What are the requirements to be a volunteer?

No animal-related qualifications or experience are necessary, although we welcome anyone from relevant fields. Full training and guidance will be given.  Volunteers should be compassionate about animal welfare and nature conservation, be old enough to take responsibility for themselves, be fit enough to work in a tropical climate and have up-to-date vaccinations against tetanus, TB, and hepatitis A/B.

When can I volunteer?

The animals require care 365 days a year; you can stay from two weeks to two months or longer if desired. Please tell us when you are available and we will try to find space for you to participate.  For the other programmes, a specific number of teams will run throughout the year for which dates will be published two-three months in advance.

How do I apply?

By filling out the following application form

What will be the volunteer duties/activities while at the centre?

Volunteers working with the monkeys, birds and other wildlife will spend a significant amount of time providing fresh drinking water to the animals, cleaning their enclosures and carrying out enrichments for all of the animals. This includes a variety of ancillary jobs, such as cleaning food bowls, equipment and food preparation areas. Other time is spent giving tours to visiting tourists as well as assisting development of the education centre. Depending upon the number of volunteers and ongoing activities at the time, there will also be work in connection with building/upgrading enclosures, usually involving a lot of digging and painting.

Volunteers on other programmes may also get involved in the animal care work if they wish, however they will typically be a set task for each team. Details for each team will be published at least two-three months in advance.

The types and variety of duties will depend largely on the duration of stay of each volunteer and number and skills of volunteers participating. Some of the work is also seasonal and dependent upon available resources on-site at the time.

What will the accommodation be like for volunteers at the centre?

There is a communal volunteer house, with a kitchen, dining area and recreational area with TV and a variety of games. Volunteers stay in male/female dorms with up to 6 bunk beds. Bed linen is provided with each bed and the rooms all have a balcony.

Shower and western style toilets are communal.

Linen can be washed at the on-site laundry, which the volunteers can also use to wash their own clothes.

What will the food be like for volunteers at the centre?

All food & drink supplies will be provided for by the project, bought on a weekly shopping trip with a strict budget. There is a cook on site who prepares Indonesian style meals for breakfast lunch and dinner supplemented with plent of tropical fruits. For animal welfare ethical reasons (as well as budget reasons), the project intends to only buy vegetarian food. But there will be regular fish/egg dishes to supplement this. If volunteers would like to buy any extra food for themselves, this can be done when shopping in Manado or other towns.

How many volunteers are there usually?

The wildlife rescue centre will typically have between 10-12 volunteers, although there is currently capacity for about 20.

How do I get there and what is nearby of interest?

Volunteers will be collected from Manado international airport, serving low cost flights from Kuala Lumpur (Airasia), Singapore (Silkair), Bali and Jakarta as well as other domestic airports in Indonesia. Tourism in North Sulawesi is focused on diving and beach resorts at Bunaken and Lembeh, as well as volcanoe trekking and the nearby protected forest and beach called Tangkoko-Batuangus-Duasaudara Nature Reserve.

What are the costs, and what is included?

The volunteer fee, which covers the cost of your accommodation and meals as well as a small contribution toward animal food and care, is cheaper per week the longer you stay. Flights, visas, insurance, vaccinations and any other off-site expenses need to be covered by the volunteers. We accept volunteers from within Indonesia for free as part of our education policy. We also offer discounts for veterinary professionals.

Indonesian volunteers please send an email to  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more detailed information