Animal antics
BioPark’s volunteer docents undergo rigorous selection, training process
Zoo docents’ training intense
Olivia Lawrence never imagined she would dedicated a year of her life to learning about animals.
When she retired last year she still needed a purpose.
“I said to myself ‘What am I gonna do?,’” she said. “Am I gonna go home and annoy the neighbors?”
Friends suggested that Lawrence research volunteering opportunities at the zoo. She read up on different opportunities and decided to become a docent at the ABQ BioPark Zoo. Docents are volunteer teachers who instruct the public about animal facts but also help people understand the interdependency of life in hopes of inspiring a spirit of conservationism.
Lawrence said she had no idea what she was in for when she applied. After learning there was a three-hour test at the end of the 12-session training course, she was almost scared away. She stuck in there and has now moved onto the apprenticeship part of the program. After attending the 12, six-hour courses, volunteers must shadow more veteran docents for about six months to convert theory to practice, according to Cheri Vogel, education curator for the ABQ BioPark.
The training course for the docent program starts every August culminating in the written exam in February. Vogel said not everyone will be accepted into the training program. Interested volunteers must fill out an application online, which is screened by Vogel and her staff. Volunteers can work in either the botanic gardens, the zoo or the aquarium, which are three separate courses.
“We want to make sure they are here for the right reasons,” Vogel said. “Are they passionate about this? Committed to conservation and willing to speak to the public.”
Vogel said zoos across the country play a fundamental role in worldwide conservation efforts.
After the shadowing part of the training, volunteers can then choose what they would
like to do. There are three areas in which they can work, Vogel said. They can work special events, become an ambassador who walks around the parks helping visitors, or do outreach, which entails going to local schools and nursing homes as part of the Zoo to You program. The BioPark does over 300 events a year. Volunteers can set their own schedule but Vogel said the BioPark asks them to volunteer at least 60 hours a year.
Lawrence was at the recent Animal Myth Day at the zoo near the rhinoceros exhibit. She was shadowing veteran docent Susan Findell, who completed the training program in 2011. Findell has traveled all over the world and said the zoo is one of the best she’s ever seen. She retired early from the insurance industry to take care of a grandchild.
“I knew the second I had free time, I was going to do this,” she said. “It was first on my bucket list.”
Lawrence and Findell are among the 400 docents the ABQ BioPark has, with 250 at the zoo alone.
During the training course, Vogel said volunteers learn about conservation, the ecosystem, and different teaching styles. Zoo volunteers learn about different animal groups, those working at the aquarium learn about underwater life and the botanical garden docents learn about the different gardens. She said she considers the rigorous course equal to that of a college course.
Sylvia Adair is a recent docent graduate but is still working a full-time job as a social worker. Her employer, she said, allowed her to take a leave-ofabsence for the entire month of January so she could study for the exam.
“I thought the course was harder than some college courses,” she said. “It was a whole new world for me.”