Are you the type of person that loves to volunteer with animals? Maybe you’ve been a volunteer in your community before or maybe you’re just looking to get started. No matter what, you’re looking for a way to help the animals around the world and that’s a great cause.
Are you the type of person that loves to volunteer with animals? Maybe you’ve been a volunteer in your community before or maybe you’re just looking to get started. No matter what, you’re looking for a way to help the animals around the world and that’s a great cause. It’s a noble one and it’s one that you can have a whole lot of fun with. Not only that but you can actually volunteer in entirely different countries, which means you get to explore new places and have amazing adventures at the same time.
Sea Turtle Conservation
The volunteers that are brought in to help with the sea turtles are engaged in things like nightly beach patrols to watch for the turtles, digging holes for them to lay their eggs, moving sand to make it more convenient for the turtles and even charting the nesting patterns of the turtles in the area. On top of that, volunteers will record the births of new turtles and track release phases. All in all, the entire process is long, drawn-out and complex. Overall, there’s a lot being asked of the volunteers in this program.
Volunteers will be required to work during all different hours of the day and night because of the way that sea turtles migrate and move. They are also required to stay in primitive conditions because they need to be available to monitor and watch over the sea turtles at any time. This means that they’re going to be living in cabana-style housing, which, given the regions where these sea turtles are native to, could be extremely hot nearly the entire time of the year. For those who are not used to these temperatures, this can be quite difficult or extreme.
Sea turtle programs are found in the Pacific and Caribbean. Even more, opportunities are available for groups, solo volunteer work, couples, and families. There are even opportunities for internships, which are available especially for that hat can volunteer for 12 weeks. Within this program, there are ways that just about anyone can volunteer and there are plenty of ways that you can learn different things and start to work toward improvement for the sea turtle population around the world.
Other Best Adventure Holidays:
- Best Adventure Holidays for Teenagers
- Best Adventure Holidays for Solo Travelers
- Best Adventure Holidays for Seniors
- Best Holiday Adventures for Families
- Best Adventure Holidays for Couples
- Best Adventure Vacation Destinations
Sloth Sanctuary
If you’re looking to help out a different animal population you should definitely take a look at the sloth population and sloth sanctuaries. This is another great option for those who love to get involved and who really want to help an endangered population. When you volunteer in Costa Rica to help with the sloth conservation project you’re actually volunteering with a project designed to help several different types of animals. That’s because this program is all about mammals.
Throughout Costa Rica, it’s not just the sloths that are endangered. Monkeys, turtles, iguanas and a number of other marsupials are suffering as well and they all live in the same regions and rain forests. So, if you’re looking to help out animals what better way then by volunteering with a project that’s designed for all of them? The animals themselves are suffering as a result of the expansion of agricultural and urban areas as well as developments and towns. On top of that, the people who live in the region just don’t understand the importance of these animals to their ecosystem and have contributed to the loss of them in many ways.
So, how can you help? These programs seek to help the locals understand more about the animals in their own backyards, but it’s more than that. Volunteers with this program are also responsible for researching the current population and behaviors of these animals as well as attempting to help with turtle nesting and hatching, improving the level of awareness surround the care of these creatures and linking up professionals within the area so that more work can be done not just for these animals alone, but for the entire environment.
By working with biological aspects, social areas, economics, agriculture, and engineering it’s possible to improve the entire region rather than just improving the habitats of specific animals within the region. Volunteers are given the opportunity to really engage with the local community and to make a huge difference in the way that those individuals can help their own community going forward. All it takes is coordination and some conversation around just why the environment, the ecosystem and all of the creatures within it are so important.
Animal Welfare
Have you looked into some of the other animal welfare programs that are out there? You might be surprised just how varied the programs can be and just where in the world you could be venturing off to. Jaipur is one of the regions of the world where you can work on volunteer projects in animal welfare that actually focus on a range of different animals. What’s really great is you don’t have to actually be involved in veterinary programs in order to do it either. There are jobs for people with different backgrounds and abilities.
Within this program, the idea is to care for animals like dogs, cats, cows, rabbits, eagles, monkeys, peacocks, pigeons, crows and parrots. In fact, all of these animals are found throughout the community and are taken in by the shelters from there, they can be taken care of in many different ways. Volunteers are responsible for helping the staff of these shelters to locate and bring in these animals as well as taking care of them once they actually arrive at the shelter.
Tasks could include things like cleaning cages, feeding and washing animals, giving vaccines, preparing foods, maintaining records and even looking for ways to educate the people within the community about the needs of these animals and the importance of treating them right. Volunteers may also be involved with the process of trying to get these animals adopted by the locals. Even still, the work can be extremely physically demanding and requires working for extended periods, sometimes in extreme heat.
Environmental & Climate
If you’re interested in getting people more involved with saving the planet then you may want to take a closer look at the environmental and climate programs that are available. Programs are available in all different parts of the world and they allow you to really experience what the world could be with a few improvements to the way that we handle the planet itself. Within these programs, you’ll be able to work in underdeveloped countries and help them to learn more about light, health, wellness, education, economy and more as it relates to the environment. Programs vary slightly based on the specific location that you choose.
Volunteer Programs in Uganda, for example, focus on solar lantern use and ways that communities can promote the environment as well as help themselves through the use of these lanterns. Many parts of the country are unable to get electricity and through the use of solar lights, they are able to get the power that they need. These programs seek to explain to them the importance and use of these lights and how they could greatly improve their own communities. These lanterns are even being used for other forms of electricity and help to create a sustainable income for those within the community itself.
By teaching developing and underdeveloped countries more about the way that they can protect their environment it is possible to start grassroots campaigns that can greatly improve their way of life. These types of education programs can focus on a great deal more than just solar lighting and can allow the volunteers themselves to be engaged in advanced education and even more empowerment opportunities for the people who live in these communities and are trying to raise their families.
Street Dog Care
Volunteering in Nepal, one of the ways that volunteers can get involved with animals and the environment is by helping with street dogs. Throughout this area, and especially within Kathmandu, nearly 25,000 dogs are left wandering the streets. They are mistreated, starved and suffering from diseases and yet the people of the community are incapable of caring for them either. Shelters work to protect these animals and to try and care for them, bringing the figures down as much as possible. Unfortunately, the animals themselves can be dangerous to those within the community as they can spread rabies and create outbreaks.
Within these programs, volunteers are tasked with helping the animal shelter to rescue and shelter the strays that are otherwise wandering about the community. In doing so, they focus on sterilization of the dogs to prevent even more from being born as well as vaccinating against rabies. Not only this but they are responsible for educating the public about these dogs, the needs that they have and how to care for them properly, as well as how to protect themselves from the potential for disease that comes from being around the street dogs.
Volunteers for these programs don’t have to be in any way related to a veterinary medicine program, however, they can do a great deal if they do have additional training. Pre-veterinary students, veterinarians, and post students, as well as interns, can help a great deal. However, students with very limited or no experience with animals are a great help as well and volunteers are always given plenty of activities to do and plenty of ways that they can help the dogs and the people within the community as well. There are plenty of ways to immerse yourself with the culture and to aid the people within the community.
Elephant Sanctuary
One of the largest and most endangered animals around is the elephant and when you volunteer to protect these gentle giants you’re going to travel to Jaipur, India. These animals used to be a part of the cultural ceremonies and religious celebrations of the culture, however, there are far too many now being killed or disfigured for sport. As a result, volunteers are needed to take care of these animals, to make food bundles and aid in feeding and even to help with cleaning the shelters and washing the elephants themselves.
Care is needed for simply being with the elephants (they like to have their heads massaged), trimming their nails and feeding them. Elephants are in need of a great deal of care and the volunteers who join this program will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with them throughout the experience. It’s going to be an amazing opportunity for anyone and whether you have experience in veterinary care or not you’ll be able to make a huge difference for these amazing animals and for the communities that they live in as well.
There are plenty of opportunities for any animal lover to get involved with animals around the world. Whether it’s common animals like dogs or more exotic ones like peacocks and elephants, there are plenty of creatures large and small that are in need of help. And the opportunity to travel all the way around the world while doing it is definitely not something that you’ll want to overlook. Conservation Volunteers can truly create a wonderful experience for themselves while also making a huge difference in the lives of animals and the communities that they live in alike. What could be better than that?