Aquarist Intern, Freshwater Gallery (Spring 2019)
Description: The Freshwater Gallery staff support the New England Aquarium’s mission to protect the blue planet by creating and maintaining exhibits that encourage the public to care about the ocean and to become involved in conservation. Interns in this gallery assist staff Aquarists with animal husbandry responsibilities of the New England Aquarium's Freshwater Gallery, including feeding of fish, frogs and snakes, maintaining aquarium systems and other routine duties related to animal care. This gallery focuses on freshwater areas from the Amazon River Basin to the rivers of North America. Interns have the opportunity to learn more about the daily care of animals such as piranhas, anacondas, salmon, and Surinam Toads while discovering the design and vision of aquarium exhibits..
Responsibilities:
-Daily care, maintenance and appearance of the gallery.
-Food preparation and feeding.
-Removing and siphoning detritus from exhibits and holding tanks.
-Monitoring water levels and water quality.
-Cleaning acrylic exhibit windows, cleaning filters.
-Maintaining live fruit flies,
-Interacting and answering questions from visitors,
-Organizing and cleaning behind the scenes.
-Collecting animals from the Aquarium docks and the possibility of local New England collecting trips.
-Attend two professional development lunches with the Volunteer Programs and Internships Office.
Qualifications:
-Comfortable working with large snakes, live food items such as fruit flies, earthworms and black worms and handling deceased animals.
-The ability to climb multiple flights of stairs.
-The ability to lift and carry 40 lbs.
-The ability to work independently and as a team.
-Take and carry out multiple instructions in a timely manner.
-Using small ladders..