Calling 6th grade through college-age students: Get the scoop on zoological careers - for free

Career Day offers students an up-close look at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium on Nov. 8 

TACOMA, Wash. – Students have met the polar bears. They’ve been enthralled by E.T. the Walrus. And mesmerized by swimming sharks. Now, they have a chance to learn what it would be like to work with animals up close.

Career Day at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is Nov.8, and students from sixth-grade through college age can see firsthand what it takes to be a zookeeper, zoo veterinarian, marine biologist or environmental educator.

They’ll see special animal presentations, learn how staff biologists care for animals, pick up free information and have opportunities to visit behind-the-scenes areas of the zoo.

Admission to the zoo and Career Day activities is free for sixth-through-12th grade students and those who are college age. However, students under 16 must be accompanied by a paying adult.

Check-in begins at 9:30 a.m., with activities running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Pre-registration is not required, but all students, including zoo members, must check in with Career Day staff before getting their tickets.

Spaces on behind-the-scenes tours are limited.

For an even more exclusive behind-the-scenes look at zoological careers, students can register for a Keeper for a Day or Marine Biologist for a Day experience, scheduled throughout the year. For more information about these and other fee-based Career Discovery programs, visit www.pdza.org/teen-career-discovery-programs.

For more information on Career Day, go to www.pdza.org/career-information.

Parents and siblings who aren’t eligible for free admission on Career Day can get discounted tickets to the zoo online at www.pdza.org.