Unpaid Animal Care Internship - Pachyderm (Fall 2026)

About the Memphis Zoo

Today, the Memphis Zoo serves as a crown jewel for the city and is one of Memphis’ highest attended attractions. The Zoo’s conservation programs circle the globe – from a wildlife hospital in Southeast Asia to local efforts to save the Louisiana pine snake. Our vision is to preserve wildlife through education, conservation and research. Our Team and Volunteers are dedicated to providing a naturalistic and enriching sanctuary for our animals, and a friendly, entertaining and educational experience for our guests. Together, we are building one of the world’s great zoos.

Animal Care Internship – Pachyderm

The Memphis Zoo has an exciting internship opportunity with the Pachyderm team. Interns will work directly with keepers to gain experience on a wide variety of elephant husbandry and learn the intricacies of caring for captive elephants through enrichment, training, medical procedures, foot work, diet preparation, cleaning, exhibit maintenance, footage review and record keeping. The ideal candidate for this position should be seeking a career in the animal care field. 

Species: The Pachyderm team cares for five geriatric African elephants. Though the internship is predominately with elephants, interns will also have the opportunity to work with Southern White Rhinos, Grant’s Zebra and Scimitar-Horned Oryx.

This internship is unpaid but housing may be available seasonally. The program spans 10-12 weeks and participants will be scheduled up to 40hrs per week. Internship start dates are flexible. Typically, there is only one intern per season.

Intern duties will vary upon season and departmental needs, but could include:

• Assisting in the facilitation of formal and informal public presentations to engage guests and provide a positive guest experience.
• Actively observing animals’ behavior, checking for any signs of illness or disorder; reports irregularities and abnormal behavior to Keepers and Managers.
• Preparing daily diets and maintains accurate records of assigned animals.
• Appropriately cleaning and disinfecting assigned animal enclosures/habitats according to written protocols and ensures a sanitary and safe environment.
• Completing a special project covering observations, research, enrichment or another area of interest deemed appropriate by intern coordinator/managers. 

Qualifications:

• Must be a dependable, hard-working college student or recent graduate with an interest in the fields of Zoology, Biology, or Science related field.
• Must have completed their 1st year at an accredited college or university.
• Must be able to work up to 40 hours per week for 10-12 weeks.
• Must demonstrate enthusiasm and good judgement while working with children and zoo guests.
• Must demonstrate excellent communication skills and the ability to follow directions.
• Must be highly motivated, organized, and enjoy working in a team environment. 

Beneficial Skills:

• Proficiency in Office 365, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

Work Environment: While performing the duties of the job, the intern will frequently work in outdoor settings (Zoo grounds). When outdoors this position is required to work in various weather conditions including rain, humidity, and extreme heat or cold.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

This position requires frequent sitting/standing/walking/bending/kneeling and may occasionally move or lift objects up to 50 pounds.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Other Requirements:

• 18 years or older.
• Clear background check.
• Clear TB screening.

EEOC and Inclusion Statement: 

The Memphis Zoo believes that human diversity is as important as the biodiversity we seek to conserve. World-class zoos are comprised of world-class team members representing a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We value a diverse workplace and strongly encourage people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, and veterans to apply. 

The Memphis Zoo is an equal-opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition, or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws. If you need to request any accommodations for the interview or hiring process, please let the Human Resources team (HR) know. HR can be contacted at [email protected]. 

The Memphis Zoo participates in E-Verify and is an EEO/ADA/Veteran employer.

All offers of internship are contingent upon the successful completion of pre-internship screening. Memphis Zoo is a drug-free workplace.

How to Apply:

Applications should be submitted via the Memphis Zoo Internships page. Please note that any other application submissions will not be considered.