Volunteering at Wild Rescue is not a tourist experience – it is a chance to make a tangible impact.
It can be a rewarding, unforgettable experience – an opportunity for hands-on learning, for taking responsibility, for doing meaningful work… maybe even for discovering something about yourself.
Volunteers are an integral part of how Wild Rescue functions, assisting with many of the essential day-to-day activities.
Our programmes aim to expose volunteers to a variety of learning experiences, often including access to external teachers or activities at other facilities.
Wild Rescue strongly condemns the exploitation of animals for any purposes.
As a rehabilitation facility, our priority is to ensure that the wild animals we release have the best chance of survival possible once they are back in their natural habitats.
As a wildlife sanctuary, our priority is to provide previously mistreated wild animals an opportunity to live out their lives in a close-to-natural environment, while receiving the health-care and safety-from-harm that they deserve.
Consequently, we do not allow any interaction with our resident or rehabilitation animals, unless it is essential for their wellbeing.
On-site, these essential interactions include some aspects of orphan rearing, as well as emergency or essential medical care. Off-site, these interactions may also include capture and transportation, where necessary.
During each of these interactions, care is taken to minimize the risk of habituation/desensitization to humans, while creating as little stress or confusion to the animal as is practical.
The exact tasks & schedule for each programme are subject to change, depending on the experience of each volunteer and the specific needs of Wild Rescue.
Although, in practice, many volunteer activities overlap, Wild Rescue offers four(4) distinct volunteer programmes – allowing applicants to focus on one of the following:
• Food preparation and feeding for rehab patient
• Cleaning and sanitising of clinic & equipment
• Preparation & cleaning of recovery cages
• Assistance with Capture & Transportation
• Observation of clinic & rehab patients.
• Assistance with emergency & ongoing medical care – depending on experience
• Seed harvesting
• Cuttings collection
• Rescues (from development sites elsewhere in region)
• Cleaning of seeds, testing of viability, drying, documentation, storage
• Nursery soil mixes, conditions, containers, stacking
• Growing and care of seeds, cuttings, rescued plants
• Food preparation/ picking of indigenous food from nature reserve / growing food
• Feeding
• Cleaning of enclosures
• Monitoring and observing eating habits, health, and behavior of the animals
• Working on enrichment projects
• Basic enclosure maintenance
• Removal of alien plants from the nature reserve
• Ecosystem regeneration and habitat maintenance
• Maintenance of Walking Trails
• Guiding Flora/Fauna Walks
• Data Collection & Mapping of Species Distribution
Volunteers must be 18 years or older and are responsible for securing their own visas & relevant vaccinations prior to arrival.
Volunteers are given free time to explore the surrounding areas. There are a number of adventure activities nearby, as well as nature reserves, game lodges and beach resorts. Additional/External involvement in outreach and other NPO activities can also be arranged.
Shared accommodation, as well as two meat-free meals per day, are included in the programme fees.
Arrival & Departure transfers between Wild Rescue and the nearest towns (Riversdale or Stilbaai) are included in the programme fees.The nearest airports are George (regional) and Cape Town (international).
Cost per week is determined by your length of stay, and seasonal changes to programme inclusions.
Average programme fees are indicated below in ZAR (South African Rand).
2 to 3 weeks – ZAR4,000/week
3 to 6 weeks – ZAR3,250/week
7 to 12 weeks – ZAR2,500/week
More than 3 months – On application