Marine Mammal Care Center LA - Animal Rehabilitation

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Animal Care volunteers have a unique opportunity to work around marine mammals after being thoroughly trained on all the below positions over a gradual time period. Basic grunt work is performed by all animal care volunteers; tasks such as cleaning fecal matter and urine in animal enclosures, thawing and sorting raw fish for food preparation, dish washing, cleaning and disinfecting feeding tubes, washing and folding towels are some of the daily duties performed by our animal care volunteers. Working in the pen with animals may eventually be permitted once approved by the husbandry staff, but extended direct contact with the animals is always minimal as our goal is to return the mammals back to their natural environment. The volunteer must be available for training on how to work safely in a pen with wild animals, must be able to work independently, follow safety guidelines, lift and carry 50 lbs for short distances, must be able to stand for long periods, stoop, squat, or bend, and work outside in varied temperatures. Volunteers for this position must be physically fit, agile, and have the ability to multi task and work in a team environment.

The following describes some of the duties an animal care volunteer will assist with:

Cleaning Kennels, Laundry

Cleaning kennels, washing blankets and towels used in pens. Must be able to work independently, use protective gear, carry or lift kennels short distances, stoop, squat and use upper body to scrub with brushes, and carefully handle items that are contaminated with animal body fluids and feces.

Dishwashing

Dish washing, cleaning, and disinfecting feeding tubes. Must be able to stand for an extended period of time.

Kitchen Breakdown

Must be able to stoop, squat, and use upper body to scrub with brushes, use disinfectants, such as bleach or other sanitizers.

Food Preparation

Thawing and sorting raw fish and weighing out batches for daily feeds, and/or preparing fish gruel. Must be able to stand for an extended period, lift and carry containers of fish weighing up to 40 lbs each. Handling of raw fish required. Handling of vitamins, oils, and other ingredients necessary in the preparation of the gruel.

Recordkeeping

Must be available for training on how to record information into the medical charts by hand (records are not electronically entered at this time).