Passionate for Penguins? The Detroit Zoo Wants You

ROYAL OAK, MI – Here’s another sign that the Detroit Zoo’s new 33,000-square-foot Polk Penguin Conservation Center — the largest penguin facility in the world — is just a few months away from opening:

The zoo is looking for volunteers, ages 18 and older, to help out at the Penguin Conservation Center and elsewhere at the 125-acre zoo.

Volunteers are also needed in the zoo’s Arctic Ring of Life, Australian Outback Adventure and Wildlife Interpretive Gallery, as well as at the Belle Isle Nature Zoo. No experience is necessary to become a DZS volunteer, and volunteers do not handle or feed the animals.

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“Certainly everyone will be talking about the amazing Polk Penguin Conservation Center, but not all volunteers will be working there,” Volunteer Services Manager Linda Denomme said in a statement. “From Bunnyville to Wild Lights, we expect to be busier than ever, and the anticipated increase in attendance this year and beyond makes all volunteer positions equally important.”

The zoo crushed previous attendance records in 2015 with 1,476,378 visitors, compared with the previous record of 1,364,905 in 1997. The zoo has drawn more than 1 million visitors every year since then.

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The first volunteer orientation session of 2016 will be held from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, at the Detroit Zoo’s Ford Education Center; advance registration is required. Additional sessions are scheduled monthly through June.

Teens ages 15 to 17 can apply to become a member of the Zoo Corps to engage visitors in hands-on activities designed to enhance their understanding of wildlife and wild places.

Also, teens ages 16 and 17 are eligible to apply for the Counselor-in-Training program to volunteer June 20 to Aug.12 in Summer Safari camps, a program that allows students K-8 to discover the wonders of nature and wildlife at the Detroit Zoo. Counselors will interact with young campers while assisting with camp activities, games,crafts and tours.

“The Volunteen program is beneficial to teens who want to earn community service hours while working with a dynamic team from our education department and gain experience and skills that will allow them to thrive in a professional environment,” Denomme said.

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Volunteen candidates have until April 1 to submit an application for Zoo Corps and Counselor-in-Training positions. An interview process will follow, and teens selected for either program will be required to attend a three-hour training session. Zoo Corps Volunteens must devote a minimum of 20 hours of service from June through October, and teens in the Counselor-in-Training program must volunteer for a minimum of two week-long Summer Safari camp sessions.

To apply for a volunteer position, visit www.detroitzoo.org and click on the “Volunteer” link under “Support” for descriptions of Volunteer and Volunteen positions, orientation dates and details, and to download an application. For further information, call (248) 541-5717 ext. 3802 or email volunteer@detroitzoo.org.

» Detroit Zoo photo by Jennie Miller

Take a look back below at the arrival of gentoo penguins at the zoo: