Volunteer at the Animal Park
Volunteer Information
What Will Be Expected of Me?
The Animal Park is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and relies heavily on its volunteer force to fulfill its mission, so the decision to volunteer at the Park should not be taken lightly. We ask that each volunteer make a commitment to at least 2 shifts each month that are at least 4 hours each. Volunteers that sign up to only serve as docents are asked to commit to at least one 5 hour shift per month. Many of the tasks volunteers assist with require ongoing training and continuous updating. If you are looking for a casual drop-in schedule, volunteering at the Park may not be a good fit for you.
What Do Volunteers Do?
Daily volunteer assignments depend on individual capabilities and daily staffing needs. A typical workday may include food preparation for our residents, assisting keeper staff with habitat cleaning, grounds and facility maintenance and construction, serving as an in-park docent for one or more of our animal species, or assisting our Visitor Services team in the gift shop and with tours, or working on an administrative project. Volunteers are also critically important to the success of our special events, ensuring a great day by helping with setup, breakdown, enrichment building, and engagement with visitors.
Will I Get To Touch an Animal?
By volunteering your time at the Animal Park, you will help to improve the lives of our animals and further our mission of educating the public about their species. In the process, you will have the opportunity to learn the individual personalities of our residents. However, hands-on contact with the animals is NOT part of the routine volunteer experience.
What Are The Requirements to Volunteer?
All volunteers must be 18 years of age or older and possess a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. No specific experience is required to volunteer at the Center.
You must attend a tour of the Animal Park prior to applying to volunteer.
Working outside is not for everyone, and our volunteers in the building are just as critical for the care of our animals because they help create part of the visitor experience and facilitate the organizational income. The Visitors’ Center is the hub for everything: visitors, interns, staff, and volunteers. Visitor Services volunteers participate in a range of activities, including helping to introduce the Animal Park to visitors, maintaining and cleaning the building and grounds, assisting with tours, assisting our gift shop staff with a wide variety of tasks, and some administrative tasks.
The majority of the need for volunteers in the Visitors’ Center is on Friday-Sunday, though other weekday volunteering options are available in other supportive roles. We do require that all volunteers commit to working at least 2 shifts each month (each shift must be a minimum of 4 hours).
Our construction and maintenance department maintains our park and grounds, including ensuring our animals' habitats are safe, functional, and enriching.
Under the supervision of our construction and maintenance staff, volunteers participate in a range of activities inside and outside of the park, such as installing or improving tour barriers, habitat construction or repair, grounds maintenance in and out of the park, and making enrichment for our residents.
All construction and maintenance volunteers must:
- be able to lift and carry at least 30 pounds
- be able to stand for at least 4 hours
- be able to climb over and under enrichment built for the animals
- be able and willing to work in unpleasant weather
- commit to working at least 2 shifts each month (each shift must be a minimum of 4 hours)
Because there is so much to remember about our animals, our safety protocols, and our ongoing standards of care, construction and maintenance volunteers who have spent fewer than 16 hours in that department in the last 2 months may be required to repeat volunteer orientation before returning to work in construction and maintenance.
These requirements are for new, existing, and former volunteers; they also apply to interns who wish to continue their experience with us after they complete their internship. Our goal is to ensure you have a quality experience, and that the Animal Park is maximizing your time and energy.
Major events are critical for the Animal Park: They raise much-needed funds and they give visitors a different way to experience the Animal Park. Volunteers at events may assist with set-up, assist visitors in a variety of ways depending on the particular event (e.g., educate visitors about certain assigned species, direct visitors in the park, direct fun activities outside the park), and assist with event breakdown. Without the appropriate number of event volunteers, we are not able to have major events like Tree Toss. Volunteering for events is a great way to be a part of some of the best days at the Animal Park.
Are you interested in learning what it takes to care for the many animal residents at the Animal Park?
Volunteering in animal care is an amazing opportunity to work alongside our keepers as they provide care for the animals we all love. Though all volunteering is greatly appreciated, we are particularly shorthanded on the weekdays, so please make sure to let us know if you want to come out and help us during the week!
Animal care volunteers participate in a range of activities as directed by Animal Husbandry Staff. Some examples of common animal care tasks for volunteers include: preparing daily animal diets, assisting staff with distributing prepared diets to the animals, cleaning habitats (basic daily tasks such as removing feces or changing waters, deep cleaning tasks as needed, or more advanced tasks such as power washing or deep scrubbing), cleaning common areas and other Nutrition Center tasks (e.g., washing dishes, laundry, organizing), making or rearranging enrichment items, and general maintenance tasks.
All animal care volunteers must:
- be able to lift and carry at least 30 pounds
- be able to stand for at least 4 hours
- be able to climb over and under enrichment built for the animals
- be able and willing to work in unpleasant weather
- commit to working at least 2 shifts each month (each shift must be a minimum of 4 hours)
Because there is so much to remember about our animals’ diets, our safety protocols, and our ongoing standards of care, animal care volunteers who have spent fewer than 16 hours in animal care in the last 2 months may be required to repeat volunteer orientation before returning to work in animal care.
These requirements are for new, existing, and former volunteers; they also apply to interns who wish to continue their experience with us after they complete their internship. Our goal is to ensure you have a quality experience, and that the Animal Park is maximizing your time and energy.