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For nearly 50 years, the Chicago Zoological Society’s acclaimed

college internship program has provided experiential learning

opportunities to young people seeking to understand, develop,
and establish careers in the fields of zoology and conservation.

ince he was 6 years old, Jacob Johnson wanted to be a
Szookeeper. Johnson, who grew up in Frankfort, Illinois,
often visited Brookfield Zoo with his family. During
each visit, his parents bought him miniature plastic zoo
animals, which he added to his pretend zoo at home.
After graduating from Ohio’s Miami University in
2018 with a bachelor’s degree in zoology, Johnson landed
a zookeeper—now animal care specialist—internship
at Brookfield Zoo’s Tropic World. “I remember walking
through the building and I was completely floored!”
he said. Johnson worked with gorillas, South American
monkeys, anteaters, orangutans, and pangolins.
“The internship was such an incredible experience—
working alongside the professionals and soaking up
knowledge. And you build a base-level relationship with
the animals.” Johnson is now a full-time animal care
specialist at Tropic World: Asia and has a master’s degree
U W
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SO YOU WANT when I was a kid and why I wanted to get into this field.”
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in biology from Project Dragonfly’s Global Field
Program. “Talking to 4 and 5 graders in Zoo Camp
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and seeing the excitement in their eyes reminds me of
Since 1975, the Chicago Zoological Society’s college
internship program has given thousands of students
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opportunities to learn about and develop the knowledge
and skills to manage and care for zoo animals. It was
one of the country’s first zoological internship programs
SLOTHS?
S L OT H S ? including research, veterinary technician, education,
and evolved to include internships in other areas,
and environmental quality.
Internship opportunities vary from term to term
based on department needs, said Cory Wilcox, assistant
manager of High School & College Internships. Interns
are not paid; however, individuals who impress their
mentor —like Johnson and others mentioned in this
article—may later be hired in a paid position. “We can
never guarantee a job at the end,” said Wilcox. “But
it’s way more probable that you will land at least a
seasonal position.”
Jacob Johnson interacts with a sloth in Tropic World: South America.
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