Opportunities From: Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens

Interns will be able to work alongside keepers in the day-to-day care of these species and interact with guests. Interns will learn about animal husbandry, behavior, dietary requirements, operant conditioning training, enrichment, animal restraint, and species management.

Interns are supervised by animal care staff within the department; however, with some specific projects, interns are expected to have the ability to work autonomously following directions. In addition to assisting with cleaning, interns will have the opportunity to be involved with public presentations, diet preparation, animal feeding, and special projects, including the creation of enrichment items and participation in research programs. Interns will be exposed to various animals ranging from invertebrates to mammals. Assignments and opportunities that are available to animal department interns are based on individual progress during the internship.

Animal Department Internship encompasses a wide variety of species and is dependent on the department selected. Interns will be able to work alongside keepers in the day-to-day care of these species and interact with guests. Interns will be able to learn about animal husbandry, behavior, dietary requirements, operant conditioning training, enrichment, animal restraint, and species management.

Provide support to the Animal Department staff in daily animal care duties. Allow qualified individuals the opportunity to gain professional hands-on experience. Promote an opportunity to gain a strong understanding of potential careers in animal husbandry, research, and conservation.

Animal Department interns are supervised by animal care staff within the department; however, with some specific projects, interns are expected to have the ability to work autonomously following directions. In addition to assisting with cleaning, interns will have the opportunity to be involved with public presentations, diet preparation, animal feeding, and special projects, including the creation of enrichment items and participation in research programs. Interns will be exposed to a wide variety of species. Assignments and opportunities that are available to an intern are based on individual progress during the internship.

This position involves a lot of walking and lifting. Time outdoors is expected in all different weather conditions, including heat, humidity, rain, or dust. It may also involve considerable physical exertion such as climbing, reaching, assuming awkward positions, repetitive motions, and lifting and/or moving heavy objects (up to 50 pounds) on a regular basis. Due to the nature of this environment, interns will have some public contact requiring considerable communication skills.

Internship Dates and Deadline to Apply:

The start date is normally within the first 2 weeks of the first month of the internship and it is a 3-month, 16 hours per week unpaid internship.

For questions about our internship programs please email volunteers@centralfloridazoo.org

Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens is hosting our much-anticipated return of the Asian Lantern Festival!

If you aren’t familiar with this event, the Asian Lantern Festival is the only event in Central Florida celebrating the culture, art, and beauty of traditional lantern festivals celebrated throughout Asia for centuries. This event was created in partnership with Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc., an international event design and manufacturing company headquartered in Zigong, Sichuan, China. The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens has been transformed into a dazzling evening experience 3/4 miles long featuring more than 30 larger-than-life displays of illuminated sculptures depicting animals, plants, and traditional Chinese elements. In addition to the hand-made LED-lit lanterns, festival attendees will get to enjoy local food and beverage options, live music, and authentic artisan crafts. This event often sells out, so volunteering is a great opportunity to experience the event and give back at the same time!

In order to make this event wildly successful, we are looking to volunteers to assist across 50 select event dates from November through January. Grab a group of friends, family, colleagues, or alike, and join us in making these evenings an unforgettable experience for our guests!

We need at least 7 volunteers every night to keep the event running smoothly but can accept up to 16 each night. Volunteers will be assisting with directing and engaging with guests. We need volunteers from 5:00 pm-10:30 pm, although you may get out earlier.  We have some great food sold on the property at the Zoo if you need food provided.

We do allow children ages 13 and up to volunteer. However, if they are under 18 years old, we will need 1 chaperone per every 1-2 children because we want to make sure they have an adult with them at all times.

What might you be doing at Asian Lantern Festival?

We have a variety of volunteer stations throughout the park, like greeting and directing guests, and ensuring guests have an unforgettable night with us at our biggest event of the year!

We welcome both individual sign-ups AND teams! To sign up as a team, please follow the instructions below:

Select "Respond As Team" at the top of this page

If you do not currently have an account, the system will prompt you to create one. When it asks you what track to select, please select "I want to volunteer at an event or with my team" and continue making your account from there

Select "Use One of My Teams" if you already have an account and a team you want to use again OR select "Create A New Team" if you are creating a new team

If you are using an existing team, you know the drill now! If you are creating a new team...

Make your Team Name (we recommend making your team name the same as your organization) and check the leader box to make yourself the leader

Select "Continue" and select the day(s) you'd like to sign your team up for and then select "Finish"

You should now be on this page: https://centralfloridazoo.galaxydigital.com/user/teams

From here you can click on "Manage Team" where you can reserve slots, add team members, email RSVP'ed members, and share a join link with your organization for them to register

We highly recommend using the "Copy Join Link" feature and sending that out to your organization members, that will be the easiest way to get your team signed up

If you prefer to add the team members yourself, you may get a pop-up that gives you an error message about either them not having an account yet or if they have not met a qualification, click the "Click Here" for your team member to become qualified (qualified means they need to sign our e-waiver) and/or create an account

BOTANCIAL GARDENER VOLUNTEER POSITION OVERVIEW

Botanical Gardener volunteers work closely with our horticulture team to maintain our botanical gardens. We have over 5 gardens with several unique plants all throughout the Zoo that attract pollinators and create a beautiful ambiance on grounds. Botanical Gardeners will assist in landscaping, gardening, invasive plant removals, and more. This is the perfect volunteer program if you enjoy working outdoors, plants, and beautifying our Zoo!

Questions? Email Volunteer Services at volunteers@centralfloridazoo.org

This internship position includes assisting the Zoo Teacher education team with education programs at the Zoo. Our exciting education programs offer students a wide variety of fun and interesting topics to learn about, including endangered species, careers in zoos, animal adaptations, Florida wildlife, island animals, and much more!

Duties will include setting up programs, supervising students, assisting Zoo Teachers with program activities, and clean up. As part of assisting the Zoo Teacher team with teaching duties, the internship will also include training to work with program animals in the Education Department.

This position involves walking, standing, and potentially lifting. Time outdoors is expected in all different weather conditions, including heat, humidity, rain, or dust. It may also involve considerable physical exertion such as climbing, reaching, assuming awkward positions, repetitive motions, and lifting and/or moving heavy objects (up to 50 pounds) on a regular basis. Due to the nature of this environment, Education interns will have a lot of public contact requiring considerable communication skills.

Internship Dates and Deadline to Apply:

For questions about our education internship programs please email dawnd@centralfloridazoo.org

Log your hours under this category if you volunteered for something that wasn't on your schedule.

Interns will be able to work alongside keepers in the day-to-day care of Eastern indigo snakes, striped newts, and other Florida Native reptiles. Interns will learn about animal husbandry, behavior, dietary requirements, animal restraint, and species management.

Interns are supervised by animal care staff; however, with some specific projects, interns are expected to have the ability to work autonomously following directions. In addition to assisting with cleaning, interns will have the opportunity to be involved with public presentations, diet preparation, animal feeding, and special projects, including participation in research programs. Interns will be exposed to various animals, including Eastern indigo snakes, striped newts, and other Florida native reptiles. Assignments and opportunities available to interns are based on individual progress during the internship.

Interns will be able to learn about animal husbandry, behavior, dietary requirements, animal restraint, and species management.

Provide support to the OCIC staff in daily animal care duties. Allow qualified individuals the opportunity to gain professional hands-on experience. Promote an opportunity to gain a strong understanding of potential careers in animal husbandry, research, and conservation.

OCIC interns are supervised by animal care staff; however, with some specific projects, interns are expected to have the ability to work autonomously following directions. In addition to assisting with cleaning, interns will have the opportunity to be involved with public presentations, diet preparation, animal feeding, and special projects, including participation in research programs. Interns will be exposed to a wide variety of species. Assignments and opportunities available to an intern are based on individual progress during the internship.

This position involves a lot of walking and lifting. Time outdoors is expected in all different weather conditions, including heat, humidity, rain, or dust. It may also involve considerable physical exertion, such as regularly lifting, reaching, assuming awkward positions, repetitive motions, and lifting and/or moving heavy objects (up to 50 pounds). Due to the nature of this environment, interns will have some public contact requiring considerable communication skills.

Internship Dates and Deadline to Apply:

For questions about our OCIC internship program, please email nickc@centralfloridazoo.org

Applications will be accepted Feburary 1st - April 15th annually

Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Garden’s Teen Team, teenagers ages 13 to 17, can make new friends, learn something new, and play a vital role in educating Zoo visitors. Teens will receive special hands-on training, including educating the public about conservation, presenting wildlife biofacts, and handling animals. They’ll participate in special events and share their new knowledge on wildlife and conservation issues with guests, learning the skills they’ll need later in life and gaining valuable work experience.

We bring on new Teen Team volunteers once a year. The annual process starts in February when we open applications, where applications remain open for two months. You will be able to complete the application using the link below at that time. Three required documents need to be attached to the application, and those documents will be available on the application when it opens.

Teens must apply for the Teen Team program and complete an interview on a pre-scheduled interview date. If selected, teens must attend a multi-day training program and pass a final exam. Training classes will be during the summer, on the weekends. Upon successful completion of training, teens volunteer on select Saturdays and Sundays each month. During Summer break, teens may have the opportunity to volunteer on weekdays by assisting with Summer Camp.

The Teen Team program is designed to foster independence, professionalism, and responsibility in teens. Our program is designed to provide a healthy boost to teens’ self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. While parental support is important, it’s crucial that teens take the initiative in managing their volunteer commitments just as they would in a paid position. This means they should be the primary contact for communications and be proactive in handling their schedules and responsibilities.

Please have your teen to fill out the application themselves, have them use their own email and phone number in the application, and encourage them to communicate directly with Volunteer Services staff. This experience is not only about volunteering but also about growing into responsible, professional, and self-sufficient young adults.

The application and onboarding process is as follows:

Questions? Email Volunteer Services at volunteers@centralfloridazoo.org

Our Youth Ambassador volunteer program is for high school students in 9th – 12th grade who want to complete volunteer hours for graduation, scholarships, courses, or club requirements at the Zoo. This program is approved for scholarships like the Florida Bright Futures scholarship. Students will volunteer by interacting with Zoo guests at various activity stations using animal-related biofacts and activities. This is a fun opportunity for those who enjoy talking and interacting with people.

This program is best suited for students who are looking to earn a minimum of 50 hours. It is a self-scheduled program with regular shifts starting at  2-hour increments.

We onboard new Youth Ambassador volunteers approximately every other month. We send out invites to attend an orientation and training session about one month before the scheduled date. These sessions occur on either Saturdays or Sundays. If accepted as a Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens volunteer, an initial volunteer orientation training session is required before beginning volunteer service. Completing on-the-job training and an introductory period is also required before full acceptance into the Youth Ambassador volunteer position.

Our teen programs are designed to foster independence, professionalism, and responsibility in teens. The program is designed to provide a healthy boost to teens’ self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. While parental support is important, it’s crucial that teens take the initiative in managing their volunteer commitments just as they would in a paid position. This means they should be the primary contact for communications and be proactive in handling their schedules and responsibilities.

Please have your teen fill out the application themselves, have them use their own email and phone number in the application, and encourage them to communicate directly with Volunteer Services staff. This experience is not only about volunteering but also about growing into responsible, professional, and self-sufficient young adults.

Questions? Email Volunteer Services at volunteers@centralfloridazoo.org

For logging hours or checking in external (episodic) volunteers for events