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INTERNSHIP PROGRAM CONTINUED

Animal Care Specialist
A n i m a l C a r e S p e c i a l i s t
The majority of the Zoo’s opportunities, or about 80 percent,
are animal care specialist internships. Each intern is paired
with a mentor, who is an experienced, full-time animal care
specialist. In the summer of 2018, Austin Vucsko was an
intern in the Carnivores department and worked with a team
at Desert’s Edge and Clouded Leopard Rain Forest. Vucsko was
a rising senior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
majoring in animal sciences with a minor in integrative biology.
“I helped care for the animals as if I was a keeper myself,
but under supervision,” he said. “What I did varied a lot.
One day I’d be caring for clouded leopards, bat-eared foxes,
and caracals. The next day I’d be working with meerkats, Austin Vucsko, who interned with the Zoo's Carnivores department,
porcupines, and mole rats. Each species required different care.” now works as an animal care specialist with the Australia-Kopje team.
Like other animal care specialist interns, Vucsko spent the
majority of his time feeding animals and cleaning behind-the- Getting to know the animals was the best part of the job.
scenes areas and habitats. “The diet of each animal is wildly “All of the animals have so much personality,” said Vucsko.
different depending on its species, how its digestive system “The clouded leopard surprised me. They are usually secretive,
works, and what it is built to process,” he said. but it really enjoyed keeper attention and was very playful and
interactive.” However, interns are not exposed to
potentially dangerous situations. “There was always
protected contact—some barrier between keeper
and cat,” said Vucsko.
Interns observe animal care specialists training
animals, working with veterinarians, and collecting
information for researchers. Naya Blackwell graduat-
ed from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with
a bachelor’s degree in zoology. She was an intern in
Animal Ambassadors, Hamill Family Play Zoo, and
Hamill Family Wild Encounters in spring 2022.
Although interns in her area did not train animals,
Blackwell enjoyed watching her mentor train reindeer,
lemurs, and other animals. “A lot of the training is for
the animal’s benefit,” she said. Many are trained in
health-related behaviors, such as climbing on a scale
or presenting a body part for examination. “I always
thought animals were smart, but they’re a lot smarter
than most people think.”
An intern project is often required. Vucsko studied
the effects of environmental humidity and tempera-
ture on pangolin eating behavior. Johnson observed
giant anteaters to identify their preferences for
enrichment items—stimulating devices that draw
Naya Blackwell was an intern at Hamill Family Wild Encounters
and Hamill Family Play Zoo. natural behaviors out of animals.
Animal care specialist internships require a full‑time
commitment for 10 to 12 weeks. They are offered
three times a year: winter (January to April), summer
(May to August), and fall (September to December).
20 GATEWAYS | LEARNING TO WORK WITH WILDLIFE