By bidding on a life changing trip!
We’re excited to be participating in SEE Turtles Sustainable Travel Auction! Bid on one of 8 incredible experiences around the world and the proceeds will help support sea turtle conservation efforts around the world.
Check out our trip and all of the others and place your bids here:
Want to know more about volunteering with us during an expedition? Well look no further! This blog post from Lauren, who came with us in 2019 is all about the amazing things you will experience and the beautiful people you will meet.
As always, if you have any questions, email us! We are here to make sure you are safe, comfortable and confident while volunteering!
While you can always travel solo with AEI we wanted to highlight two group trips, one with AEI and one not officially with us. We don't normally highlight trips that aren't run with our official partners but we can't think of a more important project right now.
Project Red Shed is looking for volunteers in June to help rebuild and better the infrastructure at a domestic animal rescue at the boarder of Hungary and Ukraine. This shelter was already poorly funded, under-resourced and overcrowded BEFORE the war. It is now unable to cope with the amount of Ukrainian animals it has been asked to take in and Red Shed is looking to help them. If you are good at building, carpentry and getting your hands dirty, this is a project for you. Again, you won't be travelling with AEI but we believe in this project so much, we wanted to help anyone who could volunteer, learn about this opportunity. For more details please visit: https://projectredshed.com/
If you want to volunteer *with* AEI in 2022, you should come to Nepal with us to volunteer with dogs, cats and cows!
This will be our 4th Expedition and this time we are going to the roof top of the world. Come with us to Nepal for 10 full days of volunteering with dogs, visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites, hiking through terraced fields and taking part in activities that don't just help animals- they help the local population, too.
For all accomodation, meals, in-country transportation, access and administration to all UNESCO sites, fully guided day trek, full volunteer fees and donations to the centres, the trip will be $2495 Canadian.
Doesn't sound like your thing? Remember that you can sign up to travel independently throughout the year. Most of our programs are offered year round, so you can plan an adventure that works best for you. We help with your airport pick up, pre-departure training, accommodation is always included and remember we have visited all the placements first to make sure we know they are safe, ethical and authentic.
11-18 June 2022.
Wildlife husbandry in the Central American jungle. Our last Expedition before 2020 was Expedition Guatemala. We didn’t know it at the time but it would be one of the last times we personally would travel internationally. Even though we had no idea we really did live each day like it would be our last trip: watching the sunrise over the pyramids of Tikal National Park, cleaning the enclosures of beautifully singing ducks, assisting with the intakes of tamanduas, putting out folded green enrichment for baby howler monkeys, sipping cool drinks on beach side cafes in Flores. We loved this expedition so much we wanted to share it with you- everyone who wants to help animals but maybe wants some reassurance that travel can still be safe, comfortable and as always ethical. This isn’t just us helping animals again, this is us celebrating the end of this very difficult time. Come celebrate with us while doing real authentically beneficial volunteering to conserve these endangered wild animals.
We have a lot of people asking if only vets can volunteer. And we always say: *NO*, in fact most of our volunteers are not veterinary medical professionals and we like it that way. Why? Because there are so many ways to help animals! And by encouraging people from all walks of life to volunteer, we ensure that local professionals stay employed by good and trustworthy conservation programs. We aren't taking jobs from members of the community and this means the professionals that helped animals before we were there will continue to help them once we leave.
What kinds of volunteering could you possibly do with animals that isn't high level medical volunteering? Actually some of the most important volunteering opportunities are the things that take the pressure off vets, freeing up their time so that they can provide the more specialized care. Making enrichment for animals who are in temporary enclosures before they are released into the wild, socializing dogs who have been rescued from the street, making breakfasts for elephants in sanctuaries. All of these are things you can do right now - and if you do them you are helping these animals AND the team members who have been there throughout, and even before, this pandemic!
If you want to help animals the best way to help are the easy but time intensive tasks: cutting up mangoes for orphaned howler monkeys, sweeping out elephant paddocks, scrubbing (empty) bear pools, handing out dishes of kibbles to hungry dogs - YOU can do this and you should! Giving back while you go on vacation isn't just a nice thing to do for the animals, it can be life changing for you. Volunteering changes how you feel about yourself, the world and your place in it.
Travelers have a massive role to play in stopping the trafficking and exploitation of animals. We have been thinking a lot recently about imposter syndrome and how it can show up in conservation. Travelers, recreational adventurers, and volunteers can be just as big proponents for conservation as biologists. Travelers spend their whole lives learning (when they travel with their eyes open) and through this experiential education they can be witnesses to the very best and very worst of humanity. If you don’t have formal training in conservation, you may discount yourself and pass at the opportunity to be an advocate. But you don’t have to be an animal professional to recognize that animals in cages and on tethers aren’t happy. Oftentimes it’s the traveler who is limiting their own voice, not speaking up because of feeling like an “imposter”. People don’t think they know enough, or feel that it’s not for them to say anything – but violence is violence and we don’t need a degree to recognize it and speak up against it. In fact we need all the stakeholders to come together so that we can conserve our natural world!
We encourage every traveler this year to think about the voice they have and how they use it. You do not need to have a formal education to change the world, you just need to speak out about injustices you see and throw your support behind organizations that are doing positive things. There are no imposters – everyone has their lived experiences and we should speak up for what we believe in. Do you need to be a vet to help animals? No. Do you need to be a professor of animal behavior to help animals? No. Both of these professions WILL help animals but so will you if you are willing to volunteer, observe and share what you learn with the world.
Travel is once again within your reach – you will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, then we will help you with the rest! You can safely travel to Costa Rica or Guatemala starting this month, and to more countries in 2022 (Mongolia, Malawi, Costa Rica, Thailand...) – many of them with us leading the trip! We look forward to helping you plan your animal experiences as travel starts to open up again.
Elephants - the largest land mammal on Earth and incredibly intelligent creatures. Elephants are highly social animals, living in matriarchal groups, with the matriarch (usually the oldest female) making the decisions for the herd. Male elephants leave the family group after adolescence to join bachelor herds or live on their own. Elephants are socially complex, seeming to understand how other elephants are feeling, demonstrating empathy, assisting each other and even mourning their dead.
African elephants and Asian elephants may live on different continents, but they are very similar in behaviour and appearance. African elephants tend to be larger, have bigger ears, a rounder head and a concave back compared to their Asian cousins. African elephants can live to be 70 years and Asian elephants can live up to 50 years in the wild.
Seeing an elephant for the first time, you will instantly understand why they are respected and revered - and at times feared. Elephants are massive, and they are incredibly strong. Adult males weigh up to six tonnes, while male Asian elephants can weigh up to five tonnes. These giants are vegetarians, eating a wide range of plant material, including grass, leaves, woody parts of trees and shrubs, roots, flowers and fruits when available. An adult needs to eat up to 150 kg (330 lbs) of food a day – that’s 50 tonnes a year!
Trunks and Tusks
Their most notable feature, their trunk, is an extension of the upper lip and nose, and is used for breathing, smelling, touching, grasping and producing sound. Baby elephants will even suck on their trunk to soothe themselves, like children will suck their thumb. The trunk is very muscular and a male elephant can use their trunk to lift a load of more than 250 kg. That's over 550 lbs! Their distinctive tusks are actually long upper incisor teeth, and are used as a tool to dig for food or water and to strip bark from trees. Tusks are also used as a weapon during fights with rivals, and by males to court females who appreciate larger tusks in their partners. Both male and female African elephants have tusks, while only some male Asian elephants have them. Female Asian elephants have shorter tusks called tushes.
Threats to Elephants
Ivory, which refers to the tusks, has been long treasured by humans, and is used to make luxury goods like jewellery and carvings, piano keys and billiard balls. Ivory is one of the main threats to the survival of the elephant species, as elephants are still hunted for their ivory tusks despite international bans and regulations. Asian elephants also face threats from tourist attractions where people pay to ride on their backs or to be entertained by performances. The hidden truth is that to make elephants submit to elephant rides and other human interactions, they are taken from their mothers when babies and forced through a horrific training process that essentially breaks their spirit. And the ongoing treatment of captive elephants is often appalling. As if this wasn't enough, elephants are also losing their habitats through the destruction of forests and the development of land. Elephants need large spaces in which to live and this loss has threatened their survival and pushed them into more conflict situations with humans.
We have the power
We have the power to help protect elephants. As tourists, as consumers and as animal lovers we can ensure we are not contributing to these problems and that we are actively supporting change. When traveling, or at home, do not buy or sell products that contain ivory. Do not support attractions that offer elephant rides or shows, and instead look for organizations that commit to offering elephant experiences with a high standard of elephant welfare and conservation, with responsible viewing of elephants in wild or semi-wild habitats.
Animal Experience International has taken a stand by pledging not to sell or promote cruel elephant activities, and to help to avert future crises by making this the last generation of captive elephants used for entertainment. AEI volunteers help at an Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand that provides refuge for rescued elephants, allows the elephants opportunities for normal socialization and upholds a high standard of care. You too can join the team and help provide care for these amazing creatures!
The three pillars in which we built AEI are: safety, ethical practices and authentic conservation activities.
In the last 6 months we have been working hard at making sure none of those pillars crumbles or falls.
This has meant with some countries opening up we have had to make hard decisions. We need to keep local communities and our clients safe- and how do we do that in a pandemic while they desperately need help and donations?
Most of our programs are still closed but we are happy to announce if you are from Canada, some American states or some countries in Europe, you can volunteer in Costa Rica on our sea turtle conservation program!
We will be writing more about this in a newsletter today and of course updating all the details on the website. But if you want to travel to authentically help turtles, we can make sure you do it safely, and of course ethically.
How can you volunteer in Costa Rica?
Canadian, Australian and European passports are accepted. Sadly, no Americans are allowed just yet- this also includes those who transit through America.
You must be able to show a negative Covid 19 test taken within 48 hours of travel
You must complete an online epidemiological form provided by the Ministry of health.
How can this be safe?
All volunteers must wear masks while volunteering. Hand sanitizer is provided and social distancing while volunteering is required.
Social distancing at home and off time is more than possible since you live in your own cabin in a small community with a very low population density.
Volunteering activities take place outside and with other participants who have been cleared of risk (through national and regional requirements of testing).
Our travel insurance partner covers Covid-19 complications.
If you want to help sea turtles in Costa Rica check out our website or contact us today. We will be more than happy to talk to you about the realities of volunteering in 2020.
The first time I saw a sea turtle was when I was in Costa Rica, participating in AEI’s sea turtle nesting conservation program. It was late at night and we were helping to patrol the beach, on the lookout for female turtles coming out of the ocean to lay their eggs. The turtle was a Leatherback - a giant, silent, magnificent presence in the moonlight. She was breathtaking. And the experience was made even more amazing by knowing we were ensuring her eggs would be kept safe, and that her offspring could return to the ocean one day, to continue a cycle that has been taking place for over 100 million years.
Sea turtles are one of the most loved marine creatures, but also one of the most secretive. For the most part, what sea turtles do and where they spend their time has remained a mystery. There are seven species of sea turtles in our oceans, and while females periodically come on shore to lay their eggs, most of their lives are spent in the water. We do know that most species migrate thousands of kilometers in their lifetimes as they move between their feeding and breeding grounds and are found in every ocean around the world, except the Arctic and Antarctic. One Leatherback turtle found on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica had been previously tagged in Newfoundland, Canada!
We need to know more about them
Tagging and tracking sea turtles has been key in allowing researchers to gain insight into their lives, and provides important information for sea turtle protection and conservation. AEI’s sea turtle conservation program in Costa Rica offers a glimpse into the lives of sea turtles when they are not at their nesting sites. Researchers study turtles swimming freely in the Golfo Dulce, identifying, tagging and monitoring these sea turtles to better understand their behaviour. This information is used in the global turtle conservation effort to help turtles around the world.
Sea turtle facts
Sea turtles species vary greatly in size. Olive ridleys are the smallest sea turtles (weighing up to 50 kg or 110 pounds). Leatherbacks are the largest sea turtle species and can weigh up to 680 kg (1,500 pounds) and measure 183 cm (6 feet). We know that sea turtles can live a very long time, but their exact age is difficult to document. Their natural lifespan is estimated to be between 50 and 100 years. It takes 20 - 30 years for a sea turtle to reach sexual maturity, and when ready, female turtles return to the very same beach where they were hatched to lay their own eggs. Some females have been found to nest every year until the age of 80!
How many sea turtles are there?
This is a difficult question to answer, as juvenile and male sea turtles never come ashore. Population numbers are usually estimated by the number of adult females that nest each year. This is not an easy feat, as some females nest every 2 - 3 years, and others may nest more than once in a season. Scientists look at the changing numbers of nesting females from year to year to determine population trends.
Making a difference
We do know that six of the seven species of sea turtles are listed as threatened, endangered or critically endangered. Sea turtles face multiple threats caused by humans, such as bycatch in commercial fishing gear, illegal trade, consumption, and climate change. There is still much work to do to decrease these threats and many ways for you to help. AEI’s partner in Australia provides assistance to adult sea turtles that have been injured or impacted by boats, nets, ocean pollution and severe weather events.
Together we are making a difference. We are starting to hear positive news, with many conservation programs reporting an increase in the numbers of nesting female sea turtles now being counted on the beaches. By supporting these efforts, we can continue to see the numbers of these ancient and mysterious sea creatures rise and ensure they have a place in the oceans for millions of more years to come.
Remember that AEI has a Relief Fund for our placement partners. If you want to donate to sea turtles you can send us the donation through paypal and we will send it over to them- just make sure you add the animal you want the donation to go to. That way you don’t pay any bank fees or anything like that! 100% of the money that you send us to send to sea turtle conservation will go to sea turtles! Donate Here!
We are all going to be home for a bit longer so do you want to help animals from your backyard, phone or even computer? You are in luck because I wrote an article all about it for Fanimal. Check out all the different ways you can be a citizen scientist and help animals from bumble bees in your backyard to penguins in Antarctica! Read How to Virtually Help All Animals… Remotely. and then share it with your friends and family. Come back and tell us how you helped animals!
Be safe y’all, with your insides and your outsides.
Nora
During this time of uncertainty and fear, we want to highlight a few ways that we can help each other and the animals we care about, without putting anyone at risk. Sadly all of our centres around the world have temporarily stopped taking volunteers - so the ways we can help won't involve travel at this time. This is about all of us pooling our collective resources to help the animals we all love so much.
Many of the conservation and domestic animal centres that we support have volunteer donations as their main source of income. The hands-on work of the volunteers means programs can run, that animals are being cared for, that conservation efforts can go forward. It also frees up the time of staff, scientists and veterinarians so that they can do specialized work such as providing medical support to the animals or working on conservation research. The volunteer fees help buy things like food and medication, fund the rescue and release of wildlife, fund spay and neuter programs and other essential work. In this completely unprecedented time with no volunteers at these centres (both now and for the foreseeable future) our partners are at a loss as to how to operate. Their work continues - there are locals on the ground who are leading these efforts and they have some contingency funds. But if we don't support them in this time of need the consequences will be disastrous. Animals in the care of the centres will NOT suffer, but debts will grow and conservation and welfare groups who go out to tag wildlife, protect sea turtle nests and vaccinate dogs will have to stop. This will harm conservation efforts now and into the future.
Many of us are looking at the coming months with trepidation. But we want everyone to remember, we are all in this together and we can all help each other during these challenging times. Provide hope by making a donation to a centre where you have volunteered, or one where you are heading to in the future or dream to go one day. Every little bit will help. Any donation will remind our conservation and animal welfare partners around the world that they are not alone.
Donations are needed for our elephants and wildlife rescue centre in Thailand; our sea turtle conservation group in Costa Rica, for European dolphin conservation, Guatemalan wildlife rescue, Spanish galgo efforts, Spanish horse rescue, Southern African wildlife rehabilitation, and all the other important programs that we and our amazing volunteers support. We are all hurting and we are all a little scared, so let's spread the love today and donate to these centres who even in this crisis are animal and conservation heroes. To donate directly through our website select "Pay Fee" and then select "Donate" letting us know which program you would like to support. Or contact us for more information.
B Corps are certified by the non profit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. We have been a B Corp since 2013 and since then we have always been in the top 10% of quantifiable benefit to the environment and the communities we operate in.
