Many of the bears that are taken into care in both Borneo and Romania will never be released into the wild. They've simply suffered so much at the hands of humans that they'd have little chance of survival and wouldn't know how to forage for food. They may also be attacked by larger bears. Captivity may mean captivity for life, but these sanctuaries offer mistreated bears the chance to live out the rest of their days in the most wonderful environment possible, where they can learn to climb trees, swim in pools and play fight with other bears, and where human contact is kind, not cruel.

One of the worst aspects of keeping a bear as a pet or as a means of making money is hibernation; after all, how can a bear be any 'fun' or make you any money if it's asleep for a couple of months? Rehab helps bears revert back to their original instincts and there's a lovely example of a bear that was in a rescue centre in Romania who slowly began to build his own den where he slept for a couple of months much to the joy and immense pride of the local staff members.

As bears at rehab centres in Borneo and Romania don't come into contact with humans, many of the tasks associated with volunteering revolve around food prep, monitoring and freeing up the time of permanent staff so they can create or maintain enclosures, help rescue more bears and work towards releasing just a handful of these mistreated animals back into the wild.

Understanding the bigger picture as to why you'd want to volunteer with bears requires a certain sense of selflessness where rewards are long term and may actually only be appreciated once you've returned home and received an update relating to a bear's progress and development. Some of these bears have never encountered a tree before and if you're lucky enough to stay for a couple of weeks, a month, or more, then you'll really get to appreciate the feeling of success when witnessing a bear stand up and scratch its back for the very first time.

Undertaking menial tasks at a bear rescue centre allows staff to really focus on more important jobs like working with local authorities, organising educational visits for local schools and helping to re-home bears who've been housed in awful conditions at shockingly bad zoos.

Although this sort of volunteer programme doesn’t involve any actual physical contact with bears you will be working in extremely close proximity to wild environments with just an electric fence between you and the animals providing an incredibly unique and absorbing experience to accompany day-to-day tasks. Before you travel you’ll also, more than likely, receive a book of bears that you'll meet during your trip. Regular updates upon your return home are another important aspect of the experience as is the chance to fundraise and encourage other people to get involved and make a difference where it's needed most.

Photo credits: [Top box: Colin Bowern] [How rehab and rescue centres help bears: Madeleine Deaton] [What role do volunteers play: Madeleine Deaton] [What volunteers need to know: William Andrus] [Bear poster: Ben Stephenson] [Helpdesk: Peeraput Chareeaun]

Written by: Chris Owen