Volunteer policies and social distancing as zoos reopen

G

Gabby

Active Member
5+ year member
At my zoo, and I assume many others, zoo docents are of all ages, but the largest part of the cohort are seniors.
As zoos reopen, typically with advance-ticketing, one way routes, and recommendations on masks and social distancing, are zoos bringing back their volunteer docents?
How is social distancing being enforced and by whom?
 
That's a good question. And you are correct, docents at almost every American zoo are older adults. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Historically docents would often use touch artifacts (skulls, etc) to interpret animals, but I can't see that happening now. I wonder if docents/volunteers will have a new role in crowd control and enforcing social distancing?
 
Somehow I cannot see older docents being asked to do crowd management and enforce social distancing. It would be an unpleasant role and a risky one.
Perhaps zoos would caution older docents to come back only when they believe it is safe given their particular situations (so younger docents would come back almost immediately and older ones or with pre-existing conditions would need to stay away longer). But individual choice puts others at risk.
My zoo has way too many docents to be able to offer useful safe jobs to all the 'oldies-but-goodies.' A safe job might be something that could be done from home, for example, or maybe grounds work outside of open hours.
 
It's complicated. There are the major issues of having an at-risk population doing a "non-essential" job but also the less obvious issue of public view. Guests seeing seniors in zoo uniforms performing tasks that is putting them at risk is not a great image for the zoo. I miss our docents dearly but I think it is best for zoos to limit docents and volunteers until things calm down a bit.
 
From what I am reading social distancing is enforced only by those who tell others to back away. No facility employees are walking around telling visitors to distance.
Most docent activities are exactly the behavior that is now being avoided so docents have no reason to return to the zoo. And with so many employees furloughed the zoos can't have docents filling in, doing an employee's job. Docents work thanks to agreements with employee unions. That fragile truce cannot be risked by turning docents into scabs.
 
I am not sure what duties docents and volunteers perform in US zoos, so probably a tad difficult to have a very informed opinion on the subject. I do have valuable input though on some issues raised as per below:

1. @Echobeast: Zoo docents in at risk population doing a "non-essential" job. I think you mean to say - correct me if I am wrong to assume that - under the circumstances and given that most docents might be in the over a certain age classes (please do clarify this further ...!), it would be better given the age groups they belong to being more susceptible to the current virus, they stay away from the zoo. If not, I would say volunteers on average perform a very essential and indispensable job in zoos as they are part of the overall visitor experience services and are instrumental and integral to teaching background information on zoo animals, zoos, conservation and education et cetera to the general visiting public (something for which most other staff do lack the time). Unfortunately, that usually is - an informed decision by the zoos concerned for financial reasons - an very ... unpaid position. I think if you meant the latter you are doing these and your volunteers a great disservice.

2. @Zooplantman:
A) I am surprised to read that no regulations seem to be actively enforced on zoo grounds by staff or auxiliaries. Adhering to distancing guidelines and policies is part and parcel of the current general strategy by many Governments and individuals countries to restrict the impact of CoVID-19 on their general populations, hence it would be unhelpful if people in zoos are expected to act "intelligent" and co-opted distancing between family and others or - quite likely - do ignore these for their own pride and joy and the risks that might involve for other visitors.
B) Now - no offence - is probably not the time to link volunteers to the notion of "scabs" given my comments under 1.

Personally, I find it unjust and distasteful if zoo managements have even considered or actually furloughed paid staff members as I really think they should be the last ones on the line (having no part in CoVID-19 other than being similarly affected like the general populace at large). It is my strong conviction that employees must be protected from catastrophe, oversight and the like and instead should have been kept on and zoos should have been amply supported through governmental funding for operating costs (which for a large part comprise the individual salaries of those employed anyway along with animal feed, vet and husbandry care and general services expenses).

BTW: I appreciate your feedback. Thanks.
 
As I look at the re-opening plans of zoos and aquariums (at least in North America) they "encourage but do not require" that masks be worn and state that visitors are to respect social distancing. I am confident that no staff are patrolling the grounds telling visitors to stay apart. Retail establishments that are open throughout the USA have seen too much threatening behavior from shoppers told by employees that they must follow the rules. Employees cannot be put in such dangerous positions.
As to docents, they are allowed to do the tasks for which they have been trained. But those tasks are almost entirely about getting close to visitors. If they were to take on groundskeeping or preparing animal diets (for example) they would be doing the work of furloughed or laid off employees. The unions would object and, when this is over (?) docent programs would be under attack.
Zoos are seeing massive budget shortfalls. Everyone I know has been subject to salary cuts, or is furloughed or laid off. I would love to see them all working (and being paid) as before but the zoos have no operating budget income and no way to pay for them. In the USA, zoos have been able to apply for Federal grants to help pay salaries and expenses but the funding is not enough and comes as one lump sum so it gets used up.
 
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Kifaru Bwana said:
1. @Echobeast: Zoo docents in at risk population doing a "non-essential" job. I think you mean to say - correct me if I am wrong to assume that - under the circumstances and given that most docents might be in the over a certain age classes (please do clarify this further ...!), it would be better given the age groups they belong to being more susceptible to the current virus, they stay away from the zoo. If not, I would say volunteers on average perform a very essential and indispensable job in zoos as they are part of the overall visitor experience services and are instrumental and integral to teaching background information on zoo animals, zoos, conservation and education et cetera to the general visiting public (something for which most other staff do lack the time). Unfortunately, that usually is - an informed decision by the zoos concerned for financial reasons - an very ... unpaid position. I think if you meant the latter you are doing these and your volunteers a great disservice.
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Oh I totally know how important volunteers and docents are to the zoo. I work with many of them personally. That’s why I put “non-essential” in quotes as I personally believe they are essential to operating the zoo normally but if a zoo is forced to maintain minimum personnel, then unfortunately those individuals are not going to take priority.
 
We should note a lot of zoos are still closed, I think all them in California and several in my state of Arizona. It is an interesting and unprecedented situation. I will be curious to see how the openings unfold. Here's a few random thoughts (which I freely admit are opinions).

1) I agree that it is difficult to actually enforce rules like face masks. When I go grocery shopping it seems to be about 50/50 of people who wear them (including myself) and people who don't. Employees of course all do. However there are no government rules in Arizona requiring it (California may have a requirement). Even domestic US airlines which are requiring it for travel have told their flight attendants they can only enforce it at the boarding gate and if someone takes off their mask during flight they cannot require them to put it back on. Certainly zoos will not be running around telling everyone to wear one and personally I don't even think it's necessary, except perhaps in aquariums or tight indoor exhibits. In large outdoor zoos it must certainly be possible to maintain a six foot separation from other visitors?

2) After being a zoo docent for over a decade (but no longer) and having spoken with dozens of docents around the country, I now feel the primary benefit of docents/volunteers is to provide extra eyes on the ground (a sort of unofficial security force). If someone is harassing an animal or climbing over a railing or whatever, they can either ask that person to stop or contact zoo staff to approach the person. Another important function is to provide assistant to visitors, such as directing them to the nearest restroom. The educational role is of lesser importance IMO. I know this sounds like heresy, but my experience is that most docents/volunteers know next to nothing about animals and have very little to teach the public. Even worse, they know very little about their own zoo. Ask a docent where a specific animal came from and good luck getting an answer (unless it's a baby that was born there).

3) Volunteers were also regularly used for special events such as the annual fundraiser that most zoos have. This includes both regular volunteers/docents as well as one-time volunteers who just staff that specific event. Will these kind of events continue? In the near term certainly not and in the long term who knows? So I do see the role of volunteers diminishing, at least for a while. This is especially true given the fact previously stated that the vast majority of docents are older adults and are in the at-risk category.
 
[QUOTE="Arizona Docent, post: 1213592, member: 1532"
...
2) After being a zoo docent for over a decade (but no longer) and having spoken with dozens of docents around the country, I now feel the primary benefit of docents/volunteers is to provide extra eyes on the ground (a sort of unofficial security force). If someone is harassing an animal or climbing over a railing or whatever, they can either ask that person to stop or contact zoo staff to approach the person. Another important function is to provide assistant to visitors, such as directing them to the nearest restroom. The educational role is of lesser importance IMO. I know this sounds like heresy, but my experience is that most docents/volunteers know next to nothing about animals and have very little to teach the public. Even worse, they know very little about their own zoo. Ask a docent where a specific animal came from and good luck getting an answer (unless it's a baby that was born there)."

It is surely true that different zoos use docents and other volunteers differently when zoos are open. I don't think any claim is heresy, but what is true at one zoo might not be true at another, and what is true for one group of volunteers at a single zoo might not be true for another.

As someone who has volunteered at both zoo and art museum, I see a common practice of having a group of volunteers called Ambassadors who have the role you describe above. The Docents, however, at institutions with which I am familiar are expected to learn about the animals at the zoo and interact with visitors about them. So a docent standing near gorillas would be expected to know about gorillas as well as the zoo's particular troop.

It would be a tall order for every docent to know every animal in the zoo and where that specific animal came from. For this reason, many docents are trained specifically in one part of the zoo and would not be approved to act as a docent at another part. As an example, one person might know a great deal about animals of the African Savanna but not be approved to engage with visitors as a docent about Asian rhinos.

All this aside, being a docent at a six foot distance seems a difficult proposition, particularly when the visitors are children. Further, the fact that it may be possible for visitors to practice social distancing does not at all suggest they will, particularly when so many visitors are children all anxious to get close to the baby tapir or the baby gorilla or the baby red pandas.
 
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