned by curator and staff
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the volunteer for this position. Duties responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
QUALIFICATIONS
- 18 years of age or older
- Currently enrolled in or a recent graduate of a secondary education program in biology, zoology, animal science, psychology, or another related field
- Previous animal care experience, such as volunteering at an animal shelter, preferred
- Applicants should consider themselves hardworking, motivated, and reliable
REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
- Ability to work consistent 2-3 days per week, for 16 weeks
- Ability to accept internship position as an unpaid position
- Understanding that completion of this internship program does not lead to a permanent position with the Mississippi Aquarium.
- Ability to perform physically demanding job duties on a daily basis
- Daily interaction with fellow team members and the public
- Excellent observation and communication skills
- Strong interpersonal skills and ethics that sustain a positive and professional environment
- Ability to reliably travel to and from work
- Ability to work weekends, holidays, and days closed due to inclement weather
- Ability to find and secure housing for the duration of the 16-week internship
- Public speaking experience preferred, or the willingness to learn
TEAM REQUIREMENTS
- Safety & Security - All Team Members are required to adhere to all Mississippi Aquarium safety and security standards.
- Attendance & Appearance - To maximize the guest’s experience, all Team Members are required to adhere to Mississippi Aquarium standard operating procedures regarding attendance and dress code policies as it relates to individual job functionality. Tattoos and piercings must be appropriate and in keeping with a professional image. Depending on the work area, management reserves the right to determine that tattoos will need to be covered during your shift.
- Sales & Guest Services - Our forward-thinking business model requires listening to and understanding the needs of our guests both internal and external. To that end, we must always be focused on the guest experience which is the key driver for return guest visitation and increased sales.
- Team Partnership - All Team Members are focused on supporting each other to complete the guest experience. Therefore, supporting, facilitating, and participating in activities that promote team effectiveness is vital to our organization.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS & WORK ENVIRONMENT
The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an intern to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the intern is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The intern must occasionally lift and/or move up to 60 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the position include close vision, distance vision, color and peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this position, the intern is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
