Wildlife Rehabilitation Internship Spring/Summer 2025

Pacific Wildlife Care, located in Morro Bay, CA, is the only state and federally permitted wildlife rehabilitation facility in San Luis Obispo County on the Central Coast of California.  Our organization takes in over 2500 injured and orphaned wild animals every year; everything from house finches to brown pelicans, deer mice to coyotes. 

The Internship Program at Pacific Wildlife Care is a working and learning experience for individuals interested in wildlife and wildlife rehabilitation. We hope that our internship can serve as a thorough introduction to wildlife rehabilitation opportunities. The large number of animals and variety of species admitted to Pacific Wildlife Care give our interns the unique opportunity to become familiar with these species' natural history including their dietary, behavioral, and conservation needs. Due to the hands-on nature of rehabilitation, interns also have the opportunity to become acquainted with physiological, behavioral, and pathological aspects of the patients admitted to our wildlife hospital and the problems with which they present.

Individuals selected will be expected to participate in all aspects of wildlife rehabilitation–cleaning, feeding, enclosure set-up and maintenance, observation, record-keeping, treatment, and release of rehabilitated patients. Focusing on hands-on animal care will give interns valuable experience in crucial tasks such as learning how to safely handle many species of wild animal, administering medications, and raising orphaned birds and mammals.

In return for providing this experience, Pacific Wildlife Care expects to work with enthusiastic, hard-working, dependable, and physically and emotionally strong individuals who will become an integral part of the Pacific Wildlife Care team during their internships. Interns able to understand the importance of wildlife rehabilitation will gain the greatest satisfaction not only from working directly with the animals, but from being a part of a process that respects the nature of wildlife and allows animals the chance to enter back into their wild world.

·       Interns must be prepared to commit to a minimum of 400 hours, scheduled in eight-hour days (minimum 3 days/week).  Detailed scheduling will be dependent on the applicant’s availability and clinic need.  Clinic hours are 8am-8pm, 7 days per week, so interns are typically scheduled to work evenings and weekends.

o   Internships may be scheduled from April 1 through September 31. 

·       Cage cleaning, laundry, dishes, and general cleaning of the facility

·       Food preparation

·       Preparing housing environments

·       Using the computerized database to create new patient records and enter observations and data

·       Appropriate restraint of a diverse group of patients (raptors, aquatic birds, songbirds, small mammals) for examinations and treatments

·       Assisting clinic staff and veterinarian with patient treatments and examinations

·       Monitoring and informing staff of changes in patients’ conditions

·       Calculating drug doses, compounding drugs, and administering medications

·       Hand-feeding juvenile birds

·       Assisted feeding of patients when required

·       Fluid administration (subcutaneous, oral, intravenous)

·       Collection and reading of routine blood samples

·       Assist in performing animal releases

Requirements

·       18 years of age or older

·       Punctuality and good work ethic

·       Respect for all wildlife

·       Provide their own transportation to and from the center

·       Work outdoors in all kinds of weather

·       Lift up to 50 pounds

·       Work on their feet on a hard floor for up to 8 hours per day

·       Communicate well with coworkers and work well as a member of a team

·       Interact professionally with members of the public both in person and over the phone

·       Work quickly and efficiently while precisely following directions and procedures

·       Ability to read and interpret documents such as wildlife medical records and procedure manuals.

·       Add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure.

·       Apply common sense understanding to carry out written and oral instructions.

·       Seek assistance when questions arise.

Benefits

A $2000 stipend will be awarded upon successful completion of the internship.