Our volunteers (Docents) have a wealth of different skills and expertise, but they’re all united by their passion for the Zoo and wildlife beyond our gates.
This International Volunteer Day, we’re shining a spotlight on three individuals whose journeys into the world of volunteering are as unique as the animals they care deeply about!
Alan Dovey
After retiring from a career in IT and on the search for an outdoorsy hobby, Alan jumped at the chance to volunteer at Perth Zoo!
Now, with seven years of meaningful conservation volunteering under his belt, Alan hasn’t looked back.
“I guide people around the Zoo teaching them about the animals and conservation, I host close encounters with our giraffe herd which I absolutely love, I help the horticulture team to maintain gardens and animal habitats behind-the-scenes.
“Probably the most unique job I do is termite harvesting for Numbats!
“It's hard to imagine since they’re such tiny creatures, but we have to manually collect 20,000 termites for each Numbat to eat every day.
“The Zoo has an amazing conservation program where we breed numbats for wild release, so it means we have to collect lots of live termites for them to eat while they are here!”
Madison Danforth
Madison is living proof that you can volunteer at any stage of life!
Despite being a full-time business owner, volunteering at Perth Zoo was always on Madison’s mind.
After finding the flexibility in her work to volunteer weekly, she has now completed her first year as a Docent.
“I wanted to be a Docent since I was little, my mum always took me to the Zoo and we’ve been members for a long time, so I went through the 12-week training program, and here I am!
“I love being able to be a part of conservation while still doing my day job, it’s amazing.
“What I love most about being a Docent is the incredible and supportive community.
“It’s also pretty amazing to see my favourite animals, Sun Bears Jamran and Bopha regularly.
“They are the smallest species of bear in the world, so if you come to Perth Zoo, you can say you’ve seen the world’s smallest bear!”
Jan Russell – Brown
If there’s one thing Jan has learned in her eight years as a Docent, it’s that you never know what’s going to happen next!
“I didn’t know much about the Zoo when I signed up, but I was volunteering at Native Animal Rescue, dog walking, gardening centres – looking for anything outdoors where I could engage with visitors, and becoming a Docent gave me just that.
“Our roles vary greatly from day to day, and I think that’s one of the attractions!
“You could be doing anything from free walking tours, to introducing people to our beautiful giraffe herd, to getting involved in a discussion about conservation and that’s what I really enjoy.
“One of the most interesting things I get to share with visitors is that there’s a lot more to the Zoo than what they can see.
“It’s a great chance to show them how involved we are with overseas conservation projects, or the work that we are doing behind-the-scenes with our own animals through our native breeding programs.
“You also have a LOT of unexpected animal experiences, for example one day our rhino Memphis was enjoying his mud wallow, and he rolled onto his back so a keeper could scratch his tummy with one of those stiff outdoor brooms – it was like watching a 2-tonne puppy!”
More than 300 Docents volunteer their time all year round to help across every area of the Zoo.
This International Volunteer Day we wanted to say THANK YOU to all of our incredible Docents from the Perth Zoo Docent Association!