The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Inc.
The Maritime Aquarium inspires people of all ages to appreciate and protect the Long Island Sound ecosystem and the global environment through living exhibits, marine science, and environmental education.
Mammal Internship
The Maritime Aquarium mammal collection includes harbor seals, North American river otters and slender-tailed meerkats. Training is an important part of daily animal care; allowing us to mentally and physically stimulate our animals on a daily basis. We train our animals for medical management behaviors such as blood draws, weights, and ultrasounds. We also train behaviors to physically stimulate our animals such as spins, jumps and waves. This internship is designed to be a career learning experience and is suited for candidates that are new to the field of marine mammal training. During your internship, you will learn how to prepare diets, maintain exhibits, provide enrichment and mental stimulation, keep behavioral records, and give public presentations to educate our visitors about marine mammals and environmental conservation. You will also learn how trainers use principles such as positive reinforcement and shaping to train these animals. Internships are custom designed to each individual's skill level.
Applicants must be dependable, have excellent English written and oral communication skills, be comfortable bending and walking on uneven and wet terrain, and be able to maneuver 50 lbs. Interns should be available to work a minimum of 3 days per week for 12 weeks. The successful candidate shall be flexible with holidays and weekends. This internship is open to college students majoring in psychology, biology, marine biology or another related field and must have completed a minimum of 3 semesters. Priority will be given to students completing an internship for academic credit and who have some hands-on animal experience, such as volunteering at an animal shelter or completing internships at other facilities. Although this internship does not involve feeding or training the animals, interns play an integral role assisting staff during training sessions and presentations, and work in close proximity to the animals.
How to Apply
All interested applicants, please email your resume and a cover letter to JDauterman@maritimeaquarium.org In your cover letter, please include the following: your past animal experience, which internship track you are most interested in, and which internship term would you like to be considered for. Qualified candidates may be asked as part of the interview process to shadow a marine mammal staff member and the intern coordinator, which will include giving a two-minute natural history talk on an animal of their choice that is on exhibit at The Maritime Aquarium. Applications for the spring and fall terms have rolling admission. Application deadline for the summer term (May through August) is March 15.
The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Inc.
10 North Water Street
South Norwalk, CT 06854
Phone: 203-852-0700
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