Closing date: 19th June 2025
Looking to gain experience in the zoo industry?
At Howletts Wild Animal Park, situated near Canterbury in Kent, we have a 3-6 month internship placement available on the Carnivore Section. We are looking for a passionate, hardworking individual to work alongside our small team of enthusiastic and likeminded Carnivore 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 a wide range of species from Dwarf Mongoose and Bat-Eared Foxes to Dhole and African Lions. We also aim to contribute to the breeding programmes of species such as Fishing Cats Clouded leopards and Sumatran Tigers.
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 zoological collection, with the goal of promoting your future employability in a career in animal husbandry.
During this placement you will have the opportunity to partake in daily husbandry routines (feed prep, cleaning, feeding and enrichment) alongside other practical elements such as, but not exclusive to, enclosure maintenance, gardening, animal introductions and veterinary care.
The position is physically demanding, so a good level of physical fitness is required. You will need to be happy to work at height as well as being comfortable with heavy lifting. The individual will also need to be comfortable with the butchery of small and large animals for feeding out to the carnivores. A clean manual driving licence would also be an advantage.
Candidates must be 18 or over and we are looking for an initial commitment of 3 days (ideally Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) with the possibility to increase to 5 days. We are looking for someone to start from 14th July 2025 onwards.
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, specifying the department you would like to work with to Simon Griggs: Volunteer@howlettsandportlympne.com
