Reflections of an Animal Care Intern

Ever wonder what it would be like to be an Animal Care Intern? Discovery Corp member, Kayla has had that very opportunity for the past 9 months. Below are Kayla's impressions of working on the Animal Care team.





I initially applied for the Animal Care internship to extend my knowledge and experience of the tide pool. But after I began doing all the tasks, I realized that exotic zoology would be a better fit for me. So even though I learned a ton about the tide pool, I actually ended up finding a field that I am even more passionate about!

I believe that the one thing I learned that will be most helpful in future school or career situations was independence. When I first joined the animal care team, I did not really know how to create my own schedule and do things without being told. But throughout the time I had with my internship, I learned how to plan my own day and be my own boss, even when I had superiors around me. The independence I gained with Animal Care will follow me with whatever I choose to do in life.



I do not think that there was much I was unable to do during my internship because I believe I took full advantage of every aspect of it. I learned about snake handling, feeding all the animals and improved my interpreting skills by learning tons of new information on such great animals! But I do have to admit, the one thing I would have loved to do before my internship was over is tide pooling. It looks like such a great experience to go out and actually see our tide pool animals in the wild.


Of all the animals I dealt with during my internship, the axolotls made me the most uncomfortable. In the very beginning of the internship they actually terrified me. I am not quite sure why, but the thought of putting my whole arm in a tank of axolotls horrified me. But I soon overcame my fear of them and finally began feeding them myself! I actually am quite fond of them now, and hope to own a couple in the future!



During the internship my favorite place to interpret was, without a doubt, the naked mole-rats. Everything about them fascinates me, from the different roles of the colony, to how they raise their young. Some days I would find myself interpreting there for hours. And on many occasions I found myself talking and researching about them when I was not even at work. Someday I actually hope to go to Africa and study them up close in their natural habitat.

I think the most important thing to share about my internship was that it was truly a life-changing experience. It helped me improve on tons of great skills and guided me to a career path that I am passionate about. I will carry the experiences I have had from this internship for the rest of my life. I hope that the next person takes full advantage of every opportunity given with their time in Animal Care, because I am truly grateful that I did.

We are grateful to Kayla for her enthusiastic and inspiring service in our program. The Life Sciences program has surely benefitted as much as she has from her time working in it. We wish Kayla every success in her future undertakings, and expect to hear great things from her.