The Santa Barbara Zoo not only depends on its staff for its operation, but also on its many volunteers. Docents must first pass a 56 hour training course during which time they participate in classes and workshops covering a variety of subjects including biology, ecology, animal behavior, public speaking, interpreting, and zoo animal management. Additional training is also available for docents interested in working with contact animals or birds of prey. There will be an Open House Information Coffee on Saturday, June 9th, at 9am at the Zoo's Restaurant. Everyone is invited, but attendance at the coffee is not mandatory to take the training.
Interpretative posts are an important link to the daily visiting public.
All you need to do is station yourself at an exhibit and answers questions, interprets the animal, or biofacts that relate to the animal and generally be available to the public as a link to the zoo world. This also provides a chance for new Docents to learn, at their own pace, each animal and the most common questions encountered . It is also possible to team up with a more experienced Docent to help you with an interpretive post. This program equips the Docent with a very powerful interpretation tool. The animals that Docents bring out for the public are very carefully chosen by the Zoo.