 | Trevor Zoo Volunteer Program The Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School offers a volunteer-based learning experience for individuals who are energetic, willing to work hard, and enjoy caring for animals. Volunteers will be involved in various aspects of zoo work depending upon age and experience. (See program descriptions below.) Activities may include food preparation, cleaning of cages, helping to provide behavioral enrichment for the animals, and providing information and tours for visitors. Volunteers will be trained by the Animal Care Coordinator and Keeper Supervisor for each task they perform.
There is a large demand for all of our programs. Unfortunately, we do not have a large enough staff to be able to work with everyone who is interested. While we do not want to limit interest in the natural world or for working with wildlife, we must have some guidelines to keep our volunteer program manageable.
- Volunteers must show proof of insurance for any medical emergencies which might occur.
- Volunteers must be willing to undergo proper training including but not limited to human emergencies, animal escapes, fire emergencies and weather emergencies.
- Working safely with animals in a zoo setting requires careful attention to detail, following directions exactly, and being an excellent role model for other volunteers and visitors.
- Volunteers may be subject to an evaluation during their time at the Trevor Zoo. Any volunteer who cannot act in a consistently responsible and mature manner will be asked to leave the program.
- If admitted to the program, there is a $100 non-refundable administrative fee payable to the Trevor Zoo. This fee includes a Trevor Zoo volunteer t-shirt.
- The application for the volunteer program can be dowloaded by clicking the link on the right side of this page.
- Please send applications and questions to Jessica Bennett, Animal Care Coordinator. Jessica can be reached at jbennett@millbrook.org.
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| Summer Volunteers (ages 12-16) This volunteer opportunity is geared toward students 12-16 years old. There is a high demand for this program and we can only accommodate 40 students. Our selection process generally follows this order of priority: returning volunteers, oldest new volunteers, youngest new volunteers. All volunteers, whether accepted or not, need to submit a new application each year. Please click Read More for specific guidelines for the summer volunteer program:
- Volunteers must be available for a three-hour block of time (9:00-12:00) or (1:00-4:00).
- Although we can be flexible in choosing days of the week and scheduling around summer vacations, we would like a commitment of at least thirty hours between July 1st and August 30th
- Volunteers must be at least 12 years of age by May 1st.
- Volunteers will pay administration fees during the meeting in June; volunteers may only sign up for time slots after the fee is paid.
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College Semester Volunteers (two per semester)Some participating colleges allow work study or credit hours for volunteering at the Trevor Zoo. This Animal Husbandry Internship is an opportunity open to students who attend college within 40 minutes of the Trevor Zoo. You must have your own transportation to commute to the zoo each week. We ask that you dedicate at least 40 hours a semester. Current participating colleges are Vassar, Marist, Bard, and SUNY Ulster. Please contact your college office and Jessica Bennett at the Trevor Zoo for more information. |
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| Summer Behavioral Enrichment Internship (four per summer) The Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School offers a three month unpaid behavioral enrichment internship from June to August to a college student interested in pursuing a career in animal science, wildlife management, veterinary care, or other animal related fields. Enrichment is an integral part of Trevor Zoo’s animal husbandry protocol.
Click Read More to learn about the Trevor Zoo's behavioral enrichment philosophy and details about the volunteer program. Trevor Zoo Behavioral Enrichment Philosophy:
Captive animals live in environments which typically provide them with less stimulation than they would experience in the wild. Animals which do not receive enough stimulation can become bored, develop stereotypic behaviors, and experience decreases in general health. Thus it is extremely important that our captive animals receive as much and as varied stimulation from our husbandry program as possible.
In general, ongoing efforts to provide animals with stimuli within their exhibits and holding areas are called behavioral enrichment. The goal of the behavioral enrichment program is to provide each animal with appropriate opportunities to perform as many natural behaviors as possible. The enrichment program should be considered an integral component of the husbandry program and as such should be regularly evaluated and improved.
This internship provides students an opportunity to learn about and assist zoo staff in following proper husbandry techniques necessary for a high quality experience for the animals in the collection and to learn about the daily requirements of each species. During the three months at the Trevor Zoo, enrichment interns will shadow and closely train with zoo staff as well as prepare, observe and present their own behavior enrichment research project. Below are several requirements for the summer behavioral enrichment intern:
- Applicants must be enrolled in or just completed a bachelor degree at a 4 year college
- Applicants must live locally or have access to transportation; we do not offer housing or transportation compensation.
- Applicants must be willing to dedicate a total of 80 hours to this internship.
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Adult VolunteersAll interested adult volunteers should submit a cover letter and resume to Jessica Bennett. Depending on the needs of the zoo, an interview will be set up to discuss the applicant’s objective, work experience, and what opportunities may be available. |
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| | Announcement for Summer Volunteers We are NO LONGER accepting applications for the Summer 2013 Volunteer program at the Trevor Zoo. Thank you for your interest and please do try again next year.
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Application for Volunteers Zoo Volunteer Application
Download, complete, and submit this form in order to apply for the volunteer program at the Trevor Zoo.
If completing the PDF electronically, please email the completed form to jbennett@millbrook.org. You may also print, complete, and mail to:
The Trevor Zoo
131 Millbrook School Road
Millbrook, NY 12545
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