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WALTER ZOO AG GOSSAU

Gossau

2 months ago

Intern Hedgehog Care 100%

  • 18 December 2025
  • 100%
  • Permanent position
  • Gossau

Job summary

Walter Zoo, a medium-sized zoo in Eastern Switzerland, offers a unique opportunity. Join a dedicated team to care for wildlife and contribute to conservation efforts.

Tasks

  • Daily cleaning and medical treatment of hedgehogs in the care station.
  • Provide phone support and process requests for hedgehog care.
  • Conduct minor examinations and assist veterinarians with treatments.

Skills

  • Completed school education; passion for wildlife care and biology.
  • Good German skills and basic computer knowledge are essential.
  • Ability to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays.

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About the job

Walter Zoo is a medium-sized zoo in Eastern Switzerland. Since 2020, we have been operating a hedgehog care station in the zoo and a wild bird care station in the Natural History Museum St. Gallen. There, sick, injured, and orphaned hedgehogs and wild birds are taken in for care, treated, and released back into the wild. To ensure this care, we are looking for a motivated person starting April 1 or May 1, 2026, for 6 to 12 months. Your tasks: • Daily cleaning, care, and medical treatment of the hedgehogs in the hedgehog care station (e.g., administering medication via food or injection as instructed) • Telephone advice, processing inquiries, and registrations of hedgehogs in need of care • Independent execution of minor examinations (microscopic examination of feces and parasites, initial examination upon arrival of hedgehogs) • Support of veterinarians in medical treatments of hedgehogs What you bring • Completed school education • Enthusiasm for wild animals and their care • Great interest in topics related to biology, ecology, and medicine • Basic understanding of nature and species conservation • Flexibility to work on weekends and public holidays • Organizational skills and structured working method • Resilience and calm demeanor in stressful situations • Enjoyment in advising and educating concerned callers • Good German skills, basic computer skills What we offer • A varied field of work where you work both independently and in a highly motivated interdisciplinary team passionate about animals and their habitats • Meaningful work with a direct contribution to species and nature conservation What to expect You will be thoroughly trained in your new tasks. No medical prior knowledge is required, just a bit of sensitivity. Afterwards, you will be able to perform simple medical treatments and clarifications (e.g., examinations under anesthesia, administration of injections under the skin or into the mouth, etc.). Since most hedgehogs come to us with similar problems, you will gain some routine after a few days. If a case becomes more difficult, someone from the veterinary department is always available to examine and treat the patient together. Due to this proximity to the veterinary department, there is occasionally the opportunity to experience an exciting case from zoo animal medicine. Therefore, this internship is not only suitable for people interested in animal care or animal welfare but also for those passionate about veterinary medicine or wildlife biology and considering starting a related study or training later. If you enjoy talking to people about the protection of native wild animals, you are also in the right place with us. During the internship, you will learn what is important for local nature and species conservation and then pass this knowledge on to callers and hedgehog finders. In this way, you actively and directly help to protect hedgehogs and other native wild animals in the long term. Especially in the main season in summer and autumn, you will get to know various aspects of wildlife care. Not only the beautiful sides, such as helping raise baby hedgehogs or a successful release, but also the fact that species and animal protection sometimes means that a very sick or severely injured animal must be relieved of its suffering. You can expect an unusual workplace and an even more unusual position. You will work both independently and closely with our veterinary team and make a direct contribution to local nature and species conservation. Do you feel addressed? We look forward to receiving your written application (by email) with the note "Intern Hedgehog Care" at jobs@walterzoo.ch (Floris van der Neut).

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