Wildlife Rehabilitation and Wildlife Care Intern

Background

WINC is a non-profit organization established in 1994 that rehabilitates injured, sick, and orphaned native Wisconsin wildlife with the goal of releasing them back to the wild. Located in Southeastern Wisconsin, we admit over 3000 animals (of approximately 140 species) annually. Before applying for this position, please visit our website www.helpingwildlife.org to become familiar with our organization and our mission.

Program Description:

The internship at Wildlife in Need Center provides hands-on training in basic wildlife rehabilitation skills. Interns in this program will work under the supervision of professional wildlife rehabilitators and trained wildlife caregivers. Skills learned will include most aspects of the rehabilitation and daily care of sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife as well as native wild species identification and safe handling techniques. Interns will work in all areas, including wildlife nurseries, assisting with care of wild orphans. 

WINC is one of only two organizations in North America, and the only one in the United States, with an internship accredited through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) Practicum Program. Interns may have the option to enroll in this program before their start date and will receive an IWRC Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of their internship.  

Intern responsibilities and expectations are likely to include, but are not limited to:

• Learning basic species identification and natural histories of Wisconsin native wildlife
• Wildlife Nutrition
• Preparing food and monitoring diets
• Natural history of our common species and habitat setup
• Cleaning and maintaining caging/enclosures for a wide variety of species of wild mammals, birds, and reptiles
• Becoming proficient with safe handling and restraint of wild animals during treatments and care
• Record keeping, maintaining accurate and thorough patient charts
• Proper disinfection with respect to wildlife health and disease transmission
• General support tasks- laundry, dishes, grounds, and basic facility maintenance
• Assisting staff with treatments
• Learning how to look for and recognize signs of illness in birds, mammals, and reptiles
• Assist with initial patient exams and medical treatments under staff supervision
• Feeding and providing full care for orphaned wild babies

o Working in our mammal, raccoon and avian nurseries

o Assisting with our turtle hatching program, maintaining the incubating eggs and caring for the hatchlings

• Learn about the care and treatment of injured and orphaned wildlife
• Learn anatomy and physiology of different species 

Qualifications/Requirements:

All applicants must be self-motivated individuals with a sincere interest in working with wildlife and the ability to enthusiastically work long hours. Attention to detail, punctuality, initiative, and a strong desire to learn are required.

• Interested in, or entering the field of wildlife rehabilitation, animal welfare, conservation, ecology, biology, zoology, pre-vet, natural resources, animal behavior, environmental studies, etc.
• Reliable and punctual
• A motivated self-starter who is mature, responsible, and dependable
• A detail-oriented individual, able to quickly adapt to new and fast-paced situations
• Intern will possess a strong personal work ethic and a high level of integrity
• A strong team player (interns will work closely with volunteers and staff)
• Must be able to handle a demanding workload and work well under pressure
• Good communication skills and interpersonal skills
• Must be in good physical condition (able to lift 30-50lbs) and work long hours on your feet.
• Previous experience in wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife management, or animal care is beneficial but not required
• Tetanus vaccine is required
• Rabies pre-exposure vaccine is an asset, but not required 

Commitment:

Participants in our full-time internship program will be scheduled 4 (10 hour) days per week for a minimum of 12 weeks. Participants in our part-time internship program will be scheduled 2-3 (10 hour) days per week for a minimum of 12 weeks. Fall and winter interns must be available September through November working 20-30 hours/week. Spring interns must be available mid-March through mid-June, working 16-40 hours/week. Summer interns work 20-40 hours/week and must be available for session dates:

Spring Session – March 15th – June 6th, 2026

Summer Session 1 – May 10th – Aug 1st, 2026

Summer Session 2 – May 17th – August 8th, 2026

Summer Session 3 – June 7th – August 29th, 2026

Fall Session – August 16th – November 7th, 2026

Application submissions for all sessions start January 1st. Applications will be reviewed and filled in the order we receive them. All interns will work some nights, weekends, and holidays. Volunteer opportunities are available all year.

All positions are voluntary; no stipend or salary is offered. Housing and transportation are not provided. Please note that WINC is not accessible by public transit; reliable transportation is necessary.  

Applicants must send a cover letter, resume, and two written work references to our Director of Animal Care