{"id":10039,"date":"2023-04-11T17:17:04","date_gmt":"2023-04-11T22:17:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/safariwest.wpengine.com\/?page_id=10039"},"modified":"2025-07-14T10:26:06","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T15:26:06","slug":"internships","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/safariwest.com\/research-education-conservation\/research-and-internships\/internships\/","title":{"rendered":"Internships"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mission of Safari West is to actively promote conservation, environmental education, and share knowledge that will help each individual make personal choices in regards to the environment and conservation efforts. Our research and internship opportunities are one of the ways we make this possible; we are able to advance interest and knowledge in wildlife and assist in creating advocates for the environment. Safari West is able to provide a competitive, convenient and educational cost effective experience that allows students and academic institutions to gain valuable skills and knowledge in a variety of fields. We are happy to be able to open our doors to qualified and passionate students trying to gain the necessary skills for a career in wildlife. To share and celebrate our advancement in the knowledge we will be holding an annual fall research and internship symposium for our devoted students to share their learnings with the staff and public.<\/p>\n

Observational Research<\/h2>\n

Safari West is a 400-acre wildlife preserve housing over 1000 animals. Many of our animals are housed in large, mixed species exhibits allowing us to have a unique and naturalistic facility. Our staff is always looking for opportunities to better understand our residents, enrich their lives and provide progressive animal welfare. We cherish the drive and curiosity of student researchers to aid in our comprehension of these complex animals. Such research has offered insight into social patterns, health, reproductive behavior and exhibit structure. The projects that take place on our property are student driven but require the oversight and involvement of a departmental advisor. Through a collaboration with universities and our animal staff, we are able to come up with innovative research questions to explore. We also always welcome new project proposals that are applicable to the species we house in our collection. Our staff is devoted to obtaining a solid grasp of all aspects that go into caring for exotic wildlife. Any undergraduate or graduate students, professors or university departments who are interested in research opportunities are encouraged to contact Erika Defer at edefer@safariwest.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Internships<\/h2>\n

Safari West offers a dynamic, educational and innovative internship for students. You will have the opportunity to work in a unique environment with a wide variety of species. Students can apply for any of our varied internship opportunities. We currently offer internships in animal husbandry, animal behavior, culinary, events, and marketing. Each internship opportunity has been specifically designed to provide the most enriching educational experience possible. Students interested in these opportunities are encouraged to review the outline and requirements for each program before they inquire.<\/p>\n

Internship Application Requirements:<\/h3>\n

Applicants must be 18 years of age. All internships are unpaid. At this time we are unable to offer housing accommodations, therefore housing and transportation are the cost and responsibility of the intern. The intern must have reliable means to get to Safari West consistently before committing.<\/p>\n

There are two internship periods available for the Animal Husbandry and Observational Animal Behavior internships: summer and winter. Events, Marketing, and Culinary internships are only offered during the summer. Completed internships are based on the fulfillment of designated hour and month requirements. The official start and end dates are flexible and will be determined by the applicants\u2019 schedule.<\/p>\n