Junior Zoo Keeper program

1. By Ed Rozier Junior Zoo Keeper program

2. How you can join? The program is a great volunteering opportunity for kids 5th grade and up and it continues to the summer after high school. The JZK program is great for students who are looking for experience working with people, learning leadership and time-management skills, and getting some quality time with animals. You can go to an informational meeting March 5th, 6th , or 8th from 7:00pm to 8:00pm at Miller Zoo or any other Zoo with this program. At that meeting they will give you application forms, and they will also tell you about what you’ll do, and the stages of which you’ll go through as you progress over each year. Shannon Reedy is the director of the JZK program at Miller Park Zoo and will do the speaking at the meeting. Hope this information helps you out.

3. STAGES • The JZK program goes through different stages. • BJZK: When you first start out you will be a BJZK which stands for Beginner Junior Zoo Keeper. During this stage you will basically learn about procedures and learn about different species of animals at the zoo. This all takes place in a one week summer camp. You’ll also get to meet some of the animals at the zoo up close and personal. • IJZK: After this you'll go to IJZK which stands for Intermediate JZK in which you learn about volunteering and you’ll have a lot of fun because of the activities like training rats, feeding the animals, and scavenger hunts around the zoo. At this stage you’ll learn about animal handling and guest services, in which you will hold animals for guest to come by and pet.

4. STAGES (CONTINUED) • AJZK: After that you will come to Advanced JZK which is when volunteering starts and when you learn more about the zoo like each one of the animal’s at the zoo’s names and other details. • MJZK: Then you will be a Master JZK which is the highest stage in which you can do a lot of things not available to other JZKs. You will help out a lot more with camps and volunteering. If you successfully complete this stage then you have an opportunity to go on a trip outside of the United States. • Each of these stages are a year long except for AJZK, and MJZK. Classroom meetings are twice a month starting in IJZK and is where you do your learning for later volunteering. If you’d like to learn more go to the informational meeting on the slide above.

5. Friends you’ll meet Animals at the Zoo of which you will handle include skinks, cockatoos, armadillos, Madagascan hissing cockroaches, opossums, tortoises, rabbits, hedge hogs, beaded lizards and rats. Every once and a while the zoo will obtain a new handling animal and list might continue. You’ll some times get to do stuff like give the wolfs enrichment which is something to get their brain working like toys or new items, feed the otter and fish, give frozen meat to the singing dogs, or do the same for the eagles. Later in the program animal observations will occur in which you either pick an animal or are assigned one to observe for a maximum of 45 minutes but a minimum of 15 minutes. At this time you really learn about your animal and how it acts along with its personality. After I did my observation I became particularly attached to that specific animal. One of my favorite animals to handle is Indigo the Skink because of how laid back she is. This helps so that she won’t scare a guest or move around a lot while handling which could make her fall and hurt herself. So as you can see this program will help you to meet some amazing animals.

6. Volunteering duties • Volunteering choices includes: • Watching and cleaning the petting zoo • Holding animals for guest to meet • Doing animal observations • Working in zoo kitchen • Cleaning up poop • Helping out with events at the zoo • Assisting guests • Cleaning windows • Sweeping floors

7. Tests While in classroom meetings once and a while you will take fairly easy tests. The tests are based off of emergency protocol, details about animal species, opening and closing times, feeding times, and names of animals at the zoo. The tests give you points which will tell if you are ready to move on to the next stage. Like I said before these tests are easy, so you probably won’t have much trouble with them. You will get pages about species of animals specifically at the zoo that list unique qualities, names, weight, height, population, class, and number of that animal at the zoo. These pages are good study sources and help me a lot.

8. Points You earn points in the program for doing things like bringing your stuff to meetings, volunteering, participating, and tests. These points will determine whether you are ready to go to the next class of JZK. In summer camp you will get points based a lot on behavior and social skills with other JZKs and guests alike. Points also determine if you will be able to volunteer.

9. THE TRIP When you get to be an MJZK you will have the opportunity to take a trip to Costa Rica with your JZK class mates. You will camp out in the rainforest and explore and examine plants and animals. Parents can come too with their children and enjoy the scenery. This takes place towards the end of your time in the JZK program. A majority of the animals at the zoo are from Costa Rica so this is a great way to study them in their natural habitat. This doesn’t just take place in the rainforest but will also take place climbing mountains. This trip is a major goal of most people in the program and is said to be fun by those who have gone on the trip. In order to go to the trip you have to serve for four years and be sophomores in high school. Students you will know if they are accepted for the trip 18 months in advance. I can already tell that this is going to be a real fun and educational experience and I can’t wait to go!! 

10. JZK has provided me with a fun way to do good and I hope to pass on my experience to others.