Volunteering in Australia.

We have three volunteer partners in Australia. Sea turtles in Cairns, flying foxes on the Atherton Tablelands and wildlife rehabilitation in Perth. We are in constant contact with all our partners around the world, getting updates on volunteers, the weather, new animals in treatment and fundraising campaigns they are rolling out. Our Australia partners have kept us up to date about these issues and of course the fires that we have all seen with tears in our eyes.

Our partners have been incredibly lucky and currently are not in immediate danger. Our volunteers on the ground are safe and the animals continue to get the very best of care.

Over the past week we have gotten an unprecedented 50 new applications a day from people who want to go to Australia immediately and help. Of course we did, who doesn’t want to help these amazing heroes who are on the front line of animal rescue? It has been wonderfully overwhelming to see how many people want to help these animals, how many people see these pictures and videos and instead of getting swallowed up by sadness are inspired to action.

Our message to everyone is thank you, thank you, thank you for your heart and for your compassion. This is a dire situation and it helps all of us to know we are not alone. In order to understand our commitment to Australia now and in the future we would ask everyone read the message we are sending those interested in volunteering in Australia.

Thank you so much for your application to volunteer with us in Australia.

We have been absolutely devastated by the wild fires in Australia and are very privileged to be able to send international volunteers to our wildlife rehab centre in Perth. Currently, the centre cannot accept anymore volunteers until August. 

Many wildlife centres are at capacity with volunteers at the moment and won't accept any who haven't had extensive experience with marsupials and burn victims. Hands on the ground are important but they have been telling me that donations for things like fruit, milk and medical supplies are needed urgently and of course through the whole recovery process.

Knowing how many animals have been affected and how much land has been completely destroyed, the road to recovery will be long and the volunteers coming to Australia later in the year will be as welcome as the ones arriving currently. 

We have two more programs in Australia, one with flying foxes up in the Atherton tablelands and one in Cairns with sea turtles. If you are interested in going to Australia to help animals, they are both wonderful groups who really do need volunteers throughout the year, including now. Australia’s economy will also benefit from your visit.

Let me also say, that wildlife around the world needs our help. There is no wrong answer when you help animals at wildlife rehab centres. Perhaps they have not been acutely affected by wildfires but many of the animals at our wildlife centres around the world do need immediate and on going help after their rescue from traffickers, loss of habitat and natural disasters in their area. If you want to help wildlife but can't get to Australia, there are animals who need your help in all our wildlife centres.

Thank you so much for your interest in helping. This is a dire and terrifying situation ecologically yet I have been inspired by the amount of people who want to help from all over the world. 

A note about fees: Unfortunately, we cannot help with the costs for volunteer fees or ticket. The fees exist to offset the cost of hosting volunteers- from electricity to water, training to materials, volunteers provide an important helping role at the centre but they can also cost the community. We make sure that struggling communities don't personally pay for what the volunteers consume and all the donations that raised for the centre are used directly to help the animals. 

This is one of the reasons we visit all the placements before we partner with them. Not only do we make sure they are safe for travelers, ethically run, community lead/supported and authentically helping the animals in the area; we make sure that the fees correctly and ethically reflect the cost of hosting volunteers. Everything from the petrol used to pick volunteers up from the airport to the training that each volunteer must receive is thought of because when it comes down to it, we know no one going to help these communities and these animals wants to be a burden- financial or otherwise. 

Just as we don't barter for medical supplies and rent at home, we don't in the places that host volunteers so, as you can understand fees are very important to pay your way and the things you consume while on the program. 

Thank you so much for your heart, your compassion and your readiness to help. We will all need to come together in the next months and years to help all the animals and people affected by this devastating climate disaster. We are committed to Australia’s wildlife and we hope you are, too.

Nora

Adventures are in the speed bumps

Imagine you are going on the adventure of a lifetime to volunteer with a sea turtle conservation group in Australia. Everything is in place. Your pick up from the airport is all arranged - you know exactly where and when to meet the shuttle. You have accommodation at a local hostel and they have all your arrival information and are expecting you. The organization where you will volunteer is all set up, and you know exactly where to meet the group on your first day of volunteering and at what time. How exciting! And then at the last minute disaster strikes. One of your many flights has a gate change and you miss your connecting flight! Your new flight has you arriving in Australia a full day after you planned to get there. Your flight is boarding, you're hurrying to get on the plane and you have no time to make any changes to your many arrangements.

What do you do?!

If you have booked your travel adventure through Animal Experience International, you simply relax. A quick email to the AEI Coordinator, and you will know everything will be taken care of for you. Your shuttle will be re-booked. Your hostel will be notified that you will be delayed. The people meeting you from the sea turtle organization will be informed and a new arrangement will be made for you. You can get on your flight and relax, knowing everything has been taken care of for you. Animal Experience International is a registered travel agency. Not only are we animal lovers, we are also travel counselors and travel managers and active members of the Travel Industry Council of Ontario. Booking through AEI gives you peace of mind - knowing that you can sit back and enjoy your trip.

Including all the bumps in the road that make travel an adventure - not an inconvenience!

Australian Wildlife

Australia Day brings lots of questions and lots of concerns. What does reconciliation look like? What does conservation look like? What does honouring the future look like when we don't want to forget the past? One thing that can bring us all together is the special and endemic species and ecosystems of Australia. They need to be protected- from us humans. 

Australia doesn't just have cute animals, it has important and unique animals that aren't found anywhere else on Earth. It has animals that need to be protected while communities are invested in and protected. Visiting Australia means learning more about their natural and historical contexts to understand better what needs to be protected and how. It means understanding there aren't easy answers.

We all share this planet, the natural world IS where we live. Volunteering can help us share- with each other and the animals, just a little better. 

When you think about visiting Australia consider volunteering with it's remarkable wildlife. They need you and the story when you come back home is a story that needs to be told.