FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                              January 28, 2010

CONTACTS:  Candice Rennels (405) 425-0298, (405) 412-6172, cell or crennels@okczoo.com

                   Tara Henson (405) 425-0219, (405) 919-9038, cell or thenson@okczoo.com

 OKC ZOO OFFERS A VARIETY OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Looking for a little adventure in your life? Consider volunteering at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden. If you are 18 or older and interested in animals, plants or people then the Zoo needs you! Attend the Volunteer Recruitment on Saturday, February 6, at 10 a.m. in the Rosser Conservation Education Center to learn more about becoming a Zoo volunteer. Attendees may enter through the Education Center located at the east end of the Zoo’s parking lot.

From working side-by-side with our Zoo Keepers to helping keep our grounds looks green, the Zoo has a variety of volunteer opportunities available including:  

• Animal Area: Assist our Zoo Keepers with their animal husbandry duties. Work behind the scenes to help clean, and maintain our animal exhibits and enrich the lives of our animal residents. A perfect placement for those pursuing a zoo related career.

• Education: Work on zoo grounds and in the Education Center educating visitors about the Zoo’s animals and plants. 

• Horticulture: Assist the Zoo’s Horticulture team with keepin’ the Zoo green and maintaining our accredited botanical gardens.

The time requirement for Horticulture and Animal Area volunteers is one 8-hour day a week for a minimum of six months. Education volunteers complete training and 50 hours of service. Horticulture and animal area volunteers work year round.  Education volunteers are seasonal (March through October). Training consists of an orientation and job shadowing.

All applicants must be 18 years of age or older and will be interviewed prior to placement. Interviews will be held directly following Volunteer Recruitment on February 6. For more information about the Zoo’s volunteer program call (405) 425-0275.

Visit the Oklahoma City Zoo, Oklahoma’s #1 attraction and one of the top three family-friendly zoos in the nation. The wild is calling! Located at NE 52^nd and Martin Luther King Blvd., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111, in the heart of Oklahoma City’s Adventure District, Zoo hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Standard admission is $7 for adults and $4 for children ages three to 11 and seniors ages 65 and older. Children two and under are free.  For more information, call (405) 424-3344 or visit www.okczoo.com.

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