Volunteer/working with wildlife? gorillas, chimps, elephants, etc?

Question

every now and then, on tv, i see people in a tropical country working with animals.... they usually say they're volunteers...

.......joaquin phoenix played a character who mentioned volunteering with orangutans in one of his earlier movies......

i'd like to do something like that.. does anyone know where i can get info? anyone have any experiences? do i have to have a college degree?

Answer 1

Go to webpages of universities with wildlife departments.  Look at web pages of professors who study wildlife.  Usually when you go to the wildlife department's web page there will be a list of faculty, and from there you can look at each professor and their research interests.  Keep going through universities and professors, and whenever you come across anyone who studies wildlife in a location you're interested in, send them an email.  Tell them about your interest in wildlife biology, any education/experience you have, and ask if they need any volunteer biological technicians/research assistants on any upcoming trips.  If you spend hours on this and go through as many universities as you can possibly stand, I bet you'll eventually get something.  Oh, also in your email say if they don't have anything, ask if they know of anyone else who might need some help in the field.  If you find a position that isn't studying elephants in Africa (probably pretty hard to get), but is, maybe prairie dogs in Colorado or something, you might want to think about doing it - that experience can be used to build your experience and impress people who ARE going to Africa in the future.  Good luck.

Answer 2

Zoos also take on volunteers to work with wildlife, espeically for conservation efforts.  That's another great way to be around the animals.  Definitely check with your local zoo!

Answer 3

http://www.earthwatch.org/site/pp.asp?c=...

Answer 4

You sure can try conservation corps in your own area, or try check out:

http://www.thesca.org/

Or even volunteer at your state/national park...

I wish I can give you more but that is the best I can do...