Internship Experience Through the Wild Encounters Program of the Cincinnati Zoo

In the summer of 2015, I participated in an internship in the Wild Encounters department at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens. The internship required an extensive amount of training in proper animal handling, husbandry, and interpretation. This training allowed me the opportunity to work with a wide diversity of wildlife including several endangered species. The internship gave me access to a wide range of biodiversity including invertebrates such as the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach, and smaller vertebrates, such as Sand Boas and Spiny Tailed Lizards. In addition, I spent time interacting and educating the public on larger species of wildlife, such as the Greater Flamingo, Maasi Giraffes and the endangered Sumatran Rhino. Throughout the summer, I attended lectures that covered zoo related topics on anything from sustainability to elephant foot care to animal behavior. At the end of the internship, I spent weeks researching and observing the behavior of the Andean Bear. I compiled my findings and personal observations of Cincinnati’s Andean Bear into a five-minute interpreter program that will be used by future interns in the Wild Encounters department.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/1719/thumbnail.jp