Volunteer Travel

A Strong Case for Wildlife Volunteering

Volunteer Working with Giant Tortoises in the Galapagos

Image source: Savingparadise.wildlifedirect.com

I’m a biology student working on completing a few requirements before I apply to graduate school, so for me wildlife volunteering is the most attractive volunteering option out there. I’m very sensitive emotionally, so I know working with sick children or in deeply impoverished villages is not the thing for me. I wish it was—I would love to work with people—but I know myself and I’d be a nervous wreck. Of course, working with endangered or imperiled animals carries its own emotional risks but somehow the disconnect—the inhuman eyes, the lack of a spoken language—helps me create an emotional distance. Also working with animals, especially in foreign countries out in the vast wilderness, has this Avatar-like new frontier appeal.

Preserving Wildlife and Wild Places with the Wildlife Conservation Society

The Wildlife Conservation Society's Logo

Image source: Conservationheroes.blogspot.com

The Wildlife Conservation Society was founded in 1895. Back then it was called the New York Zoological Society and its main project was to create a zoo in the Bronx, fittingly called The Bronx Zoo. Today the Wildlife Conservation Society is an NGO (non-governmental organization). We hear all manner of opinions about NGOs, some good, some bad. There have even been a few documentary film-style investigations on the subject. As the name would suggest, they are not technically affiliated with a government, but that is slightly misleading. Many NGOs work with governments on specific projects or policies, though they exclude government workers from membership. Of course, when you are a large organization like Amnesty International or the Wildlife Conservation Society, politics are an inevitable part of the game, and that turns off a lot of potential volunteers. Let’s remember though, many NGOs do real, responsible work, and volunteering with one presents many potential benefits.

The Crocodile Hunter’s Legacy: Volunteering Aboard the Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin Holding a Young Crocodile

Image source: Masey.com.au

While some people might think it silly, one of the people I admire most is the late, great Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter. Yes, he was goofy and flamboyant. Sure, he hammed it up for the cameras. But when it came down to caring, generosity, and real work to make a difference, Irwin was a hero. While he wasn’t a volunteer himself—Irwin ran his family’s Australia Zoo—he welcomed volunteers from all over the world, encouraging them to learn about the Australian wildlife, and to spread his message of conservation.

Researching Your VolunTour: Follow the Money

Volunteer with Four Children in South Africa

Image source: Blog.geovisions.org

After yesterday’s post I started to do some digging. I was looking for information about scam voluntour opportunities and unfortunately, I found a very long list. It makes a whole lot of sense. By definition, many of these opportunities are in impoverished areas. These areas are home to many desperate people who see foreign voluntourists walking through town and think, “hey, I’m starving and those people have money to burn.” A desperate person sees that as an opportunity for personal financial gain, which may truly mean the difference between life and death. It’s hard to get enraged by desperate people doing desperate things.

Being Realistic: Avoiding Scam Voluntours

A Young Girl Looking in the Mirror

Image source: Thestir.cafemom.com

Sometimes I look in the mirror and I have this existential crisis moment. I think, “that’s me in there… behind those eyes.” It’s the kind of thing you can’t think about every day or you’d go crazy—that you’re whole self, everything you are, is totally contained inside your skull. But it’s true. Everyone must think about that sometimes, and to think about it is to realize how fragile we are, how strange it is to be self aware, and how important it is to protect that delicate shell that we reside within for the entirety of our existence. For that reason I suppose we are all motivated by a certain self-interest. We are all concerned about our own survival.