LR Zoo Summer Internship Program Zoological Research Internships

The City of Little Rock provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race color religion gender sexual orientation gender identity or expression national origin age disability genetic information marital status or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal state and local laws. City of Little Rock complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every work location. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment including but not limited to hiring placement promotion termination layoff recall transfer leaves of absence compensation and training.

The Little Rock Zoo is now accepting applications for 2026 summer internships. The Zoo is seeking dependable hardworking college students interested in the fields of animal care education horticulture or research. Interns will gain valuable experience with zoological careers by training alongside professional zoo educators scientists and husbandry staff.

Interns will receive a stipend with housing options sponsored by the Arkansas Zoological Foundation.Selected interns will be given the option of a $3000 stipend without housing OR a $1000 stipend including UALR dorm housing. Transportation is the responsibility of the intern.

The 2026 summer internship term will begin with orientation onFriday May 29th 2026continuing through the end of July.End dates may be no earlier than July 24th and no later than July 30th without approval.

To Apply:

Applicants must submit all of the following documents to be considered:

• Online application with attached:

• Resume

• Letter of interest including dates of availability (please include any prior obligations and time off requirements)

• School transcript (may be unofficial)

Deadline for summer 2026 applications is Monday March 2nd at 11:59PM

For questions not answered by this webpage please e-mail:

This position is not designated as a safety/security sensitive position and is not subject to random drug and alcohol screening.

The Little Rock Zoo Research Intern will participate in on-grounds behavioral and wellness research projects. Duties will include conducting literature reviews creating behavioral ethograms documenting animal behavior creating visualizations of data running statistical analyses and presenting results both oral and written. Training will be provided. Interns will also be expected to be able to speak to the public about their work in a professional manner and at an appropriate level. Previous experience in research or animal behavior is helpful but not required. Suitable candidates should be comfortable interacting with people and standing (or sitting) outdoors in the Arkansas heat for extended periods of time. Interns will also learn about zoo management and animal welfare topics through lectures and activities offered throughout the summer.

Due to the nature of this internship the ideal candidate will be self-motivated and skilled at managing their time with minimal supervision. This internship is appropriate for college students or recent graduates who have not yet completed any graduate school training. Students currently enrolled in graduate school for biology or zoology or those who hold a Masters in biology zoology or a related field will not be considered.

Please notethis is not an animal care internship. Intern candidates should understand that they will not interact directly with animals and all observations will take place from areas that are accessible to the public. The intern will be expected to provide their own laptop with Wi-Fi capabilities for the duration of the summer. There may be an opportunity to be a part of a long-term behavior wellness or cognition study depending on the interest of the intern. The use of AI during the application process or in the interns written work over the summer is strictly prohibited.

• College student or recent graduate majoring in biology zoology or other related field

• Must have completed a minimum of 4 semesters at the start of the internship

• Student in good standing GPA 2.5 or higher

• Up-to-date vaccinations recent physical and negative TB test (dated within 6 months of start date). Documentation will be required on the first day of the internship term.

• Able to work 36-40 hours per week for a minimum of 8 consecutive weeks beginning the week of May 31st (minimum 280 hours completed).

• Acceptance into the program is contingent on passing a background check.

• Available to attend Intern orientation on May 29th Orientation is Mandatory.

• Online applications only.All of the below documents are required when you submit the application.
• Resume (required at time of application)
• Letter of interest (i.e. cover letter) including dates of availability (please include any prior obligations and time off requirements)
• School transcript (may be unofficial) (required at time of application)
• Names and email addresses of 2 references (required at time of application)
• You may check your inbox in your Careers/LittleRock account to review all notices sent to the email address associated with your applications.
• Applicants may check application status for any position by logging into their account at Careers/LittleRock or contacting Human Resources at if they are having computer difficulties.