Animal Volunteer Work

TYPE OF VOLUNTEERING - animal projects

If you would like to volunteer with animals then we have a diverse range of different projects available. Volunteering opportunities include working with elephants, sloths, monkeys, bears, leopards, jaguars, horses, dogs, turtles as well as tropical birds and reptiles in a variety of amazing locations around the world.

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We find the best volunteer projects with animals for you, help you with all the arrangements and provide lots of support before and during your volunteering time abroad! Pod Volunteer is an award-winning non-profit organisation helping people to volunteer with animals for as little as 1 week or as long as 1 year.

Whether it’s volunteering with elephants in Thailand, caring for turtles in Greece, or helping rescued sloths in Costa Rica, volunteers are needed all year round to support the enormous work that goes into caring for animals. For example, the wildlife rescue team in Thailand look after over 900 animals so our volunteers are kept very busy helping to prepare food for each day!

We are committed to ensuring that the animal projects that we work with offer the highest standards of animal welfare and work with Right Tourism, an organisation which helps people to stay animal-friendly whilst travelling.

Our animal volunteer work adheres to the Five Freedoms: freedom from hunger or thirst by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour; freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area; freedom from pain, injury or disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment; freedom to express (most) normal behaviour by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind; freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.

We only support rescued animals or where they are in a wild environment, and we don’t support elephant volunteering projects where elephant riding for tourism takes place. We also don’t offer volunteering with lion cubs. You can read our full animal welfare policy here.

Ultimately, we believe that where possible wild animals belong in the wild, in their natural environment where they can display their natural behaviours. We do however also accept that there are some cases where this is not possible and the best alternative is animals being kept in a sanctuary, as close to their natural habitat as possible.

Below you’ll find our carefully selected range of projects volunteering with animals which you can click through to and find out about the volunteer role, location, accommodation and costs, see lots of pictures and read volunteer reviews!

We also have a range of conservation volunteering projects which may be of interest as they often involve animals too as part of a wider overall conservation or research project.

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Desert Elephant Conservation

Desert Elephant Conservation

Namibia

  • Join an elephant tracking team to research the wild elephant population
  • Build protection walls for farmers' water sources and drinking water points for the desert elephants
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Duration: 2 – 12 weeks

Cost from: £1195 / €1385 / $1435

Desert Elephant Conservation - Family Trip

Desert Elephant Conservation - Family Trip

Namibia

  • Work with your family to help protect and research desert elephants in Namibia
  • Join a family volunteering team to support elephant conservation and community work
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Duration: 11 days

Cost from: £995 / €1155 / $1195

Dog Rescue

Dog Rescue

Thailand

  • Support a Dog and Cat sanctuary on the tropical island of Phuket
  • Help walk, socialise and play with the dogs
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Duration: 1– 8 weeks

Cost from: £450 / €520 / $540

Elephant and Wildlife Conservation

Elephant and Wildlife Conservation

Sri Lanka

  • Join the team to support vital work helping to protect wild elephants
  • Research sloth bears, leopards and other wildlife to support their conservation
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Duration: 1 - 12 weeks

Cost from: £895 / €1040 / $1075

Elephant Care

Elephant Care

Thailand

  • Help look after amazing rescued elephants and ensure that they receive the best care
  • Live on site at a tropical wildlife sanctuary home to around 900 animals
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Duration: 1 - 12 weeks

Cost from: £695 / €805 / $835

Elephant Care and Research

Elephant Care and Research

South Africa

  • Join an active research team collecting data to guide best practice management of elephant husbandry
  • Work closely with African elephants providing care and enrichment
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Duration: 1 - 12 weeks

Cost from: £895 / €1040 / $1075

Elephant Conservation

Elephant Conservation

Cambodia

  • Assist at a sanctuary which provides a home for rescued Asian elephants
  • Observe elephants in their natural surroundings and help support the daily running of the sanctuary
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Duration: 2 – 12 weeks

Cost from: £995 / €1155 / $1195

Horse Rehabilitation

Horse Rehabilitation

South Africa

  • Help to care for and rehabilitate around 30 horses - no previous riding experience required!
  • Enjoy riding along the Indian Ocean whilst watching whales and dolphins
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Duration: 1 – 12 weeks

Cost from: £895 / €1040 / $1075

Turtle and Wildlife Conservation

Turtle and Wildlife Conservation

Costa Rica

  • Join an active scientific project monitoring and protecting sea turtles and other wildlife
  • Live in a research and education station on the stunning South Pacific coast
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Duration: 1 – 12 weeks

Cost from: £725 / €840 / $870

Turtle Conservation

Turtle Conservation

Greece

  • Help monitor and protect endangered sea turtles on the beautiful island of Kefalonia
  • Gain hands on experience with a range of research and conservation practices
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Duration: 2 - 4 weeks

Cost from: £649 / €755 / $780

Wildlife Rescue

Wildlife Rescue

Thailand

  • Work with rescued bears, monkeys, otters, gibbons and other exotic animals
  • Help to protect endangered animals, living onsite at a tropical wildlife sanctuary
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Duration: 1 - 12 weeks

Cost from: £695 / €805 / $835

Wildlife Rescue

Wildlife Rescue

Costa Rica

  • Assist at a wildlife sanctuary which provides a safe haven for rescued animals
  • Help to care for animals such as monkeys, sloths, birds and anteaters
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Duration: 1 - 12 weeks

Cost from: £745 / €865 / $895

Wildlife Rescue - Family Volunteering

Wildlife Rescue - Family Volunteering

Costa Rica

  • Work with your family to care for rescued animals living at the sanctuary
  • Assist the team in providing a safe haven for monkeys, sloths and birds
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Duration: 1 week

Cost from: £1995 / €2315 / $2395

Making a difference with animals

  • Every 20 minutes, the world adds another 3,500 human lives but loses one or more entire species of animal or plant life - at least 27,000 species per year (WWF)

  • Around the world, our volunteers worked with and helped 1,216 animals last year!

  • “Our sanctuary staff work endlessly to rescue, rehabilitate, and release Costa Rica’s diverse and beautiful rainforest animals. Without the help of passionate volunteers interested in protecting Costa Rica’s wildlife we cannot function to our fullest.” Michelle - Wildlife Rescue in Costa Rica

dog rescue

dog rescue

monkey

monkey

cow in India

cow in India

bear rescue

bear rescue

elephant care

elephant care

horse rehabilitation

horse rehabilitation

elephant research

elephant research

big cat

big cat

elephant walking

elephant walking

monkey rescue

monkey rescue

primate rescue

primate rescue

We have long term relationships with hand-picked projects that have lasting and positive impact. We are a highly experienced and passionate team, here to support you!

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AWARDS AND ACCREDITATIONS