Animal Rescue Center Supporter

location
1 - 50 weeks  ·  Age 16 - 50+

rating  Very Good 4.3  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate

Highlights

  • Volunteer with Costa Rica's wildlife animals surrounded by beautiful and unique nature
  • Experience the rewarding feeling of saving wildlife by helping injured animals to get back on track
  • Meet like-minded volunteers from all over the world and build life-long friendships

Highlights

  • Volunteer with Costa Rica's wildlife animals surrounded by beautiful and unique nature
  • Experience the rewarding feeling of saving wildlife by helping injured animals to get back on track
  • Meet like-minded volunteers from all over the world and build life-long friendships
  • aim to rehabilitate animals and give them the best possible conditions to recover from their physical and sometimes also mental injuries
  • Care, treatments, and retraining are within the responsibility of permanent staff, and volunteers can help depending experience


  • Especially good for

    Age 16+
    Singles
    Couples
    Families
    Groups
    50+
    Wheel Chairs

    About the program

    Experience the joy of nurturing, the satisfaction of knowing you're making a difference, and the warmth of these wonderful creatures' company. Come and join us!

    Following the new standards of animal welfare and for respect to wildlife, we stand against the “petting zoo” idea, where time before, inexperienced volunteers handled animals indistinctly. This concept has changed recently, and is now an aspect under the new regulation of Costa Rican ...

    About the program

    Following the new standards of animal welfare and for respect to wildlife, we stand against the “petting zoo” idea, where time before, inexperienced volunteers handled animals indistinctly. This concept has changed recently, and is now an aspect under the new regulation of Costa Rican Wildlife’s Law. This issue have made us look on how to improve our practices, and nowadays we do allow that volunteers with animal care or wildlife experience (nurses, veterinarians, biologists), and a time commitment long enough to be trained, help us with some of those tasks.

    We stand that wild animals are sentient beings, under our responsibility, and not elements for the entertainment of people, and are the kind of values we want to share with our volunteers. For what we see the volunteer was expecting to have a different experience with the animals.

    About sloth walks: In the same way of the other procedures, sloth walks are done for a reason, which is improve animal conditions, not just for mental enrichment, but to give them the opportunity to get back and reinforce climbing/hanging abilities that may help them under the possibility of a reintroduction, as well as help as mental and physical enrichment while their recovery. Similar to the aspect covered before, these procedures should be done by trained personnel, which is the reason why volunteers working at the hospital (vet team), are the ones leading the task. In order to enhance the volunteer experience, we allow regular volunteers to sign onto a list to accompany vet team volunteers while doing the sloth walk, so they can share some information on what’s the sloth walk about, and about the importance of reducing interaction with the animals while “training”. Working day hours at 7am– 3pm, turn on 7am-6pm, but then compelling for lack of activity at the evening

    Working day hours at 7am– 3pm, turn on 7am-6pm, but then compelling for lack of activity at the eveningIn a regular day, the activity can run until 3pm, though there are times of the year or environmental conditions that pull us to increase our time commitment to be sure the animals are under good conditions. This is not a mandatory, as volunteers can get out of their working teams, to rest if desire.

    In this time of the year, we are facing high temperatures in the region, so we need to keep animals cool, check water more than three times a day, and sometimes even change a little the feeding times, to avoid secondary issues. Most of the volunteers help us with these situations, and as I mentioned before, probably is about personal commitment. As an example, some volunteers help us with nocturnal animal feeding, or nursery activity, which represent an extra effort, as taking care of newborns or small baby animals that need to be under observation or fed very often, following a working schedule that extends to the evening and down . Of course, these tasks are developed by volunteers with other kind of commitment, and we respect entirely the decision of a volunteer if feel tired or don’t feel like want to participate on those.

    Animal releasing: Every animal release should be coordinated with Costarrican wildlife agency. The regulation of Costa Rican wildlife Law has come into force since last February. This new regulation stands to divide Rescue Centers from Zoos, and change fundamentally the possibilities that can be done by each of those institutions. We (as other Costa Rican related institutions) have been forced to modify the scheme of the center, which under their suggestion was first to register the Zoo, and then the rescue center back. Contrary to what your client express, we are on the process, we have the Zoo accreditation complete, and the Rescue Center on it’s way.

    Going a little deep, is important that the volunteers understand that the liberation of an animal is a process that take time, and not an act that can be done lightly. Under the new Costarrican wildlife regulation, we understand that animals that stay up to 72 hours on a rescue center are allowed to be released, while after this time, should be sent to the government agency to relocate on other institution.  In our case, part of the animals that we have in the center, have a history that doesn’t allow us to set them under a release program. Some of the animals came badly injured, or lost physical or behavioral abilities to live in the wild due to human interactions.

    But even when the panorama looks difficult for the future of the reintroductions, we have some animals that with the permission of the wildlife agency are in the process to be released. But as you may imagine, those are animals that should be kept on a separated environment, without interactions with regular volunteers, in order to reduce human contact that may endanger their reintroduction opportunities.

    Who we are looking for: Volunteers of all ages and with all levels of experience and education are welcome at the Rescue Center. Whether you're a veterinary student with a broad knowledge of animal medicine, or simply a person with a passion for saving wildlife; your help is what keeps our Rescue Center going. 

    The location: The Rescue center's beautiful surroundings, kind staff and magnificent animals make volunteering at the Costa Rica animal rescue center a wonderful life - changing experience and keep our volunteers coming back year after year.



    Typical day

    The daily tasks include:

    • Preparing food for the animals
    • Feeding the howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, sloths, birds (Scarlet Macaws, parrots, owls, and others), olingo, and kinkajous
    • Cleaning animal enclosures
    • Cleaning the common areas
    • Giving extra attention to the orphaned young animals 
    • General tidying ...

    Typical day

    The daily tasks include:

    • Preparing food for the animals
    • Feeding the howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, sloths, birds (Scarlet Macaws, parrots, owls, and others), olingo, and kinkajous
    • Cleaning animal enclosures
    • Cleaning the common areas
    • Giving extra attention to the orphaned young animals 
    • General tidying of the Center (sweeping pathways, etc.)
    • Preparing toys and stimulating exercises for the animals
    • Caring for our resident dogs
    • And other great contributions you might have! We welcome creative initiative!

    Typical Daily Schedule


    7:30am: 

    Breakfast  

    8:45am: Morning meeting

    8:45am: Start morning group tasks. This will usually be cleaning, giving water and food to the animals. Each animal enclosure needs raking/sweeping and scrubbing with water and disinfectant. You also need to remove the used food bowls and replace the water. You will not have do every animal enclosure instead you have a list of the animals you need to care for each day. Other morning tasks include food preparation, watering the garden and collecting and moving the compost. Sometimes you will need to do a water check around 11am to make sure none of the animals have spilled their water and need more.

    Free time for projects (when finished)
    12pm: Lunch  (vegetarian and vegan options available) 
    Free time - popular time to be in the pool
    1:30pm: Afternoon meeting
    1:45pm: Start afternoon tasks. You will sometimes need to check the water in the enclosures and help prepare food for dinner.
    4pm: Feeding time for some of the animals.
    4:30pm: It will be one teams job to sort tree branches and place them into baskets for each animal that needs them (usually Monkeys and Sloths). Then you go to the enclosures and place the branches around for the animals to eat/play with.
    6pm: Dinner
    After dinner FREE TIME - Night activities like bonfires and games are planned


    Free-time activities

    We believe that volunteers who work hard need to play hard as well! 
    • We have a swimming pool on our property surrounded by beach chairs for plenty of time to cool off.
    • Relax in one of our hammocks and read a good book or just relax with new friends and have a great conversation.
    We also offer weekly ...

    Free-time activities

    We believe that volunteers who work hard need to play hard as well! 
    • We have a swimming pool on our property surrounded by beach chairs for plenty of time to cool off.
    • Relax in one of our hammocks and read a good book or just relax with new friends and have a great conversation.
    We also offer weekly adventure tours which are awesome. You can sign-up every week and travel with other volunteers to places around the country like: 
    • Jaco Beach
    • Manuel Antonio National Park
    • the Monteverde Cloud Forest
    • Arenal Volcano.
    We provide private transportation for these tours at an additional cost to ensure both your safety and enjoyment. Also, we ensure you receive breakfast before leaving, lunch will be provided in some of the tours, dinner will be saved when you arrive home to Rescue Center. 
    Volunteers have the weekend free to do different activities such as:

    • Surf Lessons
    • Spanish lessons
    • Tours by the city of Carribean Side , Puerto Viejo Town and Tortuguero Canales
    • hike to Volcanos like Arenal Volcano
    • visit Beaches
    • visit National Parks like Manuel Antonio and Monterverde
    • Horse Ride,  Canopy

    We can help with reservations.


    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 16 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 16 years old on the program start date.

    Language Skills

    You need to speak Spanish (basic level) or English (basic level)

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 08:00 - 17:00

    What's Included

    What's Included

    Services by Volunteer Now Costa Rica

    Program fees includes: 


    • 3 daily meals
    • lodging
    • laundry and wifi
    • pool

    Local transportation is not included.

    Accommodation

    Shared with other volunteers in our dorm style accommodation.

    Private room with an extra cost.

    Food & Beverages

    Three meals a day: Breakfast, lunch and dinner, fruits, typical food from Costa Rica but we also have special food for vegans and vegetarians, GF, allergies volunteers.

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Airport Pickup at Juan Santamaria International Airport

    An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose. We assist you to find cheap flights to Costa Rica. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Costa Rica provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Costa Rica you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Costa Rica. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    We work 365 days a year, you can arrive any day of the week but we do have a schedule for arrivals. 

    Our Rescue Center will have its gates open from 6am till 10pm if you arrive after or before this schedule you'll need to wait for the next day or the next opening. 

    We can provide and arrange your transportation to and from the airport with our trusted drivers if you'll like to but it would have an extra cost

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program fees

    1 week (min. stay) 384€
    2 weeks 768€
    3 weeks 1,152€
    4 weeks 1,536€
    5 weeks 1,920€
    6 weeks 2,168€
    7 weeks 2,688€
    8 weeks 3,072€
    9 weeks 3,456€
    50 weeks (max. stay) 19,202€
    Average fees 384€/week

    Program fees

    384€ per week 1 - 50 weeks Age 16 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES


    Duration

    1 - 50 weeks

    Deposit

    The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


    Final Payment

    Your final payment will be agreed with Volunteer Now Costa Rica during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


    Meet your organization

    Volunteer Now Costa Rica

    Very Good 4.3 rating (94 reviews)

    Non-profit - founded in 2004

    Verified by Volunteer World

      Very high response rate

    Coordinated by

    Jenny

    Spoken languages: Spanish, English

    About the project

    We are a major organization with more than 10 years of volunteer experience creating lifetime experiences amongst our participants.

    Meet your organization

    VOLUNTEER NOW COSTA RICA is located in Escazu and Guanacaste, San Jose, Costa Rica. This is a family company that has been around since 2004 and enlisted the aid of hundreds of volunteers from all over the world, which come to our country to work on the ecological and social projects our company offers.

    The further you have to travel to get here and the more eager you are to participate and learn about our great history and culture, the more we at Hospedaje Casa Escazu will appreciate and love you for your commitment to being the change in our great country. When you dedicate your time and effort to us, we promise to dedicate all of our resources to making sure your efforts make the greatest difference possible.

    VOLUNTEER NOW COSTA RICA is located in Escazu City at 20 minutes from the airport Juan Santamaria.

    We work with volunteers from different countries helping in the public Schools and Day Care Centers that don't have enough money to supply for the needs of the children that aren't supported by the Goverment.

    Our Values at VOLUNTEER NOW COSTA RICA are:

    • Respect
    • Responsibility
    • Honesty
    • Integrity
    • Quality in our services
    • Reliability
    • Safety
    • Commitment
    • Trust
    We say this because our goal with every day that passes and why we even became a business entity is to provide an enjoyable and eye opening experience for each volunteer the spends time with Hospedaje Casa Escazu in Costa Rica. At the same time we want to dramatically increase the quality of life for the local citizens and protect the natural beauty that in its self makes Costa Rica, the unique and enchanting place that it is.

    94 reviews · rating4.3

    Maya DeCoux rating5

    2024 at Animal Rescue Center Supporter

    I’m in university and was only able to go volunteer for a few days, but I had the absolutely best time! I quickly got acclimated to the animal’s routines and fell in love with all or them almost instantly. Such sweet staff, volunteers, and of course the amazing rescued ...
    evita barbera rating5

    2024 at Animal Rescue Center Supporter

    Il posto è molto accogliente, pulito e curato. La famiglia che lo gestisce è molto disponibile ad accogliere ogni richiesta (per tutti i pasti si può scegliere tra un menu regolare, vegetariano o vegano). L’esperienza è un qualcosa di meraviglioso e singolare. Fay la coordinatrice è una ...
    Silja Orradottir rating5

    2024 at Animal Rescue Center Supporter

    I loved the program, best volunteer experience i have had. The work they do is so admirable, the coordinators are amazing and I definitely recommend this ...
    Lesley Russel rating5

    2024 at Animal Rescue Center Supporter

    I have just finished a two week stint at the Costa Rica Animal Project. I have worked at several projects in different countries, and this one was one of the best! The family and staff at the project really care for the animals and look after them well - it was a pleasure to be part of this for a ...
    Mairyann mairyann rating4.8

    2024 at Animal Rescue Center Supporter

    From the first moment we arrived until the last, we felt well taken care of and had a meaningful and enjoyable time. My grandson's goal was to get to take care of exotic birds and monkeys. He did get up close to the parrots and near one friendly monkey. Also met some cute sloths and raccoons ...
    Stacie Nguyen rating3.8

    2024 at Animal Rescue Center Supporter

    I was at the animal rescue center for a week and though I really loved it, being able to help take care and feed the animals while making amazing new friends, I also felt really sad as I got to know more about the center (Like the release percentage is quite low there. I feel that the owner has ...

    Location


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