---

Wildlife Care Assistant

Dates: 8 weeks contracts, Starting July 8^th – Ending August 31^st

Pay: $13.85 starting

Hours: 30 hrs/week (7.5-hour days, 4 days a week) alternate opening/closing shifts

Closing: once filled

Wildlife Rescue is seeking enthusiastic, hard-working applicants for the position of Wildlife Care Assistant, to perform essential daily animal care and maintenance duties in our Wildlife Hospital. We are looking for youth to work alongside our staff and volunteers and help keep our Hospital in operation 7 days a week during our very busy baby bird season. These positions are made available through the federal Canada Summer Jobs program, administered by Service Canada.

To be eligible to apply for these positions, applicants:

• are between 15 and 30 years of age at the start of employment;
• are Canadian citizens, permanent residents or persons to whom refugee protection has been conferred under the Immigration & Refugee Protection Act for the duration of the employment; and
• have a valid Social Insurance Number at the start of employment and be legally entitled to work in Canada in accordance with relevant provincial legislation and regulations.

Responsibilities

• Overall care for nestling and fledgling songbirds from feeding and cleaning, to the daily health checks and reporting to staff
• Cleaning of cages and aviaries of other wildlife patients
• Setting up habitats for both indoor and outdoor animals
• Assisting with training and guidance for volunteers and practicum students
• Cleaning and disinfecting equipment
• Facility clean-up and inventory control
• Preparing diets and feedings
• Assisting senior staff with medical care of wildlife patients
• Meticulous recordkeeping of individual wildlife patients
• assist in collection, distribution and storage of in-kind donations
• Communication with colleagues on progress, issues and supplies
• Time management during the day and preparing for the next day

Requirements

• Animal handling experience and/or volunteering
• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment (e.g. retail, restaurant)
• Good communication skills
• Open availability (able to work four 7-8-hour shifts a week, which may include evenings, weekends and statutory holidays)
• Reliability
• Good physical stamina and health
• Patience and the ability to work alone or in a group
• Comfortable around small birds and mammals
• Proof of current tetanus vaccination and a clean criminal record check

Training

• Basic Animal Care Training
• Specific training on Nestling and Fledgling care
• Continuous training provided by senior staff and volunteers on shift as required

Benefits

• The opportunity to work as part of a team assisting local wildlife
• Increased knowledge of local species identification and ecology
• Expand knowledge and skills in animal care and husbandry
• Familiarization with other wildlife-related groups in the area
• For some, this is the first step toward a career in wildlife rehabilitation or other animal care fields

To apply for a position, please send a cover letter and resume together in a single pdf file, with your name and the position (WCA) in the title, to recruitment@wildliferescue.ca

Applications for more than 1 position at Wildlife Rescue are accepted. Please state clearly what position(s) you are applying for.

Please be advised that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews, but Wildlife Rescue would like to thank all applicants in advance for their interest.