Voluntary Animal Keeper Internship - Elephants

Overview

At Howletts Wild Animal Park, situated near Canterbury in Kent, we have an internship placement available on the Elephant Section. We are looking for a passionate, hardworking individual to work alongside our small team of enthusiastic and likeminded Elephant Keepers. Howletts works in conjunction with The Aspinall Foundation; a charity committed to the conservation of rare and endangered animals through breeding and reintroduction programmes.

Howletts is home to the largest herd of African Elephants in the UK. We are currently preparing our herd to return to Africa with the intention of releasing them in a protected area in Kenya. This is a historic first in Elephant Conservation.

Responsibilities

This placement is an excellent opportunity for you to shadow our keepers and to learn all aspects of animal husbandry. They will provide comprehensive practical training and significant insight into a successful and responsible zoological collection, with the goal of promoting your future employability in a career in animal husbandry.

Requirements / Qualifications

• This placement is ideal for individuals already studying or have recently finished an animal related course and are looking to gain experience in the zoo industry. Previous experience with animal husbandry is beneficial, but not essential to the role.
• Candidates must be 18 or over, have a good level of fitness and be happy with heavy lifting, as this position is physically demanding. Applicants must be happy with working outdoors in all weather conditions and must be happy working at heights. The individual may be given the opportunity to operate vehicles, such as dumper trucks, therefore a clean manual driving license would be an advantage
• If you are the successful candidate, our aim is to get you job ready. We offer several training opportunities on section, and we can also help with developing your CVs and Cover Letters, as well as interview practise.
• We are looking for a commitment of 3 to 5 days a week, for 6 months for this voluntary internship.
• Candidates must be a minimum of 18 years old.
• We are looking for an individual to Start as soon as possible
• As we are a Registered Charity, funded entirely by visitor fees and donations, we regret we are unable to offer any wages or salary for the placement. We will provide uniform and discount at the parks food outlets for the days that you attend work. No other financial benefits are offered. Candidates will need to have the ability to financially support themselves for the entire length of the internship. Please be aware that unfortunately we are unable to offer accommodation.
• To apply, email your CV and covering letter, to Tyler Harvey: