VOLUNTEERS
(PAYING AND DAY)
This guide provides a brief insight into volunteering as either a paying volunteer or as a day volunteer with WAR.
Application forms and other information can be downloaded from the ‘Quick Click’ menu at the end of this Section.
PAYING VOLUNTEERS
Work at the Cu Chi Wildlife Rescue Station (CCWRS)
Thank you for your enquiry about paying volunteering for work at one of WAR’s wildlife rescue stations. Paying volunteers at WAR play a very important role and we welcome your involvement and commitment to a meaningful cause. If you are interested in conservation, enjoy working outdoors, and are enthusiastic and dependable, you may be what WAR is looking for.
As a paying volunteer at the CCWRS you will dedicate your time to assisting our permanent staff in providing clean, safe, natural environments for our rescued wildlife. As a paying volunteer you will be involved in many different activities and should come to learn a lot about endangered Vietnamese wildlife and why the animals are at the Rescue Station.
Paying Volunteer Information
If you are accepted as a WAR paying volunteer, following are some details that will help you get started.
Your first day: On your first day you will required to be at the Station at 9am. During your induction you will be given an orientation tour of the Station and be told why the animals are there and basically how they are cared for.
Food: The Station is located in the small town of An Nhon Tay, Cu Chi District. It can be reached by bus from Ho Chi Minh, which is located about 2 hours away. The town has a very limited choice of local food and a small market. Everything is ‘local’. Paying volunteers who are not actually staying out at Cu Chi may wish to bring their own food from Ho Chi Minh City.
Dress Code: As you would expect the dress code is casual. Shorts or trousers need to be plain-coloured, comfortable and durable. Don’t forget if you’re working with some of the animals you should expect to get dirty. Bring ‘wash-and-wear’ quick drying items only.
Sensible shoes are a must. Please ensure that they are comfortable and fully enclosed.
Please don’t forget to bring a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses, as you may spend all day outdoors.
Communications: The Station has reasonable mobile phone and internet communications.
What to expect from the CCWRS Paying Volunteer Programme
A lot of people who decide to participate in the paying volunteer programme are doing it:
- To gain an insight into endangered Vietnamese wildlife.
- To find out what it’s like to be a wildlife keeper.
- To experience a different field of work from what they are used to.
Commitment
In general, WAR paying volunteers may volunteer for as short or as long as they want. However, WAR charges a small fee for providing you with this opportunity and your valuable contribution will go directly back into conservation within WAR related projects. Normally paying volunteers only stay out at Cu Chi for a maximum of 2 weeks. The work is not glamorous, but it’s certainly rewarding to those with true commitment to the cause.
- Cost per week – USD 200 (WAR Member)
- Cost per week – USD 300 (Non Member)
Once you become a Paying Volunteer you will also become a Member if not already one.
Work Hours
9am – 4.30pm each day. Weekends are by roster because obviously the animals need care for 7 days a week.
Tasks
Being a paying volunteer means being dedicated, and being prepared to help out with a lot of the very necessary menial tasks that need to be performed at the Station. Some of the daily tasks may include:
- Assisting keepers cleaning enclosures. This includes sweeping, raking and assisting the keepers in general husbandry activities.
- Watering plants and maintaining gardens.
- Keeping paths and gardens free of leaves and rubbish.
- Painting enclosures and external walls.
- Cleaning windows on the reptile holding facilities.
- Environmental enrichment work (making the animal living areas and the animals’ lives more ‘user friendly).
- Enclosure maintenance e.g. digging holes, removing tree branches, planting scrubs and flowers.
The animal enclosures that volunteers mostly deal with at the Station are:
- Reptiles – freshwater turtles, Chinese water dragons, Bengal water monitor lizards (there is no contact with snakes)
- Primates – Limited handling with Loris & Gibbons.
- Pangolins – Limited handling due to the species being nocturnal.
- Otters – Limited handling, but volunteers will be involved in feeding, cleaning and, of course, observation.
- Bears and large cats: there is absolutely no contact with these animals.
- Horticulture: planting, weeding, watering and general garden maintenance.
- Environmental Enrichment
Paying volunteers will assist both keepers and management with environmental enrichment. This includes:
- Helping prepare meals for all the animals, making ‘lollypops’ for gibbons, bears and otters.
- Changing foliage in enclosures and replacing fresh leaves.
- Taking puzzle boxes out of enclosures and cleaning them.
- Putting exciting scents (jams, perfume, fish smear, chilli smear, coconuts) in our enclosures for bears, gibbons and otters to enhance their lifestyles.
Accommodation
Paying volunteers have an option of staying in the Keeper House located immediately adjacent to the Station and experiencing local hospitality. The conditions are quite safe and comfortable for both males and females. The Guest room has 2 double beds, a TV and DVD player, and air conditioning. The Keeper House also has a fridge, cooking facilities, shower facilities and a washing machine.
There is also a small guesthouse in An Nhon Tay, which is located very close to the Rescue Station.
Paying volunteers also have the option of travelling back and forth to the Station from Ho Chi Minh City, which is about 2 hours away by private vehicle or public bus.
Checklist for the Application Process
Fill out paying volunteer application form, which can be downloaded below. Please ensure you attach your CV/resume. Experience is not necessary, but enthusiasm for hard work and to ‘get involved’ in our cause is. You also need to be fit and healthy and able to readily adapt to the local situations. There are no ‘ivory towers’ or Big Macs at the Rescue Station.
You will need to have certain inoculations that WAR staff will advise you of after we have received your application. You will also be required to sign an indemnity to absolve WAR of any personal accident or risk situation.
After sending your application, please contact a member of the WAR staff at the Station via this website to confirm that we have received your application at info@wildlifeatrisk.org
Please follow up your contact with a member of Station staff to let them know you are still committed.
Always contact a Station staff member if you have any change of plans.
WAR would like to thank you for showing interest in our work and we look forward to working with you sometime in the future at the Wildlife Rescue Station at Cu Chi.
DAY VOLUNTEERS
Day volunteers have contributed a great deal of support to WAR and continue to do so.
Often day volunteers come out as individuals or in small groups for a day or even a weekend and do a lot of the hard maintenance work sorely needed to keep the wilflife stations viable and allow the very busy staff to concentrate on the wildlife under their care.
Often day volunteers come out as individuals or in small groups for a day or even a weekend and do a lot of the hard maintenance work sorely needed to keep the wilflife stations viable and allow the very busy staff to concentrate on the wildlife under their care.
Organisations
In the past organisations such as Auscham have organised small team to come out to Cu Chi to work at painting and landscaping, and for a pleasant evening BBQ afterwards.
Individuals or organisations interested in day volunteer work at WAR should contact Matt Wills, Technical Advisor, Wildlife Management, listed below to coordinate their time and efforts.
‘Quick Click’ Easy Find
Paying volunteer application form, click
