What to expect whilst volunteering

If you love talking to people and have a passion for animals and the world around you, then find out more about our Engagement and Education Volunteers (for those aged 18 years +).

These roles will involve no direct animal contact, but will focus on engagement with members of the public and increasing positive visitor-staff interactions on site.

The role will run within normal zoo opening hours. We will be able to offer half-day, or full-day sessions depending on your availability and what works best for you!

Tasks you will be able to perform will include:

  • Manning walkthrough areas, such as Lemur Wood and Lorikeet Lookout. Helping with crowd control and answering any questions. Also providing information on relevant conservation work that we do with AEECL (Lemurs) and Silent Forest and CBBC (Songbirds).
  • Being an identifiable presence in high footfall areas (such as Giraffes and Otters), encouraging better behaviour (no feeding of the animals) and answering questions. Offering fun facts and showing exciting and relevant artefacts to encourage visitor interaction and hopefully increase the education value of the visit.
  • Manning pop-up “touch tables” in busy areas of the site, with artefacts to draw in visitors. This will increase the potential for meaningful conversations about our conservation work, both in-situ and ex-situ. (Suggested areas include: Cats Causeway, Flamingo Falls, Orangutan indoor area, Chimp indoor area).
  • Assisting the Education Team before and after “keeper talks” on busy days. Helping advertise beforehand and remaining on-hand to answer any questions.
  • “Busking” on site. Taking out robust artefacts to walk around high flow areas on site, which can provide invaluable opportunities to discuss conservation issues.

We want you to enjoy your time volunteering with us here at Dudley Zoo and Castle. If you have any particular interests on the site, be that the castle, site history or a favourite animal, please let a member of the Education Team know!

You can contact us by emailing education@dudleyzoo.org.uk