Wolves are creatures that hold plenty of allure around the world, but many in Portugal are unable to live in the wild. Conservation centers accept wolves from zoos, illegal trapping or other captivity, helping to nurse them to full health and enabling them to be active and happy. The wolves are housed in large enclosures with the aim of providing a life as similar as possible to what they would experience in the wild.
As a volunteer, you’ll help centers with a wide range of tasks including feeding, cleaning, animal observation and monitoring, and facility maintenance. Local staff will guide you in your duties, though it’s important to note that you won’t have any direct contact with the wolves themselves.
This is a unique project for those who want to volunteer with animals, where you’ll get to help animals that you may not come across at home. Any tasks require medium to heavy physical effort (for example, carrying weights around 17lb/8kg). As the centre is in a forested valley, the ground is irregular and with steep slopes, so you’ll need to be able to carry these weights while walking in such conditions. A high level of physical fitness is therefore required.
The Wolf Conservation project is located about 30 minutes outside of Lisbon. You’ll be accommodated at the center in a self-catering volunteer house, where you’ll need to purchase and prepare your own meals each day. You’ll be provided with transport once or twice a week to get supplies from the nearest town.
This project is only available for between 2-4 weeks, most of the year. Due to capacity limitations and limited work during the summer months, we are only able to offer a 2 week duration from May to September. This project is also not available in December or January, as the conservation center is closed to the public.
This is an ideal program for those who love animals and who are looking to join conservation efforts while spending time in quiet, natural surroundings, often only interrupted by the howling of wolves. Most of all, you’ll be contributing to a greater environmental and animal protection mission.
Apply now