The Cape Wildlife Center
The Cape Wildlife Center, a facility of The Humane Society of the United States in parternship with the Fund for Animals, is located on a 4.5 acre campus – a former horse farm - in the Cape Cod village of Barnstable, Massachusetts.
The Cape Wildlife Center features:
- A veterinary clinic for examination, surgery and treatment
- A digital X-ray system
- A newly-renovated two-story indoor animal ward
- A complete commissary for preparing animal diets
- Outdoor holding pens and flight pens for acclimation prior to release
- A separate on-site living area (dormitory style) for interns and externs that includes 2 bedrooms which accommodate 4 people each, with 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and living room. A washer and dryer are available.
Professional Training Programs at a Glance[]
Internship[]
The primary emphasis of the internship program is to train undergraduate and graduate students of biology, zoology, ecology, conservation or veterinary medicine (1st to 3rd year) in the essentials of wildlife handling, recovery, rehabilitation, and release back to the wild. The term Intern is used in the context of that used in industry and private enterprise. Programs last a fixed 8 weeks in the period between April 1 and September 15. They can be flexible in length the rest of the year depending on availability.
Externship[]
The primary emphasis of the extern program is to train senior veterinary students and veterinary technician students in the current techniques of conservation and wildlife medicine. The term extern is used as defined by the AAZV (www.aazv.org ). Programs typically run for 4 weeks but can be of flexible length depending on availability.
Potential Daily Tasks[]
The following is a list of primary activities that interns may have the chance to participate in:[]
- Appropriate handling and restraint of certain species:
Such species may include:
- Raccoons, skunks, rabbits and / or opossums
- Songbirds
- Shorebirds, waterfowl and / or wading birds
- Seabirds (sea ducks, gulls, pelagic species, etc)
- Raptors
- Turtles
- Observing the physical exam of admitted patients
- Rehabilitation and care - husbandry of infant and young mammals and birds
- Rehabilitation and care - husbandry of adult mammals, birds, and reptiles
- Prerelease conditioning of wildlife patients and raised young
- Determining nutritional requirements for admitted patients (kcal requirements)
The following is a list of secondary activities that given time and proper training interns may have the chance to observe or be involved in:
- Medical care of admitted wildlife – mammals, birds and reptiles
- Determining fluid requirement for admitted patients
- Determining drug dosages
- Venipuncture
- In-house laboratory work (CBC’s, fecals and profiles)
- Wildlife digital radiography
The following is a list of primary activities that externs may have the chance to participate in:[]
- Appropriate handling and restraint of certain species:
Such species may include:
- Raccoons, skunks, rabbits and / or opossums
- Songbirds
- Shorebirds, waterfowl and / or wading birds
- Seabirds (sea ducks, gulls, pelagic species, etc)
- Raptors
- Turtles
- Basic physical exam of admitted patients
- Medical care of admitted wildlife – mammals, birds and reptiles
- Determining health status
- Developing treatment plan
- Determining fluid requirement
- Determining drug dosages
- Determining nutritional requirements for admitted patients (kcal requirements)
- Instituting treatment plan
- Venipuncture
- In-house laboratory work (CBC’s, fecals and profiles)
- Wildlife digital radiography
- Rehabilitation and care - husbandry of adult & juvenile mammals, birds, reptiles
- Prerelease conditioning of wildlife patients and orphans
All interns and externs are required to participate in daily cleaning, feeding, diet preparation and laundry tasks. In addition it is expected that those living at the Center during their programs will participate in keeping the house clean and neat at all times.
Interns and externs receive 2 days off per week scheduled at the discretion of the Staff.
Those seeking academic credit are requested to include appropriate school documentation during their application process. In addition, if there are evaluation forms that need to be filled out after the internship or externship is completed. Those forms must be given to the veterinary director one week prior to the last day of the program.
It is mandatory that anyone handling rabies vector species receive rabies prophylaxis vaccinations. For those interns and externs wanting to work with rabies vector species, proof of vaccination and current titers are required prior to the start of the program. Each applicant must have his or her own medical insurance coverage either personally or through their home institution.
All interns and externs for whom English is a second language are required to supply proof of English competence and comprehension.
Housing[]
There is limited on site housing available. The bedrooms are set up dormitory style with 1 to 4 students per room. There will be a $50 ($25 for key deposit, $25 for clean linens) refundable cash deposit required upon arrival. This deposit will be refunded upon return of the key, the return of clean linens and following a room inspection at the end of the stay.
Kitchen and Laundry[]
Interns and externs have access to a kitchen with cooking utensils, stove, microwave, and coffee maker but must supply their own food. There is also a separate washer and dryer available to students but they must provide their own detergent.
Transportation[]
Interns and externs are required to make their own travel arrangements to and from the Center. During your stay, you should plan to provide your own transportation or rely upon other students for rides. Public transportation is available, but limited, and is most useful for sightseeing rather than grocery shopping. Hyannis is within biking distance.
Cape Cod[]
Cape Cod is an area of Massachusetts that includes beaches, salt marshes, sand dunes, woodlands and lovely ocean-side towns. Barnstable is a rural ocean community, quiet during the off season (late fall through early spring) and bustling with activity during the rest of the year. There is much to do on the Cape from shopping in charming crafts and artisans’ shops to going on whale watches off the coast. While students spend the majority of their time at the Center we do make sure that each student has time off to enjoy the Cape and all it has to offer.
We will make every effort to make your program an experience of learning and enhancement, to expose you to new concepts and ideas and encourage you to share your knowledge with us and with the other students.
Remuneration[]
Our internships and externships are unpaid. The opportunities we provide to gain experience in this field are significant. The internship and externship period will be a challenging and memorable experience. Please express your interest and availability clearly during your application process. All applicants will need to have a background check through the Humane Society of the US before being accepted into a program. We thank you, in advance, for your commitment and interest.
Contact[]
Website: http://www.fundforanimals.org/cape/about/
4011 Main St. (Route 6A), Barnstable, MA 02630
Phone: (508) 362-0111 Fax: (508) 362-0268
Contact: raguilar@humanesociety.org