Hammers, hard hats and habitats! The Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens recently teamed up with Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) for a volunteer project to enhance the Zoo’s animal ambassador program.
More than 50 FPL employees from Seminole, Orange, Volusia and Flagler counties and their families rolled up their sleeves at the Sanford Zoo to create mobile habitats for the Zoo’s education animals as part of FPL’s Power to Care Day.
“What a wonderful day we had, as our employees and their families enthusiastically contributed their time and effort giving back to the community we serve,” said FPL External Affairs Manager Linda Webster-Dubea. “We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the mission of the Zoo.”
The new mobile habitats will help Central Florida Zoo team members present animals in a more natural state, which will improve their overall welfare, enhance animal presentations and leave a long-lasting impact on guests and their overall Zoo experience.
The carts will cater to many of the Zoo’s ambassador animals including armadillos, all snake species, skinks, tenrecs, guinea pigs, rabbits, turtles, tortoises, opossums, owls and many more.
“Conservation is at the heart of our mission, which is to create connections that inspire people to take action for wildlife,” Richard E. Glover, Jr., the Zoo’s CEO, said. “We are thankful for the dedication and generosity shown by the FPL team and their families.”
In addition to the mobile habitat project, volunteers also helped with a variety of other projects around the Zoo including building an outdoor, permanent animal habitat that will benefit all Ambassador Animals, animal enrichment creation, invasive plant removal, painting and refurbishing animal habitats.
At the Central Florida Zoo, there are so many ways to lend a helping hand. We offer volunteer opportunities starting at the age of 13, from our fun Teen Team to volunteer opportunities for those with Bright Futures Scholarships. For adults, we offer a Zoo Interpreter program, a Docent program and our Zoo Crew, with different responsibilities and commitments to fit a variety of skills and schedules.
We also offer chances for groups and corporate entities to volunteer— just like FPL!
We are thankful to FPL and their employees for giving their time and talent to help, and we look forward to seeing these projects in action.
