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Prospect Park Zoo News
Help Wanted: Seeking Prospect Park Zoo Volunteers!
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©WCS/J.Maher
| Connect with the community and share your love of animals by volunteering at the Prospect Park Zoo. The Zoo is looking for education docents as well as Discovery Center volunteers.
To become a docent, you’ll attend weekly training sessions, which include topics on conservation, biology, and informal learning. Once training is completed, you’ll be ready to give tours, manage discovery stations throughout the Zoo, and help with special events. Docents can also train as animal handlers and present live animal encounters to the public.
As a Discover Center volunteer, you’ll assist a staff member in the Zoo’s interactive Discovery Center, open to visitors on weekends from 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. Here, various learning stations allow children to hone their science skills and explore our living laboratory. Your commitment can be as little as 8 hours per month, after one session of training/orientation.
Contact and Further Information
To apply for a position as a docent or Discover Center volunteer, contact Debbie Dieneman at 718-399-7324 or ddieneman@wcs.org.
Find out more about which opportunity is right for you.
Meet Joe Ciccone
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©WCS/S.Bolduc
| “Wildlife is important to our survival as a species, and getting that point across to the public is absolutely necessary in our urban environment, where nature issues can be lost in the noise of civilization.”—Joe C., Prospect Park Zoo Volunteer since 1992
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Favorite area: The Discovery Trail! This woodland walk features red pandas, porcupines, and kangaroos, which Joe points out to visitors on guided tours. His favorite time to tour is morning, when the animals are most active.
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Favorite volunteer activities: Narrating the sea lion demonstrations and hosting live animal demos for zoo-goers.
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Why he volunteers: The zoo’s a rewarding place for an animal-lover like Joe, who has kept pets all his life. He is a retired New York City schoolteacher, and enjoys educating and sharing information with the public, especially children. And of course, he feels good doing his part to help conserve wildlife.
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