Community Groups

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The Community Group Volunteer Program is ON HOLD at this time. Please check back in January, 2025.

About the Program

Oakland Zoo works with a variety of community groups (corporate, school, church, service, family) to complete habitat restoration, animal enrichment, and landscape management projects. We want to ensure that our animals are comfortable in their habitats and our grounds are well maintained. Staff and volunteers work together to make this happen!  "Habitat restoration" might sound like a fancy way of saying weeding, but many of those weeds are like candy to our animals. They literally feast on the fruits of your labor.

Please note that you will not be working directly with animals.

Program Description/Requirements

• We can accommodate groups of up to 50 volunteers (age 18 and over).
• Groups assist staff with these projects (9:00am-12:00pm) and are free to visit the Zoo for the rest of the day after project completion.
• Volunteers do not pay for parking or admission.

Application Process

If you would like to participate in this program, please download, complete, and submit a Community Group Volunteer Request Form. Once we have received your form, we will contact you to confirm the date and other project details.

Please note, your date is not confirmed until you are contacted by a Volunteer Programs staff member. This is a very popular program and dates fill quickly. We recommend submitting your request form 3-6 months in advance of the date you wish to participate.

Available Areas

Our community groups work in a variety of areas. Please note that we do not know the specific project in advance. The needs of the animals and the Zoo change daily. The final project for your group may even change on the actual day and we appreciate your flexibility.

Contact Information

Please submit your request form and any questions to CommGroup@oaklandzoo.org.