I have just finished my 3 month internship at Chester Zoo and so, instead of telling you what I got up to (I'm not allowed to say much about it online anyway), I thought I would review how I felt the whole thing went so that if you want to complete an internship there you can read my pros and cons to help you decide whether it is right for you.
Firstly lets do the Pros:
1. Getting the opportunity to work up close with rare animals- Working in the Rhino team meant that I had the opportunity to work with, occasionally touch and see rare black and greater one horned Rhinos every day which was brilliant. Along with the Rhinos I also got up close with the amazing tapirs and capybara's which was pretty cool. I will never forget my first day, when in with the Bongos, two of them came up to me asking to have a scratch behind the ears. It is those type of experiences that really stay with you.
2.
You get to learn about how zoos work- Getting to work in a big and complex organisation, I got to see just how much politics and relationships effected every decision made and, although I expect this is the same in all big companies, it was a real education into the world of work. Knowing the ins and outs of the zoo now, I feel like I can appreciate all of the complex jobs the staff have and how every team member has a responsibility and without them the zoo wouldn't function to such a high level.
3.
Rare experiences- I was privileged that I was present for the birth of a Black Rhino calf, Fara. Sadly she only survived a month, it was found that she had suffered from a heart defect and no one could have done anything more, but, having the opportunity to work with such a special and rare animal made the days seem worth while and she definitely added a whole different element to my experience at the zoo. Obviously an experience like that doesn't happen for every internship, but, there is still likely to be something incredible take place during your time.
4.
The team- The work is tough and physical, particularly in winter and the fact that I got on really well with most of the Rhino team made it easier to get through the long, hard days. Who you work with affects everything you do when you are part of a close team, so you have to work hard at those relationships.
1.
Poo- I expected to be shovelling lots of poo, but boy was it ALOT! Some people may not think of this as such a bad thing and when you had contact with the animals it certainly made up for it, but there were days where no real animal contact happened. For keepers this isn't the same as they will have contact every day, but for interns, it can sometimes feel like a hard slog when all you see is the animals poo and not really the animal. The rhino team did have a lot of poo, only slightly less then the elephants but instead of a little tractor, we had to use a good old wheelbarrow, on the plus side, my muscles improved no end.
2.
Work Pattern- Obviously at a Zoo everyone can't just have the weekend off and so at Chester Zoo you have to work every other weekend with a day off either side of the weekend you work. Some people may like this pattern but for me I found it quite tough. Having only one day at a time every other week meant that when you had something to do, your day off was used up and you never really got any down time. Some people don't feel like they need it but for me, I realised that a two day weekend is important to allow me to get things done and unwind as well!
3.
Interning- I think this is just a general intern thing, but I really noticed it after returning from South Africa, because out there if I didn't go and and collect data, then no one else would. What I was doing mattered and I was needed in order for the project and data collection to happen. At the zoo though, you are just an extra body, especially in the week (the weekends there is half the number of staff), and so you spend a lot of time asking if they need help with something. Feeling like you're not essential is hard, because you wonder what you're adding. Everyone wants to feel like they make a difference but interning often means you are just an extra on the side, there to lend a hand if required but nothing more because they can't or won't trust you with important tasks. You really have to try and learn and take away as much as you can for yourself, because your experience is what you make it.
Overall I felt like I got exactly what I wanted out of my experience, I learnt a lot from the team I worked with about species that I really knew nothing about. If you want to be a zoo keeper it really will show you what the job entails. Completing a year internship is the perfect entry into a keeping job with many year interns going off to find work as keepers elsewhere.
Working for free is obviously not ideal and once you leave the zoo you sadly aren't given any passes to be able to go back and visit, which is a shame, but then employment in the Zoology field is tough and so this is not necessarily unusual.
If you have any questions feel free to get in touch and happy placementing
Love
