Become a Red River Zoo volunteer!

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Volunteers are able to assist zoo activities any day of the week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There is no maximum or minimum you need to achieve in a day, hours are dependent on your availability. If you'd like to volunteer for a half an hour, one hour, or even several hours it's all up to you! For individual volunteers , you have an option of choosing between two volunteer statuses: temporary volunteers and active volunteers .

• Temporaryvolunteers gain access to basic volunteer opportunities such as "beautification" . This includes activities such as: gardening, raking, mulching, and helping our zoo look our best; cleaning, such as sanitizing our carousel and children toys, checking for waste within our zoo, and other tasks to help keep our zoo a clean, healthy environment; and helping prepare for our fall events! Temporaryvolunteers also participate in animal enrichment activities, Red River Zoo events, Education events, and other opportunities available. This status is beneficial for: people with community or course hours to fulfill, a small group of two to five people, for those who wish to test the waters before commuting to volunteering , and for people who may not be able to dedicate 10 hours of volunteer service in a calendar year. This status does not have a volunteer fee.
• Active Volunteers gain access to all previous opportunities as temporaryvolunteers in addition to: more in-depth animal enrichment activities, preparation of the animal's diets and nutritional needs, walking our Gypsy Vanner Horse Aragon, Education outreach opportunities, the Red River Zoo Docent program (upon completion of 40 hours of general volunteerism ), access to Red River Zoo Newsletters and informational monthly meetings, volunteer award programs, and our Red River Zoo Discount Card for the Gift Shop and Concession stand items. The Active Volunteer status has a time requirement of completing 10 hours in a calendar year and $25 fee for your volunteer shirt, name badge, and other materials.

For group volunteers, we can accommodate for a group size of five to thirty volunteers at one time! Groups volunteers are beneficial for clubs, sororities and fraternities, and local organizations to support the Red River Zoo conservation and community efforts. Similar to temporaryvolunteers, group volunteer activities include but are not limited to: "beautification", such as gardening, raking, mulching, and helping our zoo look our best; cleaning, such as sanitizing our carousel and children toys, checking for waste within our zoo, and other tasks to help keep our zoo a clean, healthy environment; and helping prepare for our fall events. Group volunteers may also participate in animal enrichment projects, zoo events, and Education events such as Parent's Night Out. We cannot guarantee tasks your group will perform as they often depend on weather and availability. If you're interested in coordinating a group volunteer opportunity, please let me know what date you most prefer! To become a volunteer, you will need to attend an orientation meeting. In this meeting, we will cover safety guidelines, sign respective waivers, and give the required volunteer shirt. We will discuss any have questions you may have about what the volunteer program is and how you can help our animals. We will also discuss departments which you may volunteer within in more detail, such as zoo events or education programs. The orientation will take approximately one hour and does have a fee of $25 for the volunteer process for active volunteers . The fee will cover the volunteer shirt, name badge, and other needed items. For temporaryvolunteers , the orientation will take approximately half an hour and does not have the $25 fee. For group volunteers , I will provide a brief 15 minute orientation when you arrive to volunteer! Please let me know if you have any other questions, would like to schedule an orientation, or would like more information about volunteering on a specific date or event . You may also contact me in my office at 701-277-9240 ext 310. We look forward to working with you!