WORLD BIRD SANCTUARY
Job Openings
Working at World Bird Sanctuary is a fun and rewarding experience — see available job openings below:
Raptor Rehabilitation Technician
Job Summary:
Rehabilitation Technicians are responsible for all aspects of daily patient care and operation of the rehabilitation hospital. They are under the supervision of both the Hospital Director and Staff Veterinarian. Duties include handling, feeding, medicating, assessing, and treating the injuries of wild raptors, assisting with permanent resident animal care, training volunteers and interns, assisting with surgeries, facility and enclosure cleaning, rescue & release, and any other duties that pertain to the care of injured raptors. The technician will be expected to follow established protocols as well as help develop new protocols in order to keep the hospital up to date on the highest standards of medical care. This is a salaried, full-time position consisting of four 10-hour work days. Days may sometimes be longer depending on the caseload and patient need.
Required Qualifications:
- 1+ year experience in wildlife rehabilitation (volunteer and intern experience is acceptable)
- 6+ months experience working with raptors (volunteer and intern experience is acceptable)
- Must be knowledgeable in appropriate methods of catching and restraining raptors and capable of both performing them and teaching them to others.
- Must be familiar with avian anatomy and capable of examining and assessing injuries as well as coming up with a treatment plan for them.
- Must be capable of calculating and administering IM, SQ, and PO meds, fluids, and tubing diets to birds of prey.
- Experience with bandaging and wound cleaning techniques.
- Must be comfortable working long hours on feet in a variety of weather conditions.
- Must have good observation and communication skills.
- Must work well with others and be comfortable training and supervising volunteers and interns.
- Must possess a valid US driver’s license and be comfortable driving a van on highways and city streets.
- Must be self-motivated and disciplined to perform in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Completed degree in veterinary or biological sciences or related field.
- Familiarity with taking and reading radiographs.
- Familiarity with basic lab diagnostics such as fecal floats, CBC, PCV, and TS.
- Experience with running anesthesia equipment and assisting with surgeries
- Experience performing gross necropsies.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities:
- Oversee daily hospital treatments and ensure that daily tasks get done in a timely manner.
- Organize patients by priority of care.
- Prepare and administer medications, fluids, and tube feedings.
- Perform daily weight checks and clean cages of all inside birds.
- Provide medical treatments such as bandage changes, wound cleaning, and physical therapy for both wild patients and collection animals.
- Update patient dietary needs and assist in the preparation of food.
- Monitor indoor and outdoor patients for any potential health problems and report them to the Staff Veterinarian.
- Assess patients’ progress to determine when they are ready to move to the next stage of rehabilitation.
- Perform intake exams on new patients and triage them.
- Perform weekly exams and weight checks on outdoor patients.
- Maintain a high standard of cleanliness of equipment, facilities, and indoor and outdoor enclosures.
- Collect samples and perform lab diagnostics such as fecals, basic blood work, CBCs, and chemistries.
- Assist staff vet with surgeries and anesthesia.
- Perform radiographs and read radiographic images.
- Enter patient data into computer records. Make detailed records of all patient care.
- Perform maintenance on outdoor enclosures and perches.
- Interact professionally and courteously with the public both on site and on the phone.
- Coordinate rescue attempts of potential new patients with the finders and rescue group.
- Direct volunteers and interns in assisting with daily patient care and facilities cleaning.
- Train and supervise volunteers and interns on a variety of tasks until they are capable of performing those tasks unsupervised.
- Follow WBS’s existing hospital protocols and assist in developing new protocols in order to keep WBS’s Rehabilitation Hospital up to date on best medical practices and techniques.
- Adhere to World Bird Sanctuary’s overall policies and code of conduct.
- Communicate effectively with team members and report relevant information to the Hospital Director and Staff Veterinarian.
- Work as a team with fellow staff and contribute to the growth and future development of the Rehabilitation Hospital and Sanctuary as a whole
- Other duties as required.
Salary and Benefits:
- Varies based on experience
- On-site housing available for first 3 months
- Paid time off and holidays
- Paid sick leave
- Options for health, vision, and dental insurance
- 403b retirement plan with 3% matching contribution
To Apply:
Send resume, cover letter, and three professional references to kklebe@worldbirdsanctuary.org
Seasonal Zoo Show Naturalist
Our Mission:
We protect and preserve birds and their habitats through conservation, rehabilitation, education, and advocacy.
Position:
World Bird Sanctuary (WBS) produces and presents educational and entertaining, live bird shows at zoos, theme parks and aquariums around the nation. We hire full time, seasonal employees to staff these programs. On average these jobs start in early April and end in mid-September, but particular shows may be considerably longer, starting as early as mid-January through mid-November. For naturalist/trainer positions, WBS hires individuals with biology backgrounds with commitment toward saving birds/animals and their habitat. Public speaking/performing in public skills and animal handling skills are encouraged. You will work as part of a team, yet be required to perform certain parts of the job (frozen, whole animal food prep, theater prep, bird prop prep, bird enrichment, cleaning, other husbandry) independently. All training is on the job. If hired you are required to provide long/short khaki pants, pants belt, and proper shoes for the show uniform (WBS provides the show shirt). You are required to have a current tetanus shot before starting the job and to be fully COVID vaccinated/boosted.
Salary: varies depending on zoo show location
Responsibilities:
Under the guidance of the Zoo Show Supervisor, responsibilities include:
- Assisting with the daily preparation and feeding of bird diets.
- Assisting with the behavior training and enrichment of the birds.
- Assisting with general show preparations.
- Daily handling of raptors.
- Leading educational programs with our animal ambassadors.
- Maintaining a positive work environment.
- Other duties as assigned.
Experience Preferred:
- Prior experience with wildlife; raptor experience is preferable.
- Must be able to lift 40lbs with relative ease.
- Must be willing to work primarily outdoors in both cold and hot weather.
- Must work well in a team-oriented environment
How to Apply
For those interested please send cover letter, resume and 3 professional references to:
Jeff Meshach
Deputy Director
jmeshach@worldbirdsanctuary.org
World Bird Sanctuary
125 Bald Eagle Ridge Rd
Valley Park, MO 63088
Please check back throughout the year as seasonal positions become available.
The opportunity to gain hands on experience is available for volunteers and interns all year round.