Why We Need More Volunteers Than International Vets

by Hannah Fowler

At Animal Experience International (AEI), we love connecting passionate people from around the world with projects that make a difference for animals. But when it comes to long- term, sustainable change, there’s one truth that we see again and again: local veterinarians are the cornerstone of animal welfare.

Why Local Vets Matter Most

International volunteers—whether they’re vet students, professionals, or simply animal lovers—can do amazing things to support animal hospitals, sanctuaries, and conservation programs. But volunteers come and go. Local vets are the ones who stay. They understand not only the animals, but also the cultural context, available resources, and community needs. A local vet knows which medicines are accessible and affordable in their area. They know how to build trust with community members, ensuring that solutions are practical and long-lasting. When there aren’t enough local vets, it’s often a sign of limited opportunity in education and training. And without local expertise, communities can become dependent on international

support— which can be very unstable—something we saw clearly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when travel restrictions made it nearly impossible for volunteers to be on the ground.

Where Volunteers Fit In

So if local vets are so essential, why do we still need volunteers? The answer is simple: there’s always more work than one person—or one small team—can handle. Caring for animals means daily, consistent, and often repetitive tasks: cleaning enclosures, preparing food, assisting with enrichment, and monitoring behavior. These aren’t glamorous jobs, but they are absolutely fundamental to an animal's health and welfare. When volunteers step in to handle these important everyday tasks, local vets can focus on what only they can do—complex surgeries, medical diagnoses, and community outreach. In this way, volunteers don’t replace local vets, they empower them to do their best work.

Building Sustainable Change Together

At AEI, we’re committed to making sure volunteer placements strengthen—not overshadow—local expertise. Our role is to provide safe, ethical opportunities for volunteers to support communities, while ensuring that local professionals remain the leaders of long-term animal care. By working hand in hand, volunteers and local vets create a balance: volunteers provide the extra hands needed for daily care, and vets provide the knowledge, experience, and continuity that ensures animal welfare truly thrives.Because at the end of the day, it’s about partnership, sustainability, and respect—for the animals, for the communities, and for the people who dedicate their lives to caring for both.

100% Locally Operated and Supported

While Animal Experience International is a Canadian B Corp, all of our partners are 100% operated and supported by their local community. Why is this important? Because trust in the process, understanding nuance in conservation programs, investing in local professionals/capacity and full autonomy over financial investment is how the world changes- for the better!

As Canadians we don’t know the lived experience of a farmer in Costa Rica or a teacher in Malawi, we can’t begin to understand how their lives are severely impacted by conservation issues. We can only guess how their support could increase animal welfare and restorative justice in their communities. BUT, their neighbours do! Their friends and family know and that is who runs our wildlife and animal welfare centres. People who know the reasons there were decline in wildlife and incline in strays. They also know the solutions that will work in their cultural and geographical context.

What is also important is the capacity building and economic investment that these programs bring. There are no communities on Earth (that we can find) that don’t value animals and want suffering to decrease. There are just some places that have competing interests because if the choice is between National Parks or education for kids or food for veterans, the humanitarian needs prevail. Partnering with local groups, giving them complete autonomy over the kinds of volunteers they have and making sure we compensate them the true cost of hosting a volunteer (from petrol to pick them up to electricity, training to groceries) means animal and conservation professionals stay in their desired field. Wealth is spread through the community making sure there aren’t competing interests- just all lives are better when we invest in restorative and regenerative practices.

So while we are proud to be a boutique Canadian B Corp, we are even more proud to have all the donations and volunteers go to local community members who not only have agency but also have big hopeful and confident conservation and animal welfare dreams.