Animal conservation

Animal conservation is a particularly popular option for people who are looking to do some volunteering on their gap year or career break. One of the great things about getting involved with an animal conservation project is that it enables you to get close to some amazing animals - many of whom, sadly, are gravely endangered. Most animal conservation projects require volunteers to work `hands on' with the animals so, if you're passionate about wildlife, animal conservation work offers some real `once-in-a-lifetime' experiences.

Animal conservation is also a tremendously rewarding volunteer experience. Animal conservation organisations heavily rely on enthusiastic volunteers to help them carry out their vital work - so by helping out on an animal conservation project you'll be making a real difference on your gap year or career breaks. By giving up just some of your time to an animal conservation project you're doing your small bit to try and ensure that some of the animals you encounter remain in existence for future generations of visitors.

If you'd like to do some animal conservation volunteering on your gap year or career break GYFGU's has an extremely diverse range of programmes to choose from all round the world. Because we have so many animal conservation volunteer programmes it's well worth putting aside an hour or two in order to read up on what each one has to offer on the Gap Year For Grown Ups website. Alternatively, if you'd rather discuss the various options for animal conservation with someone in person, you can always speak to one our expert travel advisers.

It's impossible to summarise all of our animal conservation programmes on just one web page. However, in order to provide a brief idea of the type of exciting animal conservation projects you could get involved with on your gap year or career break, here are just a few typical examples…

Animal Conservation in Africa

Not surprisingly Africa is a hugely popular destination for anyone wanting to work on an animal conservation project - and there's a diverse of programmes to choose from. For example one of GYFGU's newest and most rewarding animal conservation programmes is our WWF-endorsed black rhino conservation project in Zimbabwe. It's estimated that as few as 3,500 black rhinos remain in the world today, making this perhaps our most vital animal conservation programme. Other animal conservation opportunities in Africa include working with lions in Kenya's Masaai Mara Game Reserve, desert elephant conservation in Namibia and monkeys in South Africa.

Animal conservation in Asia

GYFGU's also has a number of exciting animal conservation opportunities in Asia. For example one of GYFGU's most popular animal conservation programmes is on the remote island of Borneo - where volunteers can work on a project to protect orang-utan apes (the only great ape to be found outside of Asia).

Animal conservation in Latin America

There's an incredibly diverse range of animal conservation programmes available in Latin America. River turtles in the Peruvian Amazon, giant tortoises in the Galapagos Islands and caimans in Guatemala are just some of the animal conservation projects available in this beautiful region.

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Thailand Adventure Take a behind-the-scenes look at Thailand with one of three tours. Learn about the country’s language and culture, work with elephants and train as a mahout or help out in an orphanage or school. Amazon Turtle Conservation Volunteer Take part in a highly rewarding project deep in the Peruvian rainforest. Help collect and incubate turtle eggs and release the hatchlings back into the wild. A truly hands-on, back-to-nature experience. Animal Rescue Centre Guatemala Play a vital role in rehabilitating wild animals that have been maltreated. Get involved in their daily care, feed them, monitor their behaviour and make sure their enclosures are clean. Australia Island Experience Carry out conservation work on the Wollongong coastline. Help with tree planting and seed collecting – and see plenty of wildlife. Afterwards, you can relax on nearby Montague Island and learn about its history and heritage. Australia Wildlife Sanctuary Volunteer Help with the day-to-day running of a wildlife centre. Feed and handle the animals, show them to the public, take part in guided night walks and get involved with ongoing conservation projects. Perfect for animal lovers. Big 5 Wildlife Conservation Experience Work with elephants and rhinos and walk with lions! Get an in depth insight into Zimbabwe’s wildlife and bush, and make a valuable difference to the efforts to protect them. Black Rhino and Elephant Conservation Zimbabwe Live and work on a safari ranch, helping with efforts to protect black rhino, elephants, buffalo and more. Assist with anti-poaching measures, look after rhino, help with training elephants and get a feel for the real Africa. Borneo Pygmy Elephant and Orangutan Conservation Tour Help ensure pygmy elephants are given the protection they need, by collecting data and educating the public about their importance. Observe orangutans and other native Borneo species, go on a river safari and learn to survive in a jungle. Botswana Okavango River Wildlife and Community Monitor crocodiles, track hippos and record elephant herds as you help to protect a unique eco-system. Learn basic Setswana, get to know the locals and visit a game reserve.  Brazil Pantanal Research and Conservation Work on the largest freshwater wetland in the world. Track and capture peccaries, observe behaviour, collect data and carry out censuses. Keep an eye out for giant river otters, jaguars and much, much more! California Conservation Take part in various ecological projects based around San Francisco. You might help restore historical buildings on Angel Island, assist with a salmon programme or construct trails in the Van Damme State Park. Canada Community Volunteer Put your skills to good use on a whole range of projects. Work on therapeutic sailing or horse riding programmes, as a classroom assistant, in an art gallery or on a project suggested by you. Chimpanzee Sanctuary Volunteer Get to know the ins and outs of this South African sanctuary. Study the history and behaviour of chimps, sanctuary management, environmental issues and sustainable tourism. You’ll take home a recognised sanctuary management certificate. Costa Rica Sea Turtle Conservation Continue successful efforts to stop the decline in turtle numbers. Take part in beach patrols, tag flippers, escort baby turtles to the beach, collect eggs to be put in the hatchery and litter-pick the beach. Costa Rica Sloth Rescue Programme Work with some unusual but very friendly creatures at a wildlife society. It’s a hands-on experience, which allows you to feed and exercise baby sloths, monitor eating habits, help with specialist care and more. Costa Rica Wildlife Rehab Get involved in all aspects of a centre dedicated to reintroducing animals to the wild. Feed the animals, assist the vet, construct trails and help with visitors. A worthwhile project in a beautiful setting. Ecuador Marine Conservation and Investigation Put your scuba diving qualification to good use or make this your reason to learn! Carry out underwater research, looking at manta rays, turtles and other marine life, or get involved in on-shore educational projects. Field Guide Training Course South Africa Based at a beautiful Private Game Park in South Africa, this one year Nature Guides Development Programme aims at providing you with a year of practical conservation and wildlife experience in South Africa with various qualifications. Fiji Dive Culture and Conservation Programme Spend six incredible weeks on the expedition of a lifetime discovering the beaches, corals and culture of this stunning Pacific Nation. Get involved in important conservation work and become a qualified scuba diver, before developing a faultless tan and enjoying the relaxed style of “Fiji-time.” Galapagos Giant Tortoise Conservation Your role on this project will be to work to safeguard the future of one of the planet’s oldest and most magnificent species, the Galapagos Giant Tortoise, who are hovering on the point of extinction due to the activities of mankind. Giant Panda Conservation in China Play a part in safeguarding the future of these amazing animals. This is a great opportunity to help one of the most endangered species in the world. Scientific estimates place the total number of all pandas at only 1600 and it truly is a race against time to save them from extinction. Gibbon Conservation California Based at a rescue centre in South California, the Gibbon Conservation project gives you an exceptional experience working with an endangered species, the Gibbon.  If you are looking for a trip where you can work independently to make a difference then you will enjoy the rewarding experience that this programme will give you. Guatemala Turtle Conservation Project If you are looking for a career break by the ocean and have an interest in conservation then this project by the pacific needs you. Volunteers are needed for nightly patrol of beaches in search of nesting sea turtles, collect eggs, transfer to the hatchery; record data and release back to the wild. Hawaii Conservation Hawaii, the paradise Islands of the Pacific, one of the most isolated land masses on earth, but not isolated enough to not need a spot of conservation work from willing volunteers. Hawaii is a haven for nature lovers, this project gets you working in the native forests helping to make sure that all things native are thriving and things such as weeds are not. Honduras Ultimate Marine Conservation This marine conservation project aims to better understand and conserve the unique and fascinating environment around the island of Utila, which sits atop the world’s second largest barrier reef system. You will be helping professional marine ecologists and scientists to carry out underwater reef surveys, sea-life population studies, and much more. Hwange National Park Wildlife Conservation Volunteer in Zimbabwe’s Big 5 Hwange National Park in an exciting wildlife conservation programme. As a volunteer you will have access to remote parts of the park and have access at night, which are prohibited to other tourists. Indonesia Sun Bear and Orang-utan Project This programme is currently unavailable, please contact us for similar programmes. Based on the stunning island of Borneo, this project offers you the chance to work with two of the world’s most iconic animals – the orang-utan and the sun bear. The sanctuary was set up to help the many orang-utan orphans that were confiscated by the government after being kept in unnatural conditions as pets. Kenya Maasai Wildlife Conservation Set at the foot of the breathtaking Mount Kilimanjaro, this is the ultimate back-to-basics bush adventure. Alongside the traditional Maasai tribes people, you’ll take part in vital conservation work for the elephant and big cat populations while experiencing the magnificent wildlife of Tsavo-West National Park on daily safaris. Kruger One-Year Field Guide Course This Field Guide Course is perfect for anyone who wants to work as a field guide or nature guide in a National Park or African reserve. This is a great chance for anyone who wishes to take some quality time to live in South Africa and for people who wants to learn more about South Africa, its wildlife, flora, fauna and history, as well as helping to pass that knowledge on to others.  Kruger Wildlife Conservation Course This unique project based in the Kruger National Park looks at the role of the game ranger in managing a game farm or wildlife reserve. It is ideal for those interested in wildlife, African conservation and people who want to learn something during their grown up gap year. Lake Malawi Hippo Project Embark on a four week Lake Malawi adventure to work to prevent the continuing decrease of the hippopotamus in the area. The hippos populate the southern shores of the lake, and volunteers will be involved in monitoring them Lion Breeding Conservation Volunteer Project Zimbabwe is a well-established country for voluntary work in conservation, especially for working with wildlife in Africa. At this project, volunteers actively participate in lion conservation practices, working closely with the lions and wildlife re-introduction programmes. Malaysia Orang-utan Experience