Volunteering

Please note your area of interest:

Contact Area Volunteers

As a contact area volunteer, you will oversee guest/animal interactions and monitor animal behaviors at one of our two contact areas. This includes our Touch Africa Petting Zoo with Nigerian Dwarf goats and juvenile Alpine goats, as well as our Wallaby Walkabout with Red-Necked wallabies, Kunekune pigs, and emus. While you’re stationed in these areas, you will have the opportunity to build enrichment for the animals, learn to use ethograms to record their behavior for keepers, and share fun facts about our wildlife with zoo guests.  

To ensure that our volunteers remain familiar with the animals in our contact areas, this opportunity requires 12 hours of service monthly. The zoo operates from 10AM-4PM Tuesday-Sunday and 2 or 4 hour shifts are offered.

Requirements for Contact Area Volunteers 

• Must be at least 16 years old
• Must be able to stand for extended periods of time
• Must submit a standard background check if 18+ years old
• Must be willing to interact with zoo guests and enforce rules in each area

Education Docents

Education Docents spend time engaging with Zoo guests and share information about the animals in the Hattiesburg Zoo as well as conservation efforts being made to help support and protect wildlife.  Docents are stationed around the Zoo with biofacts or ambassador animals, ready to answer guests’ questions and teach people of all ages about our animals and our mission to grow conservation and education knowledge.  Docents also have the opportunity to help oversee guest and animal interactions in the Wallaby Walkabout and Touch Africa petting zoo, and facilitate guest-animal interactions. 

Shifts are typically from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.  

Requirements for Docents:

• 16 years of age or older
• Have a passion for learning about wildlife and conservation facts and information
• Willing to communicate and interact with Zoo guests
• Must be able to stand for long periods of time
• If you are 18+ a background check is required

Guest Services Volunteer

Guest Services volunteers help enhance Zoo guests’ experiences. These volunteers assist with giving directions as to different attractions within the zoo, greet guests throughout the Zoo, watch for foot traffic and clear the tracks during train crossings and assist with crowded, guest-related areas of the zoo.  Animated and enthusiastic individuals with a love for varying personalities are best utilized as Guest Service Volunteers.  

Shifts for Guest Service Volunteers vary, and are needed for holiday events, special events, weekends and some weeknights. 

Requirements for Guest Service Volunteers

• 16 years of age or older
• Must be familiar with the Zoo’s layout 
• Willing and able to communicate freely with Zoo guests
• Have a passion for people and an interest in enhancing the Zoo experience for guests
• Must be willing to stand for long periods of time.  

Junior Volunteer

Junior Volunteers will have the opportunity to serve as a Habitat Host, engaging guests with hands-on biofacts, sharing animals’ names and personalities, and emphasizing the importance of conservation at our largest animal habitats. They will study animal behavior using ethograms, build enrichment for animals to stimulate their natural instincts, and demonstrate animal training techniques to zoo guests. They will also assist staff in monitoring guest/animal interactions in contact areas like our Touch Africa
Petting Zoo and Wallaby Walkabout.

Requirements for Junior Volunteers

• Between the ages of 13-15
• Attend one Saturday training session during one of the onboarding months
  (April, July, and November).
• Commit to a minimum of one full day per month volunteering at the zoo
  (Tuesday – Sunday from 10AM-4PM)
• Be excited to engage with zoo guests and share your knowledge with a positive
  attitude.
• Follow all zoo safety guidelines and procedures.