People go to zoos to see animals. Not to see the people who take care of the animals.

But the volunteers working are half the heart of the zoo.

At the National Zoo in Washington D.C., Margie Gertzman has served as a

longtime volunteer, working in an environment where she can teach others about

wildlife and give back to the community at the same time.

“When you volunteer it should be something you like to do,” she said. “You

don’t get paid for it, but you do have responsibilities. And so I think you should pick

a passion, and if you do, then you will enjoy coming and you will enjoy what you do.”

Margie’s love for wildlife and Pandas sparked her interest in working at the

zoo too.

“I saw a little ad in the post that was looking for volunteers specifically to talk

about the panda that had been born in 2005,” she said.

Her love for volunteering also stems from on the job experiences.

“To see the cubs appear in public,” she said, “they don’t come out for the

visitors to see, and so to see the cubs come out with their moms and the people’s

reactions, it’s just very special.”

But for Gertzman teaching visitors is what makes the job so rewarding.

“This is my dream volunteer job,” she said, “cause it’s a national zoo. We talk

to people from all over the world, and that is really special.”

If you’re heading to D.C. be sure to check out the zoo, and you can get more

information about the zoo at: www.nationalzoo.si.edu.

And if you’re interested in volunteering find out more information here:

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Support/Volunteer/