Essential things to know before volunteering at an animal sanctuary 🦒

Rebecca

2 years ago

Helping out at an animal sanctuary can be fun and rewarding. You can make new friends, and it’s a good way to help animals and your community. But before you start, there are a few things you should know.

First, what’s an animal sanctuary?

An animal shelter is a place that helps animals who have been left behind, hurt, or treated badly. These shelters give animals a safe and loving home and work to find them a new family. They play a big role in protecting pets.

[Volunteer at an animal shelter with bears in the USA]

Here are some things animal shelters do:

They take in animals who have been left behind, hurt, or treated badly.
Volunteers at an animal shelter look after the animals, giving them food, water, a place to live, medical care, and training.
The personnel of an animal sanctuary find new families for animals to live with.
They teach people about how to care for animals.
They work on ways to stop animals from being treated badly.

Animal shelters are really helpful for the community and do a lot for pets. (If you’re thinking about getting a pet, we suggest you reach out to the closest animal shelter.)

Things to know before helping out at an animal sanctuary

1). Larn about the sanctuary.

Make sure the sanctuary you want to visit is a good place that takes care of animals well. This way, your help goes to a place that really needs it.

2). Talk to the sanctuary.

Call them or send an email to learn more about how you can help. You can also set up a time to visit.

3). Get ready to work hard.

Helping at a sanctuary can be tough, but it’s also very rewarding. You might need to lift heavy things, clean up, and work with animals big and small. Make sure you can handle this kind of work.

4). Remember to be kind to the animals.

The animals at the sanctuary might have had hard lives before, and they need time to heal. Be patient and kind to them.

5). Don’t forget to have fun!

Helping at a sanctuary is a great way to help animals and make new friends. It’s a chance to meet people who care about the same things you do.

Here are a few more tips for helping at a sanctuary:

Dress right. Wear comfortable clothes that you can move in. Also, wear closed-toe shoes to protect your feet.
Bring a water bottle and a snack. You might get hungry or thirsty during the long day.
Know what you’ll be doing. Ask the sanctuary about your tasks and how to do them safely.
Ask for help if you need it. Don’t be scared to ask other volunteers or staff at the sanctuary.
Stay positive. Your attitude can help the animals. Keep a smile on your face and stay positive.

Helping out at an animal sanctuary is a great way to help animals and make the world a better place. If you’re interested in helping, contact a sanctuary near you and find out how you can help.

How to find volunteering opportunities at animal sanctuaries abroad

If you want to help out at an animal sanctuary abroad, you can start by researching different types of sanctuaries. There are sanctuaries that specialize in caring for dogs, cats, and horses. Once you know what type of animals you want to work with, you can start looking for a sanctuary that aligns with your interests and abilities.

Ways to help out at animal sanctuaries:

Look online. Many websites list places where you can help animals.
Talk to your friends and family. If you know someone who has helped at an animal sanctuary before, ask them if they know any places that need helpers.
Join a group that helps animals. There are many groups that plan ways to help at animal sanctuaries. This is a great way to find a place that fits what you like and when you’re free.
Reach out to animal sanctuaries. Even if you can’t find a place to help abroad, you can always ask animal sanctuaries near you if they need helpers.

You can start your research by checking one of these pages:

What’s the difference between an animal sanctuary and an animal shelter? 🐾

An animal shelter is a non-profit organization that takes care of abandoned, injured, or sick pets. Shelters offer a range of services, including:

Temporary housing
Medical care
Adoption
Public Education
Prevention of abandonment

Animal sanctuaries, on the other hand, are non-profit organizations that care for animals that can’t be adopted, like farm animals, exotic animals, and older animals. Sanctuaries offer their animals a high-quality life without exploitation or abuse.

Here are some of the main differences between shelters and animal sanctuaries:

Goals:

Shelters aim to find homes for the animals they house, while sanctuaries aim to provide animals a high-quality life without exploitation or abuse.
Types of animals housed: Shelters primarily house pets like dogs, cats, rabbits, and small rodents. Sanctuaries house a wide variety of animals, including farm animals, exotic animals, and older animals.

Services offered:

Shelters offer a range of services, including temporary housing, medical care, adoption, and public education. Sanctuaries offer their animals a high-quality life without exploitation or abuse.

Both shelters and animal sanctuaries play an important role in animal care. Shelters focus on finding a home for the animals they house, while sanctuaries focus on providing animals with a high-quality life without exploitation or abuse.

Is a zoo an animal sanctuary?

No, a zoo is not an animal sanctuary. A zoo is a place that keeps wild animals for teaching people and for fun. Animal sanctuaries, on the other hand, are places that take care of animals that can’t go back to the wild, like animals that are hurt, sick, or old.

Here are some of the main differences between zoos and animal sanctuaries:

Goals: Zoos aim to teach people about animals and to help nature, while sanctuaries aim to give their animals a good life, without using them or treating them badly.
Types of animals: Zoos mainly keep wild animals, while sanctuaries keep a wide variety of animals, including pets, farm animals, and exotic animals.
Services: Zoos offer guided tours, learning activities, and research programs, while sanctuaries give their animals a good life, without using them or treating them badly.

Some places try to be both a zoo and an animal sanctuary. One example is the Detroit Zoo in Michigan, USA. They work hard to make the zoo a nice home for the animals. They also focus a lot on keeping animals safe and healthy. This zoo has helped save many animals, like when they took in over 1,000 animals from a place that was not treating them well.

Animal welfare spans a broad range of activities and environments.

Check out these related sections to find the perfect fit for you:

- Conservation projects
- Volunteer at Animal Shelters
- Animal Sanctuaries around the World
- Animal Rescue Center Projects
- Volunteering Opportunities at Ranches
- Marine Conservation Projects
- Animal Care (general)
- Horsemanship
- Veterinary Volunteer Programs
- Birdwatching