To complete this application for an Intern position with Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, please have ready a cover letter, your resume, and information for three personal and/or professional references.

The application process will take between 20 and 30 minutes to complete.

Incomplete or dishonest applications will automatically be declined.

 

Important Information to Know

Submitting the Intern Application does not guarantee an intern position at Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary. All applicants are required to complete the same process, and eligible candidates will be selected for a virtual interview before an intern position is officially offered. Accepted applicants will be provided with several documents to review before the candidates officially commit to their indicated internship term.

 

Accepted Interns complete many physically-demanding tasks on a daily basis. Furthermore, due to the nature of caring for wild animals and working outside in the elements, Animal Care Team members face hazards and potential injury. 

Please read through the following common tasks to know what will be expected from you as an intern:

• Animal Care team members walk, on average, approximately 20,000 steps a day, and are expected to work 40 hours per week. This includes walking up rocky/hilly terrain while carrying buckets of water, moving dirt for USDA projects, and various other daily activities.
  
  
• Animal Care is completed every day regardless of the weather. Animal Care Team members perform regular daily tasks in rain, snow, below freezing temperatures, and the high, dry heat of summer.
  
  
• While preparing meals for the rescues, team members lift anywhere between 25 and 85 pounds of meat and other ingredients repeatedly and spend multiple hours bending, squatting, kneeling, twisting, and maneuvering donated meat items.
  
  
• The completion of enclosure maintenance to ensure USDA compliance is a must for all interns, and involves moving wheel barrows of dirt, trimming tree branches, cleaning and emptying splash tubs and ponds, filling in holes, etc. These activities take place on a weekly basis, especially during the summer months.

 

Please Note: Intern housing is on-site, outside of the sanctuary’s perimeter fence, due to our rural location. Living off-site is extremely difficult during seasons where weather fluctuations are unpredictable, and is not recommended. Even most staff live on-site! We predominantly offer shared housing in single bedrooms, though sometimes single housing units may be available. Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary understands that most people in the industry own pets themselves, but at this time we cannot accommodate pets within our shared housing unit.

Our housing is limited in quantity, and while you will end up with your own bedroom, spaces such as the kitchen, laundry, bathroom and living space are all communal with other interns. Those living in shared intern housing may be people of all races, genders, sexualities, religions, cultures, and backgrounds. If this is a problem for you, we recommend seeking opportunities elsewhere. 

Shared housing is a walkable distance from the sanctuary itself and includes three single bedrooms, one master bedroom with a full bathroom attached, and one additional full bathroom. All bedrooms have lockable doors. There is WiFi, electricity, running water, and heating/cooling systems, however, during storms and high wind/rain/snow seasons, it's common for electricity to flicker in and out, or WiFi to become unavailable. Because of this, we don’t recommend relying on our internet for online schooling, but it isn’t an impossible hurdle to overcome, just a potential inconvenience to keep in mind!

The Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary Team understands that Animal Care Intern applicants wish to work exclusively with our rescues. However, the majority of the work completed by all team members does not include direct contact with the animals. Only about 5% of the day is spent interacting directly with rescues while the remainder of the time is dedicated to completing tasks and projects that directly benefit them, including responsibilities in Wolf Kitchen, providing guided tours, providing enrichment to the animals, regular enclosure and grounds maintenance, and more.  

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary operates with the philosophy of "The Animals Come First." This means that all decisions, actions, and tasks are determined and carried out with this in mind. As such, please note that animal interaction is a privilege and not a right and is granted to volunteers/interns only after extensive training. Interacting with animals without express permission will result in immediate dismissal.

By providing my electronic signature below, I certify that all of my answers are true and complete to the best of my knowledge, and I understand that a full background check will be performed. If any answers are discovered to be false, I understand that my application to become an Intern at Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary may be rejected.

By providing my electronic signature below, I certify that I have read and understood all information provided on this application and I agree to adhere to all outlined policies. Furthermore, I understand and agree that by submitting this application I am not guaranteed an internship position with Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary. If not accepted into the program, I agree to not speak ill, slander, harass, or demean Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, its employees and volunteers, board members, or any and all representatives of Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary.

 

Drug and Alcohol Policy

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary enforces a strict drug and alcohol policy that prohibits use within the compound, excluding living areas. Any individual caught in violation of this policy faces immediate dismissal and possible law enforcement involvement. 

 

Drug Testing Policy

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary reserves the right to perform or request random drug testing.

 

Discrimination Policy

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary does not discriminate on basis of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, and/or gender, nor will we tolerate anyone who has issue working with people on basis of race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and/or gender. Any individual who violates this policy will be terminated immediately without exception.

 

Sexual Harassment Policy

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary strictly prohibits unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and all other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual or otherwise offensive nature, especially where it is made a term or condition of employment or program placement and submitting to or rejecting such conduct is used as the basis for decisions affecting an individual's employment or program placement. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary also prohibits sexually offensive comments, jokes, innuendos, and other sexually-oriented statements directed from one team member to another; sexually-oriented pictures, photos, and illustrations displayed in the workplace to the view of employees, volunteers, or the public; and demands or requests for sexual favors from one team member to another.

Any individual who violates this policy will be terminated immediately without exception.

 

Violence in the Workplace Policy

Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary has adopted a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace violence. Accordingly, all acts or threats of violence will be taken seriously, and each act or threat of violence will be investigated and appropriate action will be taken, up to and including termination.

A threat or act of violence shall include but is not be limited to: any act or gesture intended to harass or intimidate another person; any act or gesture likely to damage Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary property; and any act or gesture likely to leave another person injured or fearing injury.