LOS ANGELES ZOO INVITES ANIMAL ENTHUSIASTS TO BE A CHAMPION FOR CHIMPS BY ATTENDING WORLD CHIMPANZEE DAY
CELEBRATION and GETTING INVOLVED BY BECOMING A DOCENT THROUGH THE GLAZA DOCENT TRAINING PROGRAM
ON SATURDAY, JULY 14, 2018
The L.A. Zoo will celebrate the very first WORLD CHIMPANZEE DAY with a schedule full of activities on Saturday, July 14, 2018 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join the celebration by learning from primate experts that care for one of the largest family groups of chimpanzees in North America. Learn about the threats facing this endangered species’ wild populations, how zoological science contributes to conservation, and about the remarkable behaviors of humans’ closest cousins in the animal kingdom at education and discovery stations, Q&As with primate experts, additional chimp talk presentations, and more.
All activities are included with purchase of a general admission ticket or GLAZA membership.
Want to get involved with the L.A. Zoo? Check out the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s (GLAZA) DOCENT TRAINING PROGRAM at an INFORMATION MEETING on Saturday, July 14, 2018, 10 am to noon, at the Los Angeles Zoo’s Witherbee Auditorium (zoo admission not necessary). Docents serve as volunteer teachers, sharing their knowledge of the Zoo and its flora and fauna with adults and children through touring, educational activities, educational programs, classes and more. The docent program, open to ages 18 and up, provides a comprehensive training course where individual opportunities are explored and developed. GLAZA volunteers, numbering nearly 550 people, contributed more than 65,000 hours last year to the Zoo, with duties as varied as the men and women performing them. Some GLAZA volunteers, who range in age from 16 to 95, have provided over 50 years of service. No previous experience is necessary.
Docents complete a 23-week training program offered at the Zoo each fall in conjunction with UCLA Extension. Classes, which run from October to April, meet once a week on Thursdays or Saturdays, from 9:30 am to 4 pm, and focus on taxonomy of both the plants and animals at the Zoo as well as ecology, conservation and the role of zoos in wildlife preservation. Docents must be high school graduates or equivalent and 18 years or older when applying and be able to commit 100 hours per year for a minimum of two years. Applications are accepted through August 18, 2018, and can be completed on-line at https://www.lazoo.org/volunteers/docent/
About the L.A. Zoo
Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which holds member institutions to rigorous professions standards for animal welfare, the Los Angeles Zoo is renowned as an international leader in the preservation of endangered species and a conservation center for the care and study of wildlife. Drawing nearly 1.8 million visitors each year, the L.A. Zoo is home to a diverse collection of 1,400 animals representing 270 different species, 58 which are rare or endangered. Its lush grounds on 113 acres feature a botanical collection comprising over 800 different plant species with approximately 7,000 individual plants. The Zoo is located in Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways. The Zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For information, call (323) 644-4200 or visit the L.A. Zoo Web site at www.lazoo.org
Admission to the Los Angeles Zoo is $21 for general admission (ages 13 to 61); $18 for seniors (ages 62+), and $16 for children (ages 2 to 12). No ticket is required for children under 2. Admission for Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association members is free.
The Los Angeles Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Drive in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways. Free parking is available. For general information about the Zoo, call (323) 644-4200.
