Bali wildlife rescue volunteers help to care for a variety of different species of animals as well as working to restore key environments in Bali such as mangrove forests. Volunteers help enrich and improve the wellbeing of animals at the wildlife rehabilitation centre, get involved in opportunities focusing on environmental sustainability, plastic pollution and increasing awareness in the local communities.

BACKGROUND TO THE WILDLIFE & ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAM

Indonesia is home to hundreds of different species of animals, many of which find themselves dispersed by deforestation whilst the country expands its exporting of goods, such as palm oil and rubber. As a result, there are now seven centres in the whole of the country that rehabilitate and care for these displaced animals.

PMGY Bali volunteers will gain great insight and opportunity to join in on the care of these animals at the wildlife centre. In addition, they will also work alongside people who are passionate about teaching and sharing local practices whilst taking care of some of Bali’s vital ecosystems.

As a volunteer in Bali, you will gain experience across all our project networks in wildlife and conservation. During your time you will participate in several of the many projects we work in and learn about a wide variety of topics.

WILDLIFE & ENVIRONMENTAL VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT EXAMPLES

Wildlife Rescue Centre - Within the centre, you will find a range of animals that were victims of poachers and traffickers. The primates and birds looked after, have usually been rescued from markets, private homes and businesses where they were kept as pets or for entertainment purposes. This is a huge problem in Indonesia, displacing wild animals from their natural habitats and separating them from their families. Most importantly, these animals need extra care, attention and enrichment in order to improve their wellbeing and daily lives.

The focus here is on the daily care, wellbeing and rehabilitation of many different species, with the goal to release them back into the wild if they are healthy and equipped with the necessary skills to survive. It is important to note that many of these animals will not make it back into the wild due to the trauma they have experienced and consequently their lack of survival skills. In these cases, we work to maintain the highest quality of life possible for the animal by creating enrichment and trying our best to mirror their natural habitat in the enclosure.

This wildlife centre is the only one of its kind in the area, therefore the range of animals can be quite wide depending on rescue needs at the time. Animals can be brought to the centre without warning and therefore you will see how they must adapt to provide the best enclosure and space possible for that specific animal. Within the centre you may see Saltwater Crocodile, Sea Eagles, Sun Bear, Starling Birds, Grey-Headed Fish Eagle, Asian Palm Civet, Bear Cat, Palm Cockatoo and more. The Program Fee involved helps provide upkeep and care for these beautiful creatures.

Beach Cleans - Did you know a plastic straw takes one minute to manufacture, will be used for ten, before being disregarded and taking hundreds of years to decompose? Millions of plastic straws are found on the beaches of Bali every year and they are just one of the many items that are littered and washed ashore on this island and across national parks every single day.

Plastic pollution is becoming a huge problem worldwide and our Bali volunteers aim to fight the battle against this environmental catastrophe. Our team promotes this by hosting regular beach and forest cleans with our volunteers and the local community. Every day, our volunteers visit different areas to collect disregarded items, before correctly disposing and recycling these.

The processing of litter and waste in Bali is a developing system. Education on how to dispose of different materials in an efficient and eco-friendly way is in the early stages of development in Bali and having volunteers collect and recycle waste is a great way of leading by example; helping to promote a permanent change in the way they dispose of household waste in their daily lives. In addition, we also work with local people to create an even bigger impact, by educating them about environmental conservation and recycling. Above all, education and awareness are crucial factors in encouraging a sustainable lifestyle to tackle this global issue.

Mangrove Conservation - Mangrove Forests are an essential part of our world ecosystem. Indonesia is particularly vulnerable to the rising sea levels linked to global warming. These vital plants stabilize Bali’s coastlines and play a large role in protecting the island from storm surges.

Volunteers work to restore existing mangroves, which have been affected by deforestation, climate change and littering. Our conservation volunteers work directly with the locals to educate the villagers about maintaining ecosystems and environmental conservation. As a result, the knowledge will be passed on from generation to generation. Such activities include planting mangroves, cultivating new plants and picking up litter to keep them thriving. This is another important way to raise awareness and support sustainable development across the world during your Bali volunteer program.

AREC Centre - This project houses some domestic animals in the hope of having them adopted in the future. The land here is also used to grow different types of fruits and vegetables to support the local community and help to educate them on healthier eating and lifestyles. Here you will help to train dogs and ensure they have the means to live a healthy life, create enriching and safe spaces for other animals and learn how to farm numerous plants and natural areas.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER VOLUNTEERING WITH WILDLIFE IN BALI

Return Airport Transfer - Your return airport transfer is not included in your Program Fee. The most common method is to use a ridesharing app or private taxi service. Participants can often be travelling across their final few days and therefore are not necessarily heading back to the airport directly from our accommodation. The costs depend on your method of transport and your final destination. This can often be split across multiple participants if you are travelling with someone else on the program.

Major Holiday Destination - With Bali being our most touristy destination we often find that volunteers would like to travel as part of their trip to Indonesia. Being in a more affluent and holiday destination means that our volunteers often do not feel as engaged in the project work as much as they can in more developing locations such as Ghana, Tanzania and India where they feel a clearer need for international volunteers. Therefore, we recommend participants to potentially sign up to volunteer for a shorter period to allow the chance to potentially travel as part of their experience and if the volunteer project is of particular importance, then to perhaps consider a higher impact location.

Alternative Wildlife Programs – The Bali wildlife and environmental program provides an entry level role into conservation activities and an introductory volunteer experience. If you are looking for a short program with a high travel element and a more diluted volunteer role then this project works well for the majority of participants. However, if you are looking for a more focused volunteer role and want to get more involved in conservation efforts then we would recommend you look at alternative PMGY wildlife projects such as Thailand, Greece or South Africa. We find participants in these locations can contribute more, get a lot more from the overall volunteer experience and are still able to travel over the weekends.

Weekends - Your project work in Bali runs from Monday-Thursday and weekends are free (Friday-Sunday). You are welcome to relax and hang out at the volunteer accommodation but most participants will use this time to travel and explore the country. As a result, you can check out our Bali Weekend Travel Guide for top tips on how to spend your weekend. We also run two separate weekend trips which you can sign-up to before you depart for Bali. We offer the Gili Paradise Island Trip along with the Ubud Trip with opportunities running every month.