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Take a look at our 37 volunteering with animals holidays. These volunteering with animals holidays are all about helping animals that can’t look after themselves. On these holidays you can volunteer with a range of animals from big beasties like bears and elephants, to smaller creatures such as monkeys and turtles. These are hands on holidays, working at animal sanctuaries or rehabilitations centres where neglected animals are cared for. Many have been rescues from poor conditions so be prepared give these animals lots of love and TLC.
These full and frank independent Volunteering with animals holidays reviews are from travellers who have booked directly through responsibletravel.com. They are not edited by us or any of the companies we work with. Find the real story, from real travellers below.
It was a privilege to be involved in the wild dog rescue at Thanda Reserve when a poacher's snare was caught around her neck. Seeing the biggest tuskers when at Tembe was another highlight and identifying them was great fun. 
(more)Being up close and hands on with the elephants was amazing. You dont realise how gentle and inquisitive they really are. Don’t be scared of them, embrace it, you’re never going to get a chance to be this close again...Absolutely amazing. Would definitely go and say hello if I’m visiting Thailand again. (more)
Working with the young orphaned animals, helping to provide their day-to-day care, was a truly unforgettable experience. Seeing wild Lions, Leopards, Elephants (and many more) up close on safari was fantastic, surpassing all my expectations. (more)Working with people who are dedicated, informed and enthusiastic about conservation in a practical and realistic way. And of course, seeing the wildlife as they are meant to be....This holiday was a life changing experience and will affect what I do next in my career and attitude to conservation.
(more)Meeting all the amazing people, working along side the animals, being involved in community projects and the range of work available...Brilliant!! (more)
The Reptile Park in South Africa was great! It's all hands on and the people are very nice. The most memorable and exciting part of the holiday was actually getting to handle the reptiles, definitely the Venomous Snakes, such as the Snouted Cobra. (more)
Our whole experience was definitely an unforgettable one. However we most enjoyed being able to interact with the baby baboons and baby vervets and getting to know their individual personalities. (more)
I went to the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Thailand, this was a fantastic project helping animals who had been mostly kept as pets. It’s hard to say what was the most memorable part of this holiday as there was so much variety and different experiences, it’s difficult to decide what was the best part of it.
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Most memorable was helping to catch a Crocodile, and a 13 foot long python that had eaten a monkey.... Definitely not your average holiday, which is nice... (more)I don't know where to begin to say what was the most memorable part... it was all so amazing! (more)I had a fantastic time and I would recommend this to anyone on their gap year, especially those who are reapplying to study veterinary science (it really helped me). (more)Meeting the bears and being able to really make a difference to their day-to-day lives with enrichment, feeding and cleaning; some of the things we were doing (such as enrichment to keep the bears active and happy) wouldn't get done unless we were there to help out! (more)Being with the elephants and their handlers. Having the big bull elephants walk past you, just inches from your face, leaving you to feel completely small and vulnerable as these pre-historic like mammals move by with grace, softness, power and majesty! (more)Feeding the chimps in the morning was the most exciting part...It was great to have time to observe the chimps while helping out with their care. We got plenty of time and opportunity to contribute to the work.
(more)Getting close to wild animals and being "groomed" by monkeys was the most exciting part...Good. (more)Romania is a beautiful spectacular country, so from the moment I was travelling from Bucharest to Brasov I knew that I had come to a really excellent destination. I was very impressed by the people who run the sanctuary on a daily basis particularly Laci & Emi and Mateusz our driver! (more)We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
If you’re planning a volunteering trip, whether it’s a 3 month volunteer placement in a remote corner of the world or a weekend somewhere closer to home, it’s always good to know what to expect and the best way to do things. Our friends at people & places have helped us to write this guide on responsible volunteering. Responsible volunteers are more likely to be a positive presence, a source of inspiration and empowerment. Poorly prepared volunteers who impose their own agenda and cultural norms, failing to include local people in decisions, can leave behind more problems than they solve, making life even tougher for economically poor people. Let's start at the beginning – you’re already committed to responsible travel and now you want to volunteer, but how can you be sure of being a responsible volunteer?
Read their advice in this volunteering with animals article.
