The HVZ Goat Yard is located in the heart of the Children's Zoo just beyond the carousel and playground. HVZ staff attendants at the train/carousel regularly check in, and are available for goat yard volunteer support at any time. A small office is located within the carousel and often serves as a quiet/dark break area for volunteers and attendants. The closest bathroom is in the center of the Zoo just outside the Children's Zoo. All surfaces are even, and accessible by wheelchair.

The HVZ goat yard is a high sensory area due to high guest numbers and the proximity to our gibbons (who can sound like emergency vehicles when they get going) and may not be suitable for those with sensitivities to large crowds and loud sounds.

• At least 14 years of age to volunteer independently; 10-13 with a parent/guardian
• Comfortable engaging guests and inviting them to meet the herd
• Able to sit and/or stand for 3hrs at a time
• Able to hear over a variety of background noises
• Able to understand social cues and pick up on changing crowd dynamics
• Able to use positive engagement to encourage guests to follow the rules of the yard
• Enjoys large groups of curious kids
• Has a passion for teaching about animals, empathy and conservation

Volunteers commit to an onsite orientation before the start of their season (see Training). From there, volunteers commit to a weekly shift the same day of each week. 

Goat yard volunteers start April through June and end August through October.

All volunteers commit to a series of online training modules that walk them through an orientation and any skills/knowledge needed for their specific role. All online training is completed before the first shift.

All volunteers also commit to one onsite training set up specifically for their starting role. Applicants to the position will choose this date in their application.

Henry Vilas Zoo is open regardless of weather. While we remain open, we trust our volunteers to decide whether or not they would like to come in.

The volunteer is in charge of scheduling a make-up shift in the event they choose to stay home due to weather. In the event of truly inclement weather, we will call volunteers to cancel. In this case, volunteers do not need to make up their cancelled shift.