What are the responsibilities and job description for the Marine Mammal Stranding Internship - Summer Session 2025 position at ifaw?
Summer Session 2025 (First Week of June - Last Week of August, 2025)
Complete Applications due : February 15th, 2025
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is currently accepting applications for Summer 2025 Marine Mammal Stranding Internships.
Program Background
IFAW is an international non-profit organization. This internship is based out of our International Operations Center in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, USA. IFAW's Marine Mammal Rescue (MMR) program is a federally authorized program dedicated to marine mammal stranding response on Cape Cod and southeastern Massachusetts. Our program strives to promote the conservation of marine mammal species and their habitat by improving the rescue and humane care of stranded marine mammals, advancing stranding science, and increasing public awareness through education. Cape Cod is a marine mammal stranding "hot spot," with an average of over 315 strandings occurring each year. These strandings include live and dead seals, whales, porpoises, and dolphins. In addition to stranding response, IFAW's MMR division has developed the Cetacean Intensive Care Unit (CICU) located at the Dolphin Rescue Center in Orleans, MA. CICU is a short-term holding facility (96 hours) that aims to provide rehabilitative care to dolphins and porpoises experiencing acute effects of stranding.
Stranding Intern Duties
- Stranding hotline coverage : answer calls, document reports, educate callers, dispatch volunteers, complete associated paperwork and enter data.
- Marine mammal stranding response & necropsy : assist staff with all aspects of marine mammal stranding response, including live animal health assessment and supportive care, biological data collection, post-mortem examinations and sampling in both field and laboratory settings.
- CICU operations : assist staff with aspects of CICU operations, including animal care (i.e. in-water support, assist during procedures, monitoring animal behavior etc.), CICU education and outreach, CICU readiness and cleaning, etc. Please note experiences will be opportunistic as cases arise. We do not have a long-term rehabilitation program or animals on site regularly.
- Stranding & necropsy readiness : cleaning, organizing and maintaining stranding response and necropsy gear, equipment and facilities, restocking kits and supplies.
- Data entry & sample processing : assist in entry of stranding data. Assist in organizing, cataloging, disseminating and archiving of photos, videos, datasheets, samples, etc.
- Outreach : assist staff with training and outreach material preparation and organization, participate in opportunistic outreach at stranding sites, participate in community events.
Stranding Internship Information
In addition to the operational duties the stranding interns will hold, they are also paired with staff members as mentors and may be given individual tasks and projects to complete under their mentor's guidance. All interns will be cross-trained in stranding response and necropsy and every effort will be made for interns to gain a wide range of experiences.
Requirements
Preferred candidates
Important Information
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications are due February 15th, 2025.
If you are submitting from an external posting site, be sure to check the original position post on the IFAW careers website to ensure you are fulfilling all application requirements.
COVID-19 Vaccination Policy : To reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure to our team, our families, and the animals and communities we serve, specifically, due to the higher risk of exposure from frequent close contact during Animal Rescue operations and the added risk new variants pose, only fully vaccinated personnel will be eligible to work within our Animal Rescue program. This includes all Marine Mammal Rescue & Research team staff, apprentices, interns, and volunteers. Please note : fully vaccinated means that it has been more than two weeks since your 2nd dose of Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccination or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccination. Please only apply if you will be fully vaccinated before the start of the position. IFAW may ask you to provide your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card as proof that you are fully vaccinated.
Required application materials (you must provide all 3) :
Please , no inquiries regarding the status of your application. Updates will be sent out as they are available.
Summer intern orientation will be the first week of June, 2025. All accepted interns are required to attend all 3 consecutive days of training.
Future Internship Sessions :
The IFAW Marine Mammal Stranding Internships are offered 3 times a year (Winter / Spring, Summer, and Fall). You must re-apply for each session. Please re-check back for future internship opportunities.
IFAW is an equal opportunity employer. IFAW prohibits any discrimination in employment based on race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, military or veterans status, genetic information, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
