Highlighting the Buffalo Zoo’s Education Department
Thursday marks International Day of Zoo and Aquarium Educators, and what better way to celebrate than to highlight our own educators here at the Buffalo Zoo!
Our Education Department plays a crucial role in creating connections between our guests and our animals, and their passion for wildlife conservation as well as learning engagement is undoubtedly contagious.
So, what does a day in the life of our education department look like?
Most importantly, it starts out with checking in on our collection of animal ambassadors. Our education department cares for about 32 different species of animal ambassadors, from birds to lizards to the animals of Delta Sonic Heritage Farm and even Flash, our Linne’s two-toed sloth.
In addition to caring for their physical health, our ambassador animal care specialists spend the vast majority of their day building relationships with these cherished Buffalo Zoo residents by providing training and enrichment opportunities.
The other key component of the education department is our programming staff, who focus more on the human side of the job.
Our program staff plans, facilitates and evaluates programs for the public, families, schools, and community groups. Favorites include Buffalo Zoo Camp, Little Explorers and more. Not only that, but you may find staff or our education department volunteers (docents) out on our grounds, interacting with guests and educating them about our animal residents and conservation mission.
Their mission even extends beyond Buffalo Zoo grounds, as they travel to local schools and organizations via our ZooMobile to bring our animal ambassadors and share their remarkable knowledge with folks all over Western New York.
For our education department, no two days are the same. While there are certainly busier and slower times of the year, every day they are working with different animals, different people and, in some cases, different places.
However, with all the hard work that goes into their role, there comes with it a reward: growing relationships with members of our community and inspiring them to save wildlife.
For those interested in becoming a conservation educator, our staff encourages volunteering with animals, whether that be at a zoo, a local animal shelter or anything similar. Absorbing knowledge through these kinds of opportunities goes a long way, and oftentimes, they can lead to more permanent positions. Take advantage of specialized educational opportunities like our Zoo, Wildlife, and Conservation Careers program in partnership with Erie 1 BOCES. We also have many local students who work with us as seasonal Heritage Farm or camp assistants and as interns.
