Animal Care and Veterinary Programs in Africa

Volunteering with Animals

Travelling to Africa as an animal care volunteer is the ultimate conservation experience. Home to some of the most stunning animals on the planet, Africa is the perfect destination to volunteer abroad in animal conservation and care.

Volunteering in Africa on one of our animal care programs, you’ll spend your days attending to injured, lost or rescued wildlife. Through your hard work, you’ll directly contribute to the rehabilitation and release of hurting animals. With responsible travel and sustainable development at the heart of what we do, you can be confident the volunteer work you engage in will make long-term impacts on your placement destination’s wildlife and communities!

Wildlife Conservation

The impacts of animal care volunteering go far beyond individual animals, though. Healthy and diverse animal populations are essential to flourishing ecosystems. Animal rescue and release is a critical component in maintaining healthy populations and supporting African conservation efforts. Your volunteer work on one of our animal care projects can create cascading positive impacts across ecosystems.

Unforgettable Travel Experiences

These projects are not your typical tourist experience. When you volunteer in Africa with us, we’ll take you to the heart of animal conservation, where unforgettable travel experiences are around every corner. There is no shortage of places to explore between project work with destinations like Kruger National Park and Cape Town on your doorstep! Through forming relationships with fellow conservation volunteers and local communities, volunteer projects are a fantastic place to build long-term connections and learn about unique cultures.

Immersed in some of Africa’s most stunning natural landscapes, joining an animal care project is one of the best ways to experience the remarkable wildlife our beautiful continent has to offer.

Animal volunteer programs are an extraordinary way to directly make a positive impact on African wildlife. Here are a few ways you can help African wildlife on our animal care projects.

Work in an Ethical Rehabilitation Centre

Working at an ethical animal rehabilitation centre takes you into the heart of exciting animal conservation opportunities! The centre takes in strayed, hurt and rescued wildlife to be rehabilitated for discharge back into the wild. As a volunteer in animal rehabilitation, you’ll ethically tend to wild animals at the centre to provide the care they need to heal and ultimately be released.

Tasks are varied and often dependant on the animals’ needs in the centre at the time. However, they can often include important jobs like preparing food, cleaning enclosures, feeding animal residents, and monitoring their behaviours. Wildlife volunteering can sometimes get messy, so we encourage volunteers to come with enthusiasm to get their hands dirty!

Volunteer in Wildlife Veterinary Medicine

If you have professional experience in veterinary medicine or are a student looking to get field experience, join one of our wildlife veterinary volunteer programs.

Joining a wildlife veterinary volunteer project is an incredible way to gain theoretical and practical knowledge in wildlife medicine. Working alongside qualified experts, you’ll study and practice essential animal care techniques, including wildlife capture and veterinary procedures. While learning on the field, you’ll have opportunities to get your hands dirty in physical conservation projects in the area. If you want to make an impact in animal care while developing your skills as a veterinarian, this is the conservation volunteer program for you!

Wildlife species in Africa are currently facing a dangerous situation. With Africa’s growing population, increasing urbanization and the worsening effects of climate change, much of Africa’s wildlife have been forced out of their habitats. As a result, wildlife migrates closer to populated areas, where they are often met with conflict by humans. Humans and wildlife’s negative interactions threaten long-term conservation work in Africa’s parks, creating an increasing need to protect local animals.

As an animal care volunteer, you’ll play a vital role in wildlife conservation projects that aim to protect Africa’s precious species. Focusing on rescue, rehabilitation and release, animal care is a valuable way to give vulnerable wildlife a second chance at life. By volunteering in animal care, your work will directly contribute to conservation efforts by supporting healthy animals, and in turn, wildlife populations.

During your volunteer program, there will also be opportunities to get involved in general conservation work. Conservation volunteering on our animal care programs creates unique opportunities to contribute to sustainable conservation aims in Africa’s stunning parks. From conducting wildlife research on the health of local species to tracking migration patterns, volunteer opportunities to participate in African wildlife conservation are exciting and varied.

From the African Wild Dog to the African Elephant, some of Africa’s most iconic species face high extinction risks in the next century. Even the most powerful predators – such as Great White Sharks, who are currently vulnerable in the wild – are not immune to these frightening prospects.

As an African-based company, we know first hand the incredible wildlife that calls our continent home— unfortunately, these species are currently facing severe threats. Increased human conflict, combined with climate change and habitat loss, have forced once-thriving animal populations into diminishing numbers. Across our incredible continent, animals of all shapes and sizes are hurting at the hand of unsustainable and harmful human interactions.

The work we do now in animal care and wildlife conservation is essential for protecting Africa’s endangered species for future generations. Volunteering in Africa, you’ll work to positively impact some of the most significant conservation issues we are facing. Working together with fellow international volunteers, locals, and field experts, you’ll come together to make a positive and sustainable difference in wildlife conservation in the face of these challenges.