animal experience in NYC

[johnnyever]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hello. This is my first post. I searched for what I'm asking and didn't find much.

It will probably be 3-4 years before I apply, and I'm mostly looking for the animal experience at this point. I'm interested in exotics and trying my best to get in contact with people at the WCS zoos in the city. I've contacted my personal vet and Blue Pearl, and they are unable to accommodate volunteers due to their insurance policies. I've filled out a volunteer application with the Humane Society, and I'm going to orientation for the ASPCA in a couple of weeks, but the position listed is "cat companion." That sounds like great fun, and I don't mind cleaning cages and whatnot, but that's not veterinary experience, is it? I'm planning to look at more shelters. Does anyone have any NYC-specific experience advice, particularly regarding exotics? Thanks very much.

 

[that redhead]

I don't have any NYC-specific advice, but you're on the right track. Some shelters have an on-staff vet, others have specific days that the vet comes by. If you get your foot in the door, you can ask to shadow/help the vet while they're at the shelter and record those hours separately to count as vet experience. You might also consider asking places (like the zoo, small animal hospitals, etc) to shadow for a day and go from there. They may be more amenable to having you if you start small and show that you're pleasant to have around, etc.

Don't forget to try for some large animal/equine work!

 

[Spdycat]

Check with the smaller vet clinics. If you are a student at NYU, get in contact with the pre-vet club. They will know which veterinarians allow shadowing and/or will hire students on as assistants. The veterinarian I worked for was one of them. Also there are several rescue groups in the city that you could check out. Some of them will allow you to be part of the "medical care staff"...medicating animals/taking them to see the vet which you will be interacting with/etc.

 

[johnnyever]

Thanks for the input. I've already looked into two farm animal sanctuaries within two hours of the city. I'd like to see if I can go to those for a week at a time on vacation.

I'm not at NYU, but I'll look into the pre-vet club sites and see what I can find. The Mayor's Alliance lists about 150 rescue operations, so I just have some work to do sifting through them.

 

[ChittyBang]

I sent you a PM regarding the sanctuaries 🙂

 

[Spdycat]

I sent you a PM with more info.

 

[tromboneplayer1]

The Wild Bird Fund is a wildlife rehabilitation center on the Upper West Side that is always looking for volunteers. You can also try contacting the Center for Avian and Exotic Medicine which is right across the street from the Wild Bird Fund. I've also found that if you contact a doctor directly via personal email, you sometimes have better luck than if you contact the actual office. The Animal Medical Center on the Upper East Side also has an exotics department and you can try and see if you can get some shadowing/volunteer or even veterinary assisting experience. None of these are zoo exotics by the way... I'm not sure if you want specifically zoo exotic experience, but all of these are a good start nonetheless. Good luck!

Oh and as far as zoos go.. sometimes it helps to work as a docent first to at least get your foot in the door and then you can network.

 

[johnnyever]

Thanks for the great reply. I'll look into those places right away.

I already have an application in to be a docent. Next training starts in the fall.

 

[Cyndia]

Also one thing you might want to consider is doing an internship away from NYC one summer? There are tons of summer zoo internships all over the US that are a good way to rack up a LOT of hours, I did one at an exotic cat sanctuary which gave me a good bit of zoo experience and they provided housing and such while I was interning.

 

[johnnyever]

Unfortunately, I have to work full time, but I am going to do as much of that sort of thing as I can on vacations. Can you tell me the name of the sanctuary you went to?

 

[Cyndia]

Unfortunately, I have to work full time, but I am going to do as much of that sort of thing as I can on vacations. Can you tell me the name of the sanctuary you went to?

Oops, sorry I just realised I never responded to you! Big Cat Rescue was the sanctuary I interned at.

 

[catnips]

Hey! I volunteer at the ASPCA and though you start as cat companion level 1, if you become cat companion level 2 and dog companion level 2 at one point, you get to be a veterinary assistant (volunteer). I don't really know what it entitles you to do, (since I am yet to be dog level 2) but it has vet assistant in the title, so im sure you get to work with vets there.
Also sometimes you get to volunteer at mobile spay&neuter, which means you get to work with vets. I guess after getting to know them, you could ask to shadow them maybe?
Good luck!

 

[tromboneplayer1]

I forgot to mention that I was able to get some large animal experience by volunteering at Kensington Stables. It is a horse riding stable right near Prospect Park in Brooklyn!

 

[bunnity]

I did an externship at ASPCA and I worked with a lot of the volunteer vet assistants. They got a lot of one on one time with vets and vet students - I think it would be a great experience, and working your way through the cat/dog programs would teach you a lot about other aspects of shelter medicine, animal handling, and infectious disease, as well as give you great practice talking to clients.

 

[Mistoffeles]

I did an externship at ASPCA and I worked with a lot of the volunteer vet assistants. They got a lot of one on one time with vets and vet students - I think it would be a great experience, and working your way through the cat/dog programs would teach you a lot about other aspects of shelter medicine, animal handling, and infectious disease, as well as give you great practice talking to clients.

Seconded. I loved my externship at ASPCA. I have a friend who is doing her internship there currently, and she says that it's still a really good environment to get experience. Good luck!