Hattiesburg Zoo hosted more than 15K students for field trips since fall 2021

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - The Hattiesburg Zoo announced the number of students that they have hosted through their Customizable Field Trip program.

According to the zoo, more than 15,000 students visited the zoo from September 2021 through the middle of May of this year.

“We are super excited with the number of students coming through our field trip programs,” said Jeremy Cumpton, the zoo’s director of conservation, education and wildlife.

Through the Customizable Field Trips, the Hattiesburg Zoo hopes to educate and entertain students of all ages by allowing teachers to choose from various educational, entertainment and activity experiences, giving each class the opportunity to learn in the style that best suits their needs.

“We have seen a huge increase in the number of schools participating in our field trip offerings, and we are now regularly attracting schools from our neighboring states.”

The zoo says schools participating in the program come from as far away as Leroy, Ala.; Franklinton, La.; and Biloxi, Meridian and Madison, Miss.

“Many of these schools are passing other zoos to come to Hattiesburg Zoo,” said Hattiesburg Convention Commission Executive Director, Rick Taylor, who also oversees the management of the zoo. “We are pleased that word is spreading about the quality education our Zoo staff offers to students and families.”

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