Real skills, real impact. Work shoulder-to-shoulder with wildlife care experts.
As the sun rises, you might help prepare food for a rescued cheetah following a carefully structured nutrition plan. Through the middle of the day, you could be busy making up milk replacers and assisting with care routines for orphaned infant mongooses under supervision. As the day draws to a close, you might observe expert staff as they monitor the health and behaviour of a juvenile hippo receiving long-term care.
These placements offer you hands-on experience in a professional wildlife sanctuary in Africa. Working under the guidance of experienced wildlife carers, you’ll develop essential skills in a wide variety of tasks - including preventative care, species-specific husbandry, nutritional planning, welfare monitoring and environmental enrichment.
Whether you’re working towards a vocational qualification or looking to apply your academic knowledge in a practical setting, your role will be tailored to you - so you can learn and contribute in the best way for your level of experience.
Animal care student feeding a giraffe at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre
Work placements in animal care
The realities of wildlife rehabilitation
During your animal care placement, you’ll support the full spectrum of wildlife rehabilitation, from initial intake assessments to long-term species-specific husbandry. In many cases, animals arrive at specialist centres in Africa due to injury, orphaning, or conflict with humans.
While rehabilitation and release are the ideal outcomes, you’ll learn on your animal rehabilitation internship that release is not always ethically or ecologically possible. Social integration, habitat competition, and human habituation must all be considered before returning an animal to the wild.
For example, territorial species such as leopards cannot be reintroduced into areas where existing populations would see them as a threat. In these cases, the focus shifts from release to lifelong welfare. You’ll work alongside animal care professionals to implement personalised care plans, behaviour monitoring protocols, and enrichment routines to ensure these animals live healthy, stimulating lives in long-term sanctuary settings.
Applying animal welfare theory into practice
Our wildlife rehabilitation internships will see you translate theory into practice, with expert-led routines to ensure the highest standards of care. You might assist with the recovery of vultures and other raptors affected by poisoning, prepare milk replacers for orphaned infant mongooses, or help create enrichment activities for intelligent carnivores like servals or honey badgers. You'll apply welfare science through tasks such as nutritional planning, health assessments, behavioural observation and enrichment - each one tailored to the species’ physical and psychological needs. Under professional guidance, you’ll learn how these practices inform care decisions, from preparing animals for possible release to supporting their long-term wellbeing at the centres.
Contributing to evidence-based wildlife care
The centres hosting your internship in animal care follow internationally recognised best practices in wildlife welfare. They are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and affiliated with leading conservation bodies, including the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT).
By participating in one of our animal sanctuary internships, you’re contributing directly to sustainable, science-led wildlife care. Your placement helps fund the ongoing work of these centres and supports continued research and community outreach. Finally, your dedication and hard work will make an immediate impact on each animal's quality of life, directly and personally contributing to care and rehabilitation success stories.
FAQs
What makes an animal sanctuary that offers animal care placements ethical?
We only partner with wildlife sanctuaries and rehabilitation centres in Africa that comply with the animal welfare guidelines established by SATSA and ABTA. This guarantees that our projects uphold the highest standards of care, conservation value, and ethical treatment of animals.
For more information on the topic of supporting ethical wildlife volunteering abroad, please refer to our Animal Welfare page.
Who can do a work placement in animal care?
These placements are primarily designed for individuals studying or working in fields such as animal management, veterinary nursing, zoology, wildlife rehabilitation, or related disciplines. They're also suitable for qualified professionals seeking practical experience in a new environment. Each placement has specific requirements, so we recommend reviewing the detailed placement information before enquiring to ensure a good fit.
What should I expect on an animal care placement?
Every placement reflects the real, day-to-day needs of the centre. While you’ll gain experience in feeding, cleaning, enrichment, recovery and monitoring routines, the exact species and cases you encounter will depend on which animals are being cared for during your stay. We don’t stage or simulate any scenarios, as our approach is strictly ethical and welfare-driven, so your learning will be guided by the genuine needs of the animals at the time.
Will I receive a reference at the end of my placement?
Yes! At the end of your animal care internship abroad, following your workplace learning, you can request a reference letter.
What are the best animal care placements in Africa?
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Placement offers the opportunity to join the hands-on day-to-day activities of one of Africa's largest animal rehabilitation centres and contribute to the welfare of the project’s long-term residents.
How do I join a work placement in animal care?
Take the first step by simply submitting an enquiry form. We offer ethical wildlife care placements tailored to your interests, experience level, and career goals. You can even combine multiple programs to create an exciting Combined experience. You can find out more about how we take time to create a customised African Conservation Experience that’s just right for you here.
We can't wait to speak with you about taking an animal care internship abroad!
