ESC Volunteering Animal Advocacy and Protection

Name: ESC Volunteering Animal Advocacy and Protection
Start: 2019-06-01
End: 2020-05-01
Location: Almere, Netherlands

Code: eccf0c74-4a2f-11e9-ae12-0242ac110024 Copied

Netherlands Youth activities Environment European Voluntary Service Youth activities Environment +1 Fixed dates

About the project

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

AAP Animal Advocacy and Protection is dedicated to a better future for exotic animals, such as primates, raccoons and lions. Unfortunately, there are still many animals living under dire conditions. They are traded illegally, kept as house pets or abused in the tourist and entertainment industries. We tackle this problem at source. Our foundation provides information and pleads for more effective animal legislation throughout Europe.

For animals that need urgent help, we provide shelter so they can recover. Our team heals them and helps them regain their lives as animals. Afterwards we look for a permanent placement for them. That way we make room in our Dutch and Spanish centres for other animals in need.

In addition, we share our knowledge and we are more than pleased to cooperate with similar organisations in order to enhance our impact.

💼 What the programme involves

At AAP the main focus is on the animals’ welfare so the majority of your activities will be directly linked to this. The team leaders of the different departments will decide on what kind of responsibilities you will be assigned with; this depends on the progress you are making and the confidence, reliability and understanding you show to the caretakers and team leaders. This means that activities of several ESC-ers may be different. How your individual responsibilities and tasks evolve during your ESC-project is largely dependent on you!

Works 4 days a week in a team of experienced animal caretakers and will be trained to carry out daily activities independently.
Is responsible for cleaning the animals’ enclosures.
Assists in furnishing the animals’ enclosures, e.g. replacing floor covering of enclosures and erecting beams and other structures.
Makes enrichment items for the animals to stimulate natural behavior and keeps an eye on their overall behavior.
Helps to prepare food and feeds the animals.
Takes care of small maintenance.
Reports peculiarities to the experienced caretakers and takes part in writing daily reports on the animals’ health and care.

🏠 Accommodation on site

The accommodation will be in one of AAP’s guest houses, where also other volunteers and interns live. These houses operate on a dormitory basis. You will have your own bedroom and need to share the living room, kitchen, bathroom and garden with other ESC-volunteers. It’s important that you are fully aware of this fact.

🎒 Leisure activities

It is very wise to save some money before coming to the Netherlands. The pocket and food money is decent for an ESC-volunteer but won’t leave you a lot of space to explore the country. If you really want to enjoy your ESC-experience, to explore the country and to meet up with other ESC-volunteers in other cities we highly recommend having some other resources other than the basic ESC allowance.

⚠️ Requirements

This ESC project involves a lot of physical work. Depending on the department where you will work, up to 60% will involve cleaning but you can enjoy the animals in the process. Unfortunately we cannot make exceptions as to the amount of cleaning, that is why you need to be passionate about the animals, otherwise you will not enjoy this ESC- experience.