Job Title: Wildlife Care Center Internship (6 positions to fill)

Department: Wildlife Care Center

Reports to: Wildlife Care Center Manager

Supervises: None

Schedule: Part-time, 20 hours per week

Internship Dates: Seasonal Term April 1st, 2025- September 30th, 2025

Salary range: $300 Stipend per week

Benefits Include:

• Ability to attend free or subsidized courses at Bird Alliance of Oregon
• Substantial discount at our Nature Store, including optics
• Opportunity to work in one of the most beautiful forests in Oregon

About Bird Alliance of Oregon

Bird Alliance of Oregon has been a leading voice in conservation for over a century. Through conservation advocacy, environmental education, and wildlife rehabilitation, we promote the understanding, enjoyment, and protection of native birds, other wildlife and their habitats. We are located in a 172-acre wildlife sanctuary in Forest Park, just minutes from downtown Portland. With over 15,000 members and 450 regular volunteers, we are the largest independent chapter of the National Audubon Society in the United States. Additional background regarding our extensive education, advocacy, wildlife rehabilitation, and habitat programs can be found at https://birdallianceoregon.org/.

Bird Alliance of Oregon’s Wildlife Care Center is the largest and busiest rehabilitation facility in the region, treating from 4,000-6,000 injured and orphaned native wild animals each year and is home to a small collection of non-releasable educational animals. Through education and advocacy, the Wildlife Care Center serves as a resource to help our community live more harmoniously with wildlife. The center is operated by 6 year-round staff plus seasonal staff, interns, and approximately 200 volunteers.

A core priority is to infuse equity, inclusion, and diversity (EID) into all of the goals and work of the organization. We recognize that in order to serve diverse communities we must also have diversity represented in our staff. Applicants of color, immigrants, and other underserved persons are encouraged to apply.

Job Summary

Wildlife Care Center Interns will have the opportunity to learn and experience the roles and responsibilities of Care Center staff by observing and assisting with a wide variety of daily operations, including treatment care of injured and recovering wildlife, public outreach, record keeping and facility maintenance. During the spring and summer season, interns will participate in two focus areas: avian husbandry (caring for & cleaning up after baby birds of many species) and wildlife coexistence outreach (providing education on wildlife topics through a variety of media and tending to the needs of callers, visitors, and community members). Interns at the Bird Alliance of Oregon Wildlife Care Center are provided both guided and self-paced training, as well as hands-on experience, and can expect to develop understanding of the wildlife rehabilitation process and practice related skills. 

Training Areas include:

• Urban wildlife stewardship & advocacy
• Wildlife worker health and safety
• Basic animal handling
• Managing stress in captive wild animals
• Captive wild animal husbandry
• Administration of medications & fluids
• Medical and animal care recordkeeping
• Natural history of Pacific Northwest species

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum age of 18
• Current tetanus vaccination, full COVID vaccination series & bivalent booster
• Ability to commit to full internship period, and reliably attend assigned shifts
• Team-oriented; well-developed communication & interpersonal skills
• Able to learn and follow complex procedures accurately
• Basic computer literacy; ability to learn our medical recordkeeping system
• Calm & efficient approach to working in busy, high-intensity situations
• Respect for and commitment to preserving the wildness of our patients

Working Conditions:

The ability to perform tasks in conditions as described below is essential to successfully perform the functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the necessary functions.

• Occasional flexibility of schedule
• Work is performed both inside and outside in all weather
• Work requires standing and walking for long periods of time, carrying & lifting up to 25 lbs, crouching, kneeling, bending, and pulling
• Work involves significant fine motor control and repetitive hand motions

Wildlife rehabilitation involves exposure to injured and dying animals, and the humane euthanasia of suffering animals is a necessary component of the work. Interns are not expected to make euthanasia decisions or perform euthanasia, but will be exposed to these things in the course of their work.

Bird Alliance of Oregon does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, marital status, national origin, political affiliation or mental or physical handicap. Candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply.  Bird Alliance of Oregon is committed to building a diverse and inclusive environment, reflecting the diversity of our community in its board, staff, volunteers, and members; ensuring its internal culture, business practices, and programs are welcoming and advancing its diversity goals; and empowering people to make positive changes in their community and environment. More background on our diversity efforts can be found at https://birdallianceoregon.org/about-us/