Volunteering

Are you an animal enthusiast? Would you like to learn more about animals, nature and conservation? Would you like to meet new people and work as part of a dynamic team of like minded volunteers all working together to assist Dublin Zoo in its work.

Dublin Zoo’s volunteers are a vital component of the zoo team and help to promote the zoo and its conservation & education programmes. Our volunteers help to educate our visitors about the zoo’s animals and environmental/conservation issues through assisting with tours, workshops, events and classes for school children. 

As a Dublin Zoo volunteer you will receive comprehensive training (including behind the scenes tours with our keepers), a free uniform, 50% discount on an individual annual pass, regular updates on ‘ZOONOOZ’, zoo social events and other special events such as lectures and zoo themed trips.

The following are the main areas volunteers with Dublin Zoo can expect to work:

• Learning & Discovery Centre - this is an interactive space where we have biofacts on display e.g. animal skulls, skins, live insects and plants etc. The centre is used as an education facility and is staffed exclusively by volunteers.

• Guided tours - taking groups of people of all ages round the zoo, informing visitors about the Zoo’s animals, plants, conservation and the role of modern zoos in the protection of endangered species.

• Out and about – Volunteers assist the zoo by acting as ‘the face of Dublin Zoo’ on the ground, assisting our visitors with any questions or issues they may have, protecting the animals from unauthorised feeding and helping the keepers if needed.

• Administration – assisting in the education team with administrative tasks such as putting together info packs, event preparation, filing, photo/document archiving or computer inputting etc
 

• Animal Watch – Assisting the animal care team with animal observation to record the behaviour of an individual  animal particularly newborns,  or newly introduced animals etc
 

• Outreach Events – Assisting the zoo in its off site work including representing Dublin Zoo at events such as the BT Young Scientist Awards, Bloom, the Education Show or other off site venues where the work of Dublin Zoo is promoted.
 

• Teachers Assistant – Working in conjunction with the education team,  Dublin Zoo’s volunteers assist with our secondary and primary schools classes & workshops, subjects include ecology, environmental awareness, conservation & art modules.

• Zoo Events  - Assisting  zoo staff with annual events that take place in the Zoo, including Breakfast with Santa, face painting,  Summer & Halloween camps and seasonal  themed workshops.

• Biofact & Archiving projects - assist with the preparation of biofacts e.g. skulls for display in the Learning & Discovery centre

Download the Volunteer application form below

• Click here to download the Volunteer application form

Please note: Applicants must be 18 years or older.

**Applications for Dublin Zoo’s Volunteer programme are currently closed. You can keep an eye on this webpage to see when applications open again .Thank You**