“I talked with him a lot before I ever started to work with him physically,” she said once again referring to him in a human-like manner. Sarah fondly remembers petting him, talking to him and bathing him.
Although Bandit proved harmless, Sarah met with other animals that weren’t as fond of human interaction.
“Being in the barn area, working with the sheep, it’s probably the most memorable because the sheep tend to head-butt you when they want grain,” she said. “So, they’ll actually start climbing up your legs and the other one will head-butt you from the side.”
You don’t have to be an aspiring zoologist to intern at the zoo. Sarah is an education and jazz performance major. The zoo education internship provides a place for almost any area of study.
“We look for theater and performing arts majors because a lot of what we look for in interns is an interpretation,” says Nemet. “We want people to learn how to teach by using things other than just standing there.”
Interns learn from animals how to teach and be expressive so that they can be effective instructors, performers and zookeepers. They are constantly inventing programs that will fascinate children by appealing to their imagination, sense of humor and appetite for knowledge.
Joe Ropelewski, a junior biology major at Baldwin-Wallace College, says he has learned a lot about making education fun through his internship at the zoo. He likens the zoo to a theme park and his job is to develop and perform animal sideshows.
“I made up ‘Nest Fest’ and the kids made their own nests,” he says. In his shows, Joe makes sure he involves the children by asking them questions and incorporating visuals. “I’ve learned a ton…how to interact, provoke and entertain.”
Many of the educational shows take place in a room that is host to a myriad of objects on the wall. It is used for distance learning. On one wall there are fans from Asia, African masks, maps and flags from all over the world. There is also a stage against the back wall of the room facing a television set. Additionally, there is a long table covered with a giraffe tablecloth.
Jim begins to point to some of the items on the wall and says, “A good teacher, in our mind, could rip anything off this wall and talk and teach about it.”
Within that room, the demonstrations are held in person, via telephone and television. The zoo has connected with schools all across the country and other places throughout the world with this technology to assist in the instruction about animals. Jim says that they have connected with countries such as Costa Rica, Uganda and Venezuela. The programs conducted in that room are usually bird-training programs that people can watch on video.
The interns who conduct programs in distance learning as well as in the Australian Adventure are trained to be knowledgeable about the animals’ history, habits and lifestyles.
They also learn how to handle certain animals such as birds, goats, sheep and snakes. Even with the regular training and experience of handling the animals, sometimes the creatures can be unpredictable, especially the birds, since it is easy for them to fly off whenever they choose.
Animals are not very trusting of humans that they do not know very well, says Jim. They can become so afraid that they will either retaliate with violence or escape from their handler. More often than not, the animals usually opt for the latter.
“I would rather have the bird fly off their hand than bite them,” Jim says. “So, if the bird’s choice is, ‘I’m gonna go here’ or ‘I’m gonna attack you’ and they go here, that’s good for me.”
According to Jim, there are more than 200 people searching for animal care internships and about 100 looking for education internships each year. Because of this, not many interns are given the chance to return and almost none become full-time employees. He says that when people do secure a job at the Cleveland Zoo, they usually stay so there often aren’t many openings. Hiring new interns each year gives other people the opportunity to work at the zoo. These people must be enthusiastic, gregarious and friendly.
Bridget Tanger is one of these people.
A recent graduate from Cleveland State University, Bridget began her internship during the last week of March. She decided to intern at the zoo so that she can use her degree in early childhood education to help make others aware of the environment. At one of her stations, she teaches children about the differences between animal species.
“There are three eggs from three flightless birds and pelts from animals that died of natural causes,” she says. “The kids can learn the different textures of different animals.”
Although she hasn’t worked at the zoo for long, she says she has already learned a great deal.
“I love the people I work with,” says Bridget. “Everyone is so unique and we offer different things. We learn from each other. It’s a really good work environment.”
On the other hand, Sarah has been fortunate and has been able to maintain her internship at the zoo for several years. She says that she has learned a lot, will always treasure her time at the zoo, and will take her experiences with her. Sarah encourages other students to consider such an internship and to take an interest in the environment.
“Being here has definitely given me much more of an appreciation for nature and life,” she says, pledging to bring her appreciation to her classroom. “And I will definitely be saying, ‘OK, we’re not gonna dissect frogs in my school.’”
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