1071 Wells Road, Jacksonville, NC 28540
The Role of a Volunteer At Lynnwood Park Zoo
Interested in an exciting volunteer opportunity? Needing community service hours for school, a promotion, or just looking for experience in the animal care field? Well look no further! We are searching for hardworking, dedicated volunteers to complete a wide range of tasks such as animal care, public education, and overall park upkeep. We are currently offering volunteer opportunities on Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays between the hours of 8am-5pm. All volunteers will be required to fill out a volunteer application. Please read below to see if volunteering at Lynnwood Park Zoo is the right fit for you! For those interested, please swing by during open hours for an application. We can't wait for you to join our team!
Duties and Responsibilities of a Volunteer
Animal Care
At Lynnwood Park Zoo, animal care is of the highest priority. Therefore, volunteers are afforded the opportunity to learn what it means to be a zookeeper. This is one of the most rewarding parts of joining our team, as you are responsible for the health and wellbeing of the animals. Assignments provided will begin at the most basic level to ensure that volunteers can complete rudimentary husbandry tasks. These tasks may include cleaning bird habitats, cleaning hoofstock habitats, scrubbing and refilling waters, raking around and inside habitats, offloading hay, refilling feed bins, and creating enrichment items. While there is no pre-determined number of hours a volunteer may be at the beginner level, the staff may at some point determine that basic tasks can be completed by the volunteer and add on additional assignments. This will be at the discretion of the Director and Deputy Director. These additional assignments may include cleaning capybara, prairie dog, wallaby, cavy, etc. Other tasks may be assigned as well dependent upon the availability of staff to accompany the volunteer in doing so. Animal habitats considered dangerous will never be assigned to volunteers as part of their daily tasks, although a staff member may allow volunteers that have demonstrated excellent skills and abilities to accompany them in completing tasks working with those animals.
Public Education
One of the major goals of our facility is to provide guests an educational experience. Volunteers at Lynnwood Park assist in providing education programs with the greatest ambassador animals! These animals may consist of quail, chickens, pigeons, tortoises, lizards, snakes, and rodents. Volunteers must be comfortable and confident working with these animals to ensure the animal’s safety as well as the safety of guests and other volunteers. Volunteers must also be comfortable with public speaking as we provide these programs for guests of all ages. For individuals interested in educating guests on the uniqueness of these animals and the importance of conservation, leading education programs can be a rewarding experience!
Park Upkeep
Keeping the park in pristine order allows for guests to have a safe and enjoyable experience. Volunteers will complete a variety of tasks to include raking, path resurfacing, weed-eating, mowing, building, repairing, planting, mulching, ditching, etc.
Volunteer Requirements
In order to volunteer with us, these are the qualifications one must meet.
1) Must be able to lift 50 lbs.
2) Must have reliable transportation and arrive to shifts on time.
3) Must be comfortable working in various weather conditions.
4) Must be comfortable speaking to guests of all ages.
5) Must be comfortable handling mammals, birds, and reptiles.
6) Must be able to follow instructions and rules of the park.
7) Must be able to work independently as well as part of a team.
