Looking to learn more about raccoon rehabilitation?

Gordon Wildlife is pleased to offer a pioneering, hands-on basic training program, designed to share our knowledge with other raccoon enthusiasts contemplating joining the field.

Baby Bootcamp at Gordon Wildlife consists of blocks of time between 1 and 4 weeks long during baby raccoon busy season. Up to 2 students will be accepted per block. 

Participants will work one-on-one with licensed RVSII rehabilitators specializing in raccoons. You will learn the ins and outs of basic daily care and will be tasked with treating orphaned raccoon kits spanning in developmental stages from neonate to weaned (depending on who is on site at the time).

Students will experience the intensity of raccoon rehabilitation and will be expected to work approximately 8-hours per day, including weekends, for the duration of their stay.

The work is messy, emotional, boring, exciting, repetitive, and intense. It is also rewarding in a way that is impossible to explain. Expect lots of bottle feeding, poop, cleaning, grunt work, cuteness and love. And then repeat. Time permitting, students may also participate in other aspects of the nonprofit’s work.

Participants must be able to stand for extended periods of time. Expect to be asked to shower often, depending on our quarantine protocols at the time. We recommend wearing scrubs, or other clothing that you don’t mind getting dirty and changing often. 

Our facility includes access to a veterinary hospital. If medical procedures come in during your stay, you are more than welcome to observe, but we cannot guarantee medical experience, as caseloads are unpredictable. 

Some time slots will involve more bottle feeding and handling and others will involve more cleaning of outdoor enclosures. It is impossible to predict the timing or stages of care as they vary greatly from season to season. An ability to adapt to the needs of the moment is essential in the world of rehab.

Positive attitude and good work ethic required.

The fine print: Rabies pre-exposure vaccinations are required to work with raccoons in New York State. If you are selected for the program and are not vaccinated, Gordon Wildlife may be able to help to arrange & pay for a portion of your vaccination series if needed.  All necessary materials and training will be supplied. Students will receive a stipend of $150 per week, a certificate of completion, and a printed copy of Gordon Wildlife’s Raccoon Rehabilitation Protocols book. 

Baby Bootcamp qualifies as a 3 credit summer internship for Jefferson Community College’s Zoo Technology Program. If you require internship credit from another program or institution, please contact us ahead of time to see if the program will qualify for your needs.

Location: the Charles N. Gordon Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Earlville, NY, 13332. Housing options are available if needed. We are in a remote location, an approximately 15 minute drive from the town of Hamilton, NY. You will be working at two separate campuses about 20 minutes apart and will need to bring your own car.  You will be responsible for your own meals (housing includes a kitchen).