Adult Volunteer Opportunities

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has a variety of opportunities for individuals who are able to dedicate at least 8 hours per month for a minimum of 6 months.

We welcome anyone over the age of 18 to apply to our Adult Volunteer Program. However, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens does not provide community service in relation to legal and probationary requirements. All adult volunteers will be subject to a background check. Individuals who do not have a clear background check will be ineligible for the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ Adult Volunteer Program. 

Types of Volunteer Opportunities

There are a variety of exciting volunteer opportunities at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens!

Below is a general list of volunteer opportunities at JZG:

Administrative volunteer: Assist with a variety of administrative office tasks from data entry, filing, shredding, and other office related duties.

Animal Nutrition Center volunteer- Assist with diet preparation for a variety of animals (includes rare meat).

Bird Keeper volunteer- Assist with general clean-up and preparing bird diets in bird areas.

Animal Wellness Support volunteer - Assist with animal record-keeping/recording, housekeeping/laundry, guest interaction, enrichment preparation and evaluation, animal diet preparation, animal behavior observation. 

Citizen Science volunteer - Assist with the collection of data for scientific research. Click here to learn more about our Citizen Science opportunities.

FrogWatch USA volunteer- Assist with frog and toad monitoring and data collection both at the Zoo and at home. Requires a separate training. Click here to learn more about how to help frogs and toads in the wild.

Education Classroom volunteer- Assist with camps, home school programs, adult workshops and other classes; assists with arts and crafts, classroom projects and student supervision.

Education Keeper volunteer- Assist with the education animal collection, cleanup and diet preparations.

Exhibit Guide volunteer- Be an ambassador for the Zoo! Interacting with Guests, discussing animals, conservation and relevant information.

Facilities volunteer- Mr. or Ms. Fix-it! Assist the facilities department with a variety of projects and small tasks throughout the Zoo.

Facilities Special Projects:  We need help building the zoo!  Put your handyman skills to work by helping out at the Zoo.  Are you a handy type person that helps out around the house?  Bring your skills to the Zoo. The Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens facilities team has projects that you can assist us with. Work with our facilities team to build, maintain, repair a variety of projects throughout the Zoo.

Facilities Workshop Project: Assist us by working weekly in our tool room putting away product, organizing equipment, labeling items,helping with incoming deliveries for work orders and taking inventory when needed.  Needs to be organized, able to lift heavy boxes and move equipment.

Gift Shop volunteer- Arrange and organize merchandise, greet guests, assist with guest inquires at the various Zoo gift shops.

Hospital Keeper volunteer- Assist with care and cleaning in an area that has an ever-changing collection of animals. Be ready to assist with medical care, cleaning and projects where you get dirty!

Mammal Keeper volunteer- Assist with care and maintenance in areas that serve giraffes, elephants and other incredible Zoo mammals.

Safety & Security volunteer - Assist with directing guests throughout the zoo, aid with ticket lines on busy days and complete administrative tasks.

Train Dock volunteer- Take tickets, greet guests, secure passengers at the Train Dock.

Wildlife Services volunteer - Assist our Wildlife Services Technicians with various tasks to include browse collection/distribution, resident wildlife management duties and help with manatee ambassador talks with our guests.

At Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens our goal is to create the most natural environment possible for our diverse collection of animals. For this reason, all volunteer positions are considered “hands-off” and do not involve direct handling of our animals. We encourage you to volunteer with us only if you are comfortable with this policy. We appreciate your understanding.

All positions are subject to availability; the Volunteer Engagement Department must select the position that fits both the volunteer’s interests and the needs of the Zoo. The Volunteer Engagement Department reserves the right to reject a prospective volunteer for any reason.

How to Become an Adult Volunteer

Complete an online application. Volunteer department staff will be in touch with applicants about any next steps.