Opportunities
Aegean Sea, Samos, Greece
There are incredible opportunities to gain hands-on experience in wildlife conservation, research, and rehabilitation if you know where to look. You'll find serval internships and volunteer programs from around the world that offer meaningful, field-based experience across a wide range of ecosystems and species.
Many of these opportunities are offered through smaller, global nonprofit organizations, research stations, and conservation trusts, providing more immersive and practical experience than traditional programs. Because of this, they are often not listed on major search platforms and can be harder to find.
To make the most of these opportunities, it is recommended to contact and apply directly through each organization’s official website, which can help save both time and money while ensuring you receive accurate information.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle Hatchling
Striped Dolphins
Short-beaked
common dolphin
Sperm Whale
Opportunities with Wildlife
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Veli Lošinj, Croatia
The Blue World Institute offers marine conservation internships focused on dolphin and marine ecosystem research in the Adriatic Sea. Interns assist with boat-based surveys, photo-identification, data collection, and public outreach while gaining hands-on field research experience.
New Quay, West Wales, UK
Sea Watch Foundation offers research internships focused on cetacean monitoring and marine conservation around the UK. Interns support citizen science programs, data analysis, sightings coordination, and public engagement initiatives. Offers the Tallie Brazier Scholarship to potentially offset costs.
Syros, Greece
Syros Cats provides volunteer opportunities focused on the care, rehabilitation, and rehoming of stray and abandoned cats. Volunteers assist with feeding, cleaning, socialization, and daily shelter operations while supporting animal welfare efforts on the island. This program offers housing and food in exchange for your work.
Europe
Samos, Greece
Archipelagos offers research placements and internships centered on marine mammals, fisheries interactions, seagrass habitats, and marine pollution in the Aegean Sea but also terrestrial work on birds, reptiles, mammals, and pollinators . Participants gain experience surveys in the field, processing data, and completing a research project.
Hvammstangi, Iceland
The Icelandic Seal Center offers internships and volunteer opportunities where students assist with seal research, field monitoring, and data collection while supporting conservation initiatives. Participants also help operate the visitor center and contribute to public education programs that promote awareness of Iceland’s harbor and grey seal populations.
Aetos, Florina, Greece
Volunteers with ARCTUROS assist with wildlife conservation activities focused on brown bears, wolves, and other native species in northern Greece. Participants help with field monitoring, animal care at bear and wolf sanctuaries, environmental education programs, and public awareness campaigns while supporting the organization’s research and conservation work.
Seville, Spain
The Doñana Biological Station offers internship opportunities for students through collaborations with universities, allowing participants to gain hands-on experience in ecological and wildlife research with seabirds and sea turtles. Interns may assist with field monitoring, biodiversity surveys, data collection, and citizen science projects focused on species conservation and ecosystem research in and around Doñana National Park.
Karpaz Peninsula, Cyprus
Working with Cyprus’s Marine Life Center as a volunteer you will conduct day and night beach patrols to monitor nesting activity of sea turtles while collected scientific data on protected nests using screening methods, While assisted with nest excavations and hatchling releases and responding to stranded or injured marine wildlife all while contributing to data recording and public education efforts on marine conservation.
Taşkent Nature Park, Cyprus
Working with the Cyprus Wildlife Research Institute, volunteers will conduct field sampling and daily monitoring of terrestrial arthropods across multiple habitats. Which will then be identified, sorted, dissected, and preserved in the laboratory while preparing and maintaining traps for data collection and analysis in the field. Volunteers also contribute to research reports, assist in experimental design and ongoing biodiversity studies, while supporting the care and maintenance of organisms in terrarium and insectarium facilities.
Africa
Namibia
Naankuse offers volunteer projects centered on wildlife conservation, research, and rehabilitation of injured or orphaned animals. Participants assist with animal care, tracking, data collection, and conservation education initiatives. Offering various project across Namibia from Big Cats to Rhinos and Hippos.
Tzaneen, South Africa
The Vervet Monkey Foundation offers internship opportunities at its primate sanctuary in South Africa, where participants assist with the rehabilitation and care of rescued vervet monkeys. Interns gain hands-on experience in tasks such as feeding and caring for monkeys, supporting medical treatment, monitoring behavior, maintaining enclosures, and assisting with the integration of rehabilitated individuals into social groups.
Namibia
The Giraffe Conservation Foundation offers a short, immersive two-week volunteer program at its research station in Namibia, where participants assist with giraffe conservation research in the field. Volunteers help identify individual giraffes, maintain camera traps, conduct vegetation surveys, and record wildlife behavior while contributing to ongoing ecological monitoring.
Asia
Phetchaburi, Thailand
The Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand offers volunteer and internship opportunities at its wildlife rescue center and sanctuary in the Province of Phetchaburi. Participants assist with the care and rehabilitation of rescued wildlife such as gibbons, macaques, bears, elephants, and other species affected by the illegal wildlife trade and tourism industry.
Kars, Turkey
The KuzeyDoğa Society is a conservation nonprofit that focuses on protecting biodiversity through wildlife research and habitat conservation. Volunteers and interns may assist with projects such as bird ringing and migration monitoring at the Aras Bird Research and Education Center, as well as wildlife tracking studies on species like brown bears, wolves, and lynx using camera traps and satellite monitoring within the Caucasus region.
India
Wildlife SOS offers volunteer opportunities at its wildlife rescue centers, including the Agra Bear Rescue Facility and the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre. Volunteers support staff with tasks such as preparing food, building enrichment items, maintaining enclosures, and assisting with general facility operations. The program also introduces participants to wildlife rehabilitation, animal welfare, and conservation efforts aimed at combating wildlife trafficking and human-wildlife conflict.
Thailand
The Thailand Snakes Reptile Internship offers participants the opportunity to study reptiles in southern Thailand. Interns join day and night field trips in rainforest habitats to locate and document snakes, amphibians, and other wildlife while learning about reptile ecology, behavior, and safe handling techniques. The program focuses heavily on experiential learning and may include training in handling both non-venomous and venomous snakes. Food and housing is provided during the 6 month internship at no cost to the intern.
Sabah, Malaysia
This internship provides hands-on experience supporting marine conservation research. Interns primarily assist researchers with data processing, research support, and project administration related to species such as sea turtles, sharks and rays, and dugongs. The program is a volunteer-based internship and does not require a fee but also does not provide housing, interns are required to find their own housing.
Terengganu, Malaysia
This internship provides hands-on experience in freshwater turtle conservation. Interns assist with fieldwork such as monitoring terrapins, microchipping adults, measuring hatchlings, and collecting research data, while also supporting education programs, outreach events, and organizational tasks. The program offers exposure to real conservation work with both wildlife and local communities.
Central & South
America
Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
The volunteer program at Osa Conservation allows participants to live and work at a conservation campus in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. Volunteers help with a variety of conservation activities such as wildlife monitoring, habitat restoration, tree planting, and environmental education. The program runs year-round and gives volunteers the opportunity to contribute to protecting biodiversity while learning practical conservation skills.
Guatemalan
Volunteers can work at the Wildlife Rescue Center helping care for rescued animals such as parrots, macaws, monkeys, and other wildlife confiscated from illegal trafficking. There is also a sea turtle conservation program on the Pacific coast where volunteers assist with nighttime beach patrols, monitor nesting turtles, manage hatcheries, and help release hatchlings.
Costa Rica
Volunteers help staff care for rescued animals such as sloths, monkeys, and birds by preparing food, cleaning enclosures, and supporting daily animal care tasks. Volunteers also help with habitat maintenance, enrichment activities, and conservation projects while living on-site with other volunteers and staff. The program provides hands-on experience in wildlife conservation and education while helping improve the quality of life for animals in rehabilitation.
Ecuador
The internship with Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation offers internships for you to get experience supporting wildlife research and conservation. Interns assist with wildlife monitoring, field surveys, camera trap work, and habitat restoration, contributing to ongoing research and conservation efforts in tropical forest ecosystems.
Brazil
IPBio is a research institute that offers volunteer programs to gain experience supporting biodiversity research and conservation in Brazil’s major ecosystems, including the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, and Cerrado. Volunteers assist with wildlife and biodiversity monitoring, field data collection, species inventories (fish, birds, plants, fungi), and habitat restoration projects, with occasional night surveys and ecological research activities.
Hoja Nueva offers various internships that let you gain experience with wildlife research and conservation in the Amazon rainforest. Interns assist with wildlife monitoring, biodiversity surveys, and camera trap studies, focusing on mammals, and amphibians. While also helping with data collection and analysis, ecological research projects, trail work, and general field station tasks, gaining practical experience in the field methods used by professional researchers while contributing to ongoing conservation efforts.
Peru
Oceania
Australia
Interns gain intensive field experience working on wildlife conservation across remote reserves. Tasks include wildlife surveys, live trapping, radio tracking, camera trapping, habitat assessments, and assisting with species reintroductions and health checks. Interns also collect ecological data, handle animals under supervision, and contribute to long-term monitoring and conservation management projects while working closely with professional ecologists.
Palmyra Atoll, USA Minor Outlying Islands
Volunteers spend six months at a remote research station supporting hands-on conservation science projects across both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Work includes ecological monitoring, seabird restoration, rainforest management, coral reef surveys, and invasive species control. Volunteers also assist visiting researchers, manage and organize scientific data, maintain equipment and facilities, and develop field skills such as species identification, boating, and snorkeling.
Puala
Interns with the Coral Reef Research Fund support marine research projects focused on coral reef ecosystems and biodiversity. Responsibilities typically include assisting with field surveys, collecting and recording ecological data, supporting ongoing research projects, and helping with general research station operations. The program emphasizes hands-on scientific work and exposure to long-term reef monitoring and conservation research.
Environmental Opportunities
The world is full of unique ecosystems full of life, here are a couple!
Cambodia
The Red Road Foundation offers internships focused on community-centered conservation, animal welfare, and education outreach in Cambodia. Interns work alongside local staff to support animal care, community programs, and sustainable development initiatives while gaining hands-on experience in conservation practice and cross-cultural collaboration.
Antarctica
The IAATO Antarctic Fellowship supports early-career professionals and students in conducting Antarctic research that advances science, sustainability, and responsible tourism. Fellows receive funding and mentorship to contribute to projects that promote safe, environmentally responsible operations and scientific understanding in the Antarctic region.
Peru
Minga Peru offers internships focused on environmental sustainability and community development in the Amazon. Interns support environmental education programs, conservation initiatives, and community outreach projects while working alongside local staff. The program provides hands-on experience in sustainable resource management and community-based conservation.