Become a Volunteer
Interested in Volunteering?
Join the most rewarding program at the Wildlife Waystation - Volunteering. Our dedicated volunteers actively participate in every aspect of life on our wild and exotic animal sanctuary. Experience the joy and sense of wonder from children with their school group as you guide them on a tour of our unique refuge. Feel a sense of pride as you nurse and rehabilitate sick or injured baby animals back to the wild. Hear the roars of thanks from Lions and Tigers as you plant shade trees. Revel in the knowledge that you “gave something back” to these marvelous creatures.
After a day’s work and an amazing sense of accomplishment, the animals will thank you!! Volunteer orientation is held the 2nd Saturday of every month (weather permitting). GREAT NEWS! We will soon be offering a second Orientation per month. Details will be forthcoming shortly! Stay tuned!
Opportunity abounds for you in so many areas:
|
|
Thank you for expressing your interest in being a part of the Wildlife Waystation community!
The following should help you with your inquiries and provide you the information you are seeking regarding joining our Volunteer Program.
The Wildlife Waystation has been in operation for over 30 years. Thousands of injured, abused, and abandoned animals have made their way through our gates – many of those who couldn’t be returned to their native environment have became permanent residents here. With all of these animals, we need dependable, caring volunteers who can commit themselves to the Wildlife Waystation Volunteer Program.
Our volunteers are a crucial part of the Wildlife Waystation. They assist with educating the public through our Outreach and Special Events programs, coordinate fundraising activities, help with ranch maintenance and cleaning, pick up donated produce, run various recycling programs, provide animal enrichment and participate in animal handling. Now we realize that everyone has their own special interests; some of you may be more interested in chimps, others in big cats, and others in reptiles, etc. That’s great and you will have the opportunity to learn more about them. However, it is imperative for all volunteers to participate in a variety of areas. Some folks think that when they come up, they simply attend orientation and voila! You get to start handling lions! Since the safety of our animals and volunteers is first and foremost, we have a process for volunteers to go through before they would be working hands on with animals.
We welcome new volunteers each month at our Orientation. It is currently held on the second Saturday of each month, weather permitting (occasionally there will be exceptions to this so please check with the office for dates). At Orientation, you will be given an overview of the expectations and opportunities that are available to volunteers. The Orientation runs from 9am to 3 pm and includes a walk about through the Compound so that you can meet our many residents and hear their stories. GREAT NEWS! We will soon be offering a second Orientation per month. Details will be forthcoming shortly! Stay tuned!
If you are interested in attending an Orientation, please call the office at 818-899-5201 to make a reservation. As of August 2008, there is a $25 fee ($10 of this will be applied to your Level One class should you go on to take it). You will need to bring your lunch and plenty of water and wear weather appropriate clothes and hiking boots or shoes with a good tread. You must be 18 to volunteer. We expect our volunteers to put in a minimum of 8 hours of volunteering per month. Volunteer applications can be downloaded here from our website.
Thank you again for your interest.
It is always wonderful to know that there are people out there who truly care about animals and want to contribute their time and energy to the animal community. We look forward to seeing you at Orientation.
Contact us at: admin@waystationvolunteers.org
Download the Volunteer Application here!
Reservations and a completed Volunteer Application are required. Please view and print the application provided on this page, it contains instructions and information you need to attend an orientation.
You will need Acrobat Reader to view the application.
Applicants must be 18 years or older.
Find out just what becoming a Wildlife Waystation Volunteer is all about.
Contact us at: volunteerservices@wildlifewaystation.org
Category
Contact Person(s)
BEAR ENRICHMENT Marilynn Smith BIRDS OF PREY TEAM Barbara Marxmiller CANINE/FELINE ENRICHMENT Pat Nelson COMPOUND SUPERVISOR Sharon Beringer EXOTIC BIRD TEAM Bob Friend GRASS TEAM Lin Tanenbaum LLAMA TEAM Pete Vela MEMBERSHIP/MAILINGS Jerry Gillaspie MERCHANDISE Suzie Lascoe SPECIAL EVENTS Pat Zabaro OUTREACH PROGRAM Karen Suter ORIENTATIONS Geri Sue Cox PETTING ZOO ANIMALS Heather Marvin PRODUCE PICK-UP Liz Hernandez RECYCLING Carol Osterman SICKELS TEAM Susie Larson SPONSOR PROGRAM Kat Campbell VOLUNTEER FUNDRAISING Kathy Eshenko WORK PARTIES Sharon Beringer
Email this page