Unpaid Animal Care Internship - Primate Canyon

About the role#

The Primate Canyon internship provides college students and recent graduates with hands-on, pre-professional experience in animal husbandry. Interns work directly with animal care staff to support the daily management of species including gorillas, orangutans, bonobos, siamangs, gibbons, various monkey species, lemurs, and Asian small-clawed otters. This is an unpaid, on-site program designed to offer experiential learning in a zoo environment.

What you'll do#

• Assist staff with daily animal care tasks, including diet preparation, exhibit cleaning, disinfection, and maintenance.
• Participate in animal training, enrichment activities, and detailed record-keeping.
• Conduct active observations of animal behavior.
• Facilitate formal and informal public presentations to engage zoo guests.
• Assist with the production of special events, animal celebrations, and awareness days.
• Maintain animal and work areas in a clean and organized manner.
• Complete a special project focused on observations, research, or enrichment.

What you'll need#

• Current college student or recent graduate with an interest in biology, zoology, environmental science, education, interpretation, or zoo management.
• Completion of college coursework in biology, zoology, animal behavior, or related fields.
• Availability to work 24-40 hours per week for a 10-12 week term.
• Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions.
• Strong communication skills, the ability to follow directions, and the capacity to work well in a team.
• Enthusiasm and good judgment when interacting with guests of all ages.
• Must be 18 years or older.
• Proficiency in Office 365, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is beneficial.
• Successful completion of a background check and TB test is required.

Location & details#

• Location: Memphis, Tennessee.
• Terms available: Winter 2026, Summer 2026, and Fall 2026.
• Modality: On-site.
• Note: This is an unpaid internship.