Volunteering
Please complete the online application process within the Volunteer page on our website. Once you completed the required information fields and confirmed your preferred volunteer visit dates, a member of our team will get back to you to confirm your application and to discuss any additional questions you may have regarding your visit. Please ensure that, when asked, you complete fully and accurately the questions regarding health issues, dietary requirements etc fully to ensure your comfort and well- being during your stay with us.
- Accommodation at our Volunteer House
- 3 vegetarian meals a day
- Five full days volunteering at Agra Bear Rescue Centre & our Elephant Conservation and Care Centre, including an induction tour
- Transportation to and from the centres and volunteer house
- Volunteering days start at 0930 and generally finish around 1800
- Presentations by our Education Officers
- Gardening: digging, weeding, planting, tending to our vegetable garden/ crops*
- Preparing food: weighing and chopping fruit, weighing and distributing elephant fodder, mixing porridge for bears
- Distributing elephant food by bucket
- Cleaning bowls and buckets after feeding
- Painting enclosures*
- Cleaning enclosures: sweeping, mopping, picking up poop
- Cleaning pools: sweeping, mopping, bleaching*
- Building enrichment structures: digging, tying ropes, carrying logs
The kind of work you will be doing varies depending upon the needs at the time, generally you can expect to be doing the activities mentioned above.
* A limited supply of gloves and masks may be provided by WSOS, however it’s strongly advised that you bring your own gardening gloves and long-sleeved top or covers for your arms (for elephant fodder which can scratch and irritate skin, also painting). Also bring a top and trousers/pants for painting.
5 working days and six nights, ideally from Sunday night to Friday night inclusive, although we are flexible as we appreciate this will not always fit in with your itinerary. We recommend volunteers to reach the volunteer accommodation on Sunday evening as Monday will be the orientation day and a relatively early start.
You are, of course, welcome to stay longer, please complete your dates on our online form. Also, a shorter stay of 2/ 3 nights is also possible but please be aware that you may not get to enjoy the full scope of our centres in this time.
Accommodation & Facilities
Our volunteer accommodation comprises of modern two-storey houses in a gated community in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, which is around half an hour’s drive from central Agra. Although the area is gated, and very pleasant, we advise that you do not go out and about in the local area alone as we cannot guarantee your safety
- Bedrooms: Our rooms are comfortable, mostly set up with 1/ 2/ 3 single beds, are lockable, have air-con and ceiling fans.
- Towels & bedding provided
- En- suite shower rooms with hot running water
- Ceiling fans in public areas
- Living/ hangout areas with sofas
- Dining room
- Wi-Fi
- Books & TV
- Fresh, filtered water
- Washing machine
- Indoor games
If you are travelling alone and prefer to have a room to yourself please note there may, at busy periods, be an additional charge for single occupancy. We will do our best to accommodate.
Yes, Wi-fi is available .
Cost and Payments
When considering volunteering, people often wonder why there is a charge for offering to spend time helping others. This is a question we are very happy to respond to.
Although you are volunteering your time, there are costs associated with your experience that need to be covered. When you sign up to volunteer with us, you are not paying to undertake voluntary work, you are paying for us to provide an educational, meaningful, safe and structured program for you, and of course to help our animals!
The costs involved in hosting you, our volunteers, are many: 24/7 staff availability and support, accommodation (inc good quality bedding and comfortable beds), meals, volunteer house staff and cooks, administration costs, transport, upkeep of our facilities, training of all staff involved in your volunteer stay to mention a few. Our program is run by our Education Officers who are specialists in their field, and specifically trained to impart their skills and experience, thus ensuring that you have the volunteering experience of a lifetime!
Prices below are for guidance and are quoted for a stay of 5 days/ 6 nights inclusive of all meals. Once you have indicated your preferred dates, room requirements etc our Education Officers will confirm the exact price to you. This may differ according to currency fluctuation, time of year, skills etc.
- $600 USA dollars: for other currencies, price will be calculated at time of application
- £490 based on current exchange rate exact price will be calculated at time of application. For longer stays there may be a reduction in the cost – please enquire
- 25,000 INR for Indians
Meals, Clothing & Packing
The cost of the volunteer program includes three home-cooked Indian vegetarian meals a day. If you are arriving early or leaving late and require additional meals there will be a small additional charge.
The food is prepared on-site by Wildlife SOS housekeeping staff, is plentiful, organic, fresh and delicious. Every day is different and includes a mixture of vegetables, herbs, spices, rice, breads, pastas and pulses.
Yes, Please complete fully the required fields in our online application process. Please also inform our staff on arrival of your requirements or changes to them.
Fresh, filtered water is available (literally on tap!) at all our centres and the volunteer accommodation. Please do bring a re-useable water bottle as this is the environmentally friendly option!
Bring clothes suitable for working outdoors, and suitable for the weather Please note that it is hot, dusty and at times dirty work so don’t bring your best clothes! Please also be aware of cultural differences in respect of clothing, especially women. We kindly ask that you refrain from wearing 'skimpy' tops/ extra short shorts out of respect for our staff.
- Sturdy/waterproof outdoor working shoes/boots/trainers
- T-shirts
- Shorts
- Long trousers
- Long-sleeved tops (helps keep arms from getting scratched during certain work) Cap/sunhat
- Waterproof jacket (depending upon time of year you visit)
- We also ask that you avoid very bright clothes as they can upset the animals
We request you to bring:
- Re-usable water bottle (filtered water available at both centres)
- Gardening gloves
- Covers for your arms (for preparing elephant fodder!) Top Tip - tubular bandages work well!
- Clothes for painting
- Mask (for painting or to keep dust out)
- Insect repellent
- Sun-tan lotion
- Personal First Aid kit
In the volunteer house and at the elephant and bear facilities, shorts, t-shirts, vest tops etc are fine for men and women. Outside the volunteer house and facilities’ it’s advisable that you cover up a bit more. Refer to the Lonely Planet, Rough Guide or online articles on women travelers in India for advice.
Travel & Logistics
From Delhi :
Taxi - you can pick up a taxi at Delhi airport or elsewhere in Delhi. The journey to the volunteer house should take between 3.5 - 4.5 hours though this can vary depending on traffic. The cost can vary between around 4,500 rupees and 7,000 rupees so it’s a good idea to ask a few drivers or barter.
Train - trains don’t go from Delhi airport so you’ll need to get a taxi to the Delhi train station. See train information.
How to make a train reservation. This information was taken from www.tripsavvy.com and was correct as of 2020. Another really helpful site is The Man in Seat 61.
From Jaipur:
Taxi - you can pick up a taxi at Jaipur airport or elsewhere in Jaipur. The journey to the volunteer house should take around 4 - 5 hours though this can vary depending on traffic.
Train – there are numerous trains which run daily, the journey takes between 3.5 – 6hrs depending on which train you take. Note that on Sundays there are less trains operating so it is advisable to pre-book if you want to ensure a seat in first class aircon.https://www.makemytrip.com/railways/jaipur-agra-train-tickets.html shows you train/ time options
**Once you arrive in Agra, we suggest that you get a taxi to the Volunteer House (see ‘Addresses’). this should take between 30 minutes - one hour depending on traffic and should cost no more than a thousand rupees. Whilst a tuk-tuk looks like fun (and it is!) taxis are the most reliable, convenient, time effective and easily available at a reasonable price.
Yes, transportation is provided to and from the centres and volunteer house.
There are ATMs at the airports and one a short drive from the volunteer accommodation which one of the staff members can drive you to on request.
Please do
not attempt to go to the ATM on your own.
Health, Safety & Requirements
We ask that you take out good travel/ health insurance before travelling to India. Please
do ensure that your insurers are aware of your volunteering and what it includes, this to
ensure correct cover.
There is a hospital close to the volunteer house. Healthcare is not free to everyone in India so it’s advisable to get health insurance before you travel ** please follow government guidelines regarding having sufficient cover for respiratory related illness.
Please let WSOS know at time of application of any on-going health issues, you will need to be fit and healthy as the work can be very physical and it will be hot.
If you want to visit a doctor, don’t hesitate to ask your volunteer coordinator so that
he/she can arrange this for you. Please note that the fee for the doctor/ hospital
appointment will need to be paid by you at the time of the visit and is in no way the
responsibility of Wildlife SOS or their staff.
Although you never need to go anywhere other than the volunteer house or animal centres, you might want to explore the greater local area. The local area is traditional and, like much of India, poor in relation to many Western regions. It’s advisable for women to wear long-sleeved tops and long trousers or skirts when not at the volunteer house or rescue centers (here, shorts/t-shirts/vests are fine, see Clothes). It is not advisable to go out and about locally on your own, please speak to our staff regarding organized Additional Activities or booking a reliable taxi/ guide.
Refer to a reputable guide (e.g. Rough Guide or Lonely Planet) for up-to-date safety recommendations. This is also a great guide for women.
Check with your country’s government travel health website and a reputable source,
e.g. Lonely Planet or Rough Guide, for guidelines on which vaccinations to get
Animals & Interaction
There are around 30 elephants at ECCC: Elephant Conservation and Care Center,
Mathura (at time of print). The males have their own enclosures and are kept separate
from the females at all times. Volunteers will work with the females but may get to
observe the males on their walks. Learn more about our elephants and our work with
them.
There are around 100 sloth bears at the bear rescue facility. All are previous dancing bears. Learn more about our Bears and our work with them.
The bears reside in spacious individual, or group enclosures, depending on their needs. They enjoy a balanced vegetarian diet and enjoy eating treats, climbing on enrichment structures and sleeping in the sun. Although you can get close to the bears from behind the enclosure gates, direct physical contact is not possible.
We are strongly committed to the ethical treatment of animals, therefore direct contact with the animals is not a part of your volunteering, only trained keepers are allowed to interact with them.
On behalf of our rescued animals, we thank you for your understanding.
