A Texas-sized ‘thank you’ to our selfless volunteers

As the director of Volunteer Services at the Dallas Zoo and Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park, I’m continually amazed at the wonderful things our volunteers do. They bring a wealth of knowledge, skill and enthusiasm that is unmatched. And they help us in almost every area.

Staff love our volunteers, guests love them and, of course, our animals REALLY love them! They’re a pleasure to be around and a pleasure to work with. They are here because they choose to be here. Their hearts are in it 100 percent. They show up with a smile and leave with a smile. Most importantly, they help us achieve our mission of “Conserving Wildlife and Inspiring a Passion for Nature” day in and day out.

In 2015, the Dallas Zoo set a new attendance record of welcoming more than one million visitors!  We also set new records in our volunteer department. Here are a few statistics from the fiscal year:

• 277 core volunteers contributed 22,595 hours of service
• 1,343 corporate and group volunteers contributed 11,048 hours of service
• 24 interns and veterinary externs contributed 9,580 hours of service

That’s 1,644 volunteers who gave 43,223 hours of time to the Dallas Zoo and Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park, and we’re on track to top those numbers this year!

Are you wondering how you can join us? You don’t have to be an animal expert or a master in conservation. As long you’re at least 18, have a passion for wildlife and nature, and are able to meet the time commitment required for the volunteer opportunity you choose, we would love to talk to you!

Some of our volunteer opportunities include:

• Animal keeper aides
• Gorilla Research Station (GRS) ambassador
• Base camp ambassador
• Park ambassador
• Education program assistants
• Animal Nutrition Center (ANC) aide
• Horticulture volunteer
• Clerical volunteer
• Conservation “Wild Earth” Action Days volunteer
• Special events – SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) weekends, Halloween Nights, Zoo to Do and more

CLICK HERE to learn more about our volunteer opportunities. We’d love to welcome you to our Dallas Zoo family.