A very special internship

Katharina Babel & Isabel Hartl (Animal cartetaker interns)

05.05.2025

In the eight weeks we have now been working at the WSC, it quickly became clear why this internship is something very special for us—and not just because it’s the final major step on our path to graduation.

On our first day, we were given a tour of the WSC grounds and a detailed introduction to our daily tasks. All the animals—both dogs and wolves—were also “introduced” to us, and using their profiles, we were able to get an initial impression of the animals we would be working with over the coming months. That first day was so full of information that we could hardly imagine how we would remember everything. Especially since, at the WSC, all the dogs and wolves naturally have names. Memorizing all these names seemed like an almost impossible task.

But after just a few days of feeding the dogs daily, we realized that we could remember the names much faster than we expected, as each animal has its own personality and lovable quirks, which everyone on the team also tries to address as best as possible. This starts with feeding and continues with training. Nothing is ever demanded of the animals that they don’t want to do. Communication is always on equal footing—both between animals and humans, and within the team itself. As interns, we really appreciate this, and we believe it’s something truly special.

And even though, as interns, we can’t have direct contact with the wolves, we have still grown just as fond of them as we have of the dogs. Every day we walk past their large enclosures, are greeted in the morning by their howling, observed by watchful eyes during the day, and, when we accompany the wolf walks, we get to know them even better and observe (or even experience ourselves) wonderful interactions between them, the trainers, or visitors. It's always a special experience to be so close to these animals—animals you would hardly ever see in the wild.

Another special aspect is that no week at the WSC is like the other. Although we have our morning routines, we always have varying tasks during the day. Sometimes we accompany trainers on wolf walks, help with enrichment programs for the dogs, or get to observe tests being conducted for behavioral studies at the WSC—giving us fascinating insights into the scientific work with both wolves and dogs. We help keep the enclosures clean, ensure that wolves and dogs always have a soft, warm bed, and also care for the goats, who serve as “natural landscapers” and are a great help with enclosure maintenance during the summer.

Every day offers us new experiences—something new to learn, funny stories from our wonderful team of trainers and animal caretakers, and new challenges waiting to be tackled. Already, after just half of our internship, we have grown so fond of the wolves, dogs, goats, and our dear team members, and we look forward to every day we still get to spend with them. And that’s exactly what makes it so special!