About Toucan Rescue Ranch

The Toucan Rescue Ranch’s (TRR) mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release Costa Rican wildlife. TRR works with a model focusing on conservation, education, and research to ensure a brighter future for Costa Rican wildlife. TRR emphasizes the care, rehabilitation, and release of national wildlife. We receive and care for confiscated, sick, and injured animals from government agencies.

The Toucan Rescue Ranch works closely with the Ministry of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica (MINAE), which brings injured and displaced wildlife to the center. TRR provides sanctuary while giving treatment and rehabilitation. Whenever possible the animal is released to their natural environment.

The Toucan Rescue Ranch is a licensed Costa Rica wildlife rescue facility, Costa Rica Foundation (300667701803), and a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization (EIN: 80-0516453).

Internship Description

The Toucan Rescue Ranch is looking for an intern to work with the Toucan Rescue Ranch’s Sloth Team and Toucan Rescue Ranch’s Staff to care for sloths living at the Ranch. The Sloth Rehab Intern collaborates with the other Sloth Rehab Interns, animal husbandry volunteers, the founder, and TRR medical staff to ensure the best possible care is provided for the sloths.

The Sloth Intern’s primary responsibilities include feeding, cleaning up after, exercising, taking to the bathroom, and monitoring baby and adult sloths. Additionally, the sloth intern will aid the clinic with procedures, cleaning, and feeding. You will not only be working with sloths. You would be also assisting with all animals received at TRR and animal’s recovery in the clinic.

Internship Duration: 4-Months

Work Schedule

The Intern works 5 days a week with two days off a week. Days off are not necessarily on the weekend. A daily schedule must be flexible depending on the animals in the clinic. Night work is required. Works long hours and expects to be ready for emergencies. You will learn about your schedule and days off during your orientation at the Toucan Rescue Ranch.

Internship Location – Headquarters

Toucan Rescue Ranch’s main location in San Isidro, Heredia, Costa Rica, offers a unique environment for aspiring interns eager to work in wildlife conservation. Nestled in a region with a mild tropical climate, The Ranch experiences temperatures ranging from 60-80°F (16-27°C) year-round, with a dry season from December to April and a lush, green, rainy season from May to November. This climate creates a comfortable atmosphere for interns and staff and provides an optimal habitat for the diverse wildlife in our care.

Interns at The Ranch enjoy amenities designed to support their hands-on experience, including comfortable living spaces, shaded walkways through wildlife enclosures, and a fully equipped educational center where training and team collaboration sessions are held. With native plant gardens attracting local species like butterflies and birds, the Ranch offers a peaceful yet dynamic environment ideal for learning about Costa Rican ecology and developing practical animal care, enrichment, and conservation education skills.

Whether working in the sunshine of the dry season or witnessing the vibrant transformation during the rains, an internship at TRR’s Headquarters offers an immersive experience combining Costa Rica’s natural beauty with meaningful conservation work.

Skills You Will Learn from this Internship

• Team work.
• Exposure to the running of a wildlife rescue center.
• Species identification.
• Animal handling.
• Tube-feeding of mammals and birds.
• Medication administration.

Activities & Responsibilities

• Feed adult and baby sloths solid foods.
• Potentially assist the Sloth Nanny with syringe-feed milk to baby sloths if needed.
• Bathroom and monitor weights and overall health of sloths.
• Perform physical therapy and exercise for release candidates on climbing structures, trees, etc.
• Clean outdoor sloth enclosures.
• Provide enrichment to permanent sloth residents.
• Monitor release candidate sloths in outdoor enclosures.
• Help vet staff clean and organize the clinic.
• Aid vet staff with clinical procedures, including exams, surgeries, emergency cases, wound care and caring for critical patients. Patients can be mammals, birds, marsupials, and reptiles.
• Carry out daily inspection (rounds) of the property to ensure all animals on the Toucan Rescue Ranch property are healthy and properly cared for, reporting any issues to the vet staff.
• Take monthly animal inventory while recording new arrivals, deaths, releases, and transfers.
• Train new interns for Sloth Team Extra tasks may include: Train release candidate birds of prey in pre-release enclosures (flying and hunting). This task is not necessarily exclusive to sloth interns but can be taken on by any long-term intern or volunteer. We are always open to suggestions. Let us know if you have a special skill you think will be useful.

Requirements & Qualifications

General Requirements

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Provide proof of emergency health insurance while in Costa Rica.
• Provide proof of at least 2 COVID-19 vaccines.
• Provide proof of current tetanus and rabies (recommended) vaccinations.
• The ability to follow directions with attention to detail.
• A positive “can-do” attitude and the ability to work well in a team environment.

Specific Requirements

• Fluent in English. Basic or intermediate Spanish.
• Coursework in veterinary, primatology, zoology, biology, environmental
• science, wildlife ecology discipline or have some experience working with animals.
• Have excellent communication skills.
• Have a strong interest in animal welfare and conservation.
• A moderate degree of fitness.

Other Valuable Skills

• First-Aid course is highly recommended.
• Experience traveling to a tropical country, living in remote conditions are preferred.
• Experience working with wildlife is a plus.
• Experience handling animals.

Ensuring Best Practices Implementation

• Fostering practices that support and improve the Ranch’s philosophy and goals.
• Maintaining quality by establishing and enforcing organization standards.

Program Benefits & Costs

To make our internships accessible to a wide range of people, we’ve worked hard to keep them free. However, due to rising costs and fluctuations in tourism income, we must implement costs in our internship program. This fee covers room, board, and the valuable education you’ll receive throughout your internship.

Your contribution directly supports the medical care, food, and daily needs of the animals in our care, helping us maintain and improve our facilities, staff, and learning environment. Thank you for helping us continue our mission! Your donation is tax-deductible in the United States.

Apply Today!

One-page cover letter of interest—specify which internship you are interested in and the start date, CV or resume, and contact information for three professional references. After reviewing your application, we will promptly contact you to schedule a virtual interview.

If you have any questions, we are always available via email to answer any questions

Application form