Teen Opportunities

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to work at a zoo, this program is for you!

Junior Zookeepers (JZs) are young adults, 7^th through 12^th grade, that love animals and desire to learn more about careers in zoos and conservation. Cosley Zoo provides JZs with opportunities to experience a variety of zoo jobs, from animal care, informal education, and guest engagement!

This is a flexible program, offering teens the ability to focus on their interests and career goals, while developing and strengthening important life skills, including leadership, responsibility, time management, and teamwork.

Throughout the year, JZs can participate in a variety of activities such as animal behavior data collections, facilitating education carts, and assisting with special events.

Additionally, teens have the opportunity to earn experience in animal handling and zookeeper mentorship by meeting specific hour requirements.

Each year, there are also social events for teens to get to know their peers and network with like-minded individuals, including a field trip to another Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facility.

The Junior Zookeepers is a year-round program that runs from September through August and is broken into 4 quarters.

Each quarter has a goal number of hours earned. When JZs achieve the goal hours for the quarter this qualifies them for additional opportunities.

• Quarter 1: September-November (goal: 14 hours)
• Quarter 2: December-February (goal: 12 hours)
• Quarter 3: March-May (goal: 10 hours)
• Quarter 4: June-August (goal: 24 hours)

How do I earn hours?
Junior Zookeepers earn hours each quarter by participating in meetings, trainings, and other activities such as animal behavior observations, implementing public duck feeding, facilitating education carts, and assisting at zoo events, such as Festival of Lights and Spooktacular.

Dedicated JZs that achieve the goal for each quarter earn opportunities to participate in additional activities, such as handling ambassador animals, conducting animal encounters for guests, and participating in hands on experiences with a zookeeper. These JZs receive training and mentoring directly from education and animal care staff.

The fee for the 2024/2025 year is $260. This included a JZ T-shirt, name tag, program materials, meetings, and other special events, such as our end of the year JZ celebration. (Additional fees apply for the annual trip to another zoo).

Please do not submit the fee with your application; all accepted JZs will be notified of the fee due date.

Selection is based on an application, an in-person interview, and any past involvement at Cosley Zoo.

Currently, we are no longer accepting applications for the Junior Zookeepers program. Applications for the 2025/2026 program season will be available in June of 2025.

Questions about the Junior Zookeepers program can be emailed to the Education Supervisor, [email protected].

Summer Teen Interpreters are young adults in grades 7 through 12 (in the 2024-2025 school year) who have an exceptional interest in animals, conservation, and public speaking. Summer Teen Interpreters learn about various topics including, but not limited to animal care, training, enrichment, conservation, public speaking, and zoo visitor engagement. Summer Teen Interpreters use the knowledge they gain in these topics to assist the education department by providing a range of interactive experiences for zoo guests. This program also allows teens to enhance their sense of responsibility, develop job skills, and grow in their conservation ethic.

Note: Participants do not handle animals or work in animal areas.

The Summer Teen Interpreters program is seasonal beginning with orientation and training sessions in May/June. Weekly visitor engagement shifts at the zoo, 2 hours in length, will begin mid-June and run through mid-August. This program also offers the opportunity for participants to attend virtual workshops where they will learn more about zoo and conservation-related topics. Attendance to these virtual workshops is an optional component of the program.

The fee for summer 2024 was $90. This will cover the cost of a Summer Teen Interpreter T-shirt, name tag and other program materials.

Selection is based on an application, group interview, and any past involvement at Cosley Zoo.

We are not currently accepting any Summer Teen Interpreters applications. The application for summer 2025 will be made available online and in our gift shop in February 2025. Questions about the Summer Teen Interpreters program can be emailed to the Education Department at [email protected].

Questions about the Junior Zookeepers program can be emailed to the Education Supervisor, [email protected].