For many people, the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the term “wildlife” is the African wildlife, and a safari in South Africa or Kenya is on many people's bucket list. The sheer number of wildlife species you can find in the savannahs, plains, mountains and tropical rainforests is endless. However, most of their populations decline drastically and thus need to be protected by the governments and passionate volunteers.

Some of the African animals that first come to mind are the Big Five, which do not get their name from their body size but sadly from an old hunting expression for the five most difficult animals to hunt on foot. They include the elephant, the rhinoceros, the lion, the leopard and the Cape buffalo. And sadly, all of these wildlife species are still being hunted today for different reasons.

Trophy hunting is a big sport in countries like South Africa and rich tourists from all over the world come to “hunt” lions, leopards and other wildlife simply for fun and of course to take their "trophies" home to display them. This disgusting practice has favored a whole industry of canned hunting where especially lions are bred to be shot by hunters . The animals are often semi-wild and thus have no fear of humans which makes them a much easier target.

Volunteers can help to raise awareness of these cruel practices and work at one of many sanctuaries for lions and other big cats that have been saved from canned hunting facilities. They can also work at one of the breeding centers that work on safeguarding the gene pool size and genetic exchange of endangered species which is vital for their survival in the long-term. If you are more of an outdoorsy person and you want to see the animals in their natural habitat, volunteer for a research project that observes the different population groups, movements and behavior of animals such as:

• elephants
• rhinos
• lions
• cheetahs
• leopards
• giraffes
• zebras
• hippos
• antelopes
• monkeys

Another animal you could be working with as a wildlife volunteer in Africa is the mountain gorilla that lives in the forests of Uganda and Rwanda. It is one of the most critically endangered wildlife species with only a few hundreds of individuals left in the wild . Support the conservation teams on site in their research and raise your voice to protect their shrinking habitat from further deforestation for commercial use.

Australia is a vast continent full of diversity - white beaches, rainforests, endless roads and the great ocean surrounding it. Thus it is home to some of the most magnificent and unique wildlife on Earth. 86% of the native mammals have evolved in this geographical isolation and are found nowhere else . Unfortunately, many unique Australian animals are classified as endangered such as the koala or the Tasmanian devil. 29 Australian mammals have become extinct since European settlers arrived in 1788.

The numbers of endangered wildlife in Australia are immense: about 1700 animal and plant species are listed as threatened, and another 90 are considered extinct under the Australian Government's Environment Protection and Diversity Conservation Act. Some of the biggest threats they're facing are:

• inappropriate fire management
• illegal hunting for trade
• habitat degradation through tree-clearing
• introduced predators such as foxes and feral cats
• damaged ecosystems through global warming

As a volunteer for endangered species conservation, you will have many different tasks as volunteers are involved in every part of the conservation work. They help to clean and maintain the rehabilitation facilities for injured and rescued animals. A big part of the volunteer work is also to educate the tourists and the locals on the importance of conservation work and giving educational classes on the topic. Other tasks you can expect are:

• animal husbandry
• food preparations
• enclosure maintenance
• taking care of the animal's needs
• participating in fundraising events
• community education activities

Africa isn't the only place where you get to do volunteer work with elephants. The Asian elephants are in dire need of protection, too. As most Asian elephants do not have tusks to begin with, poaching does still remain an issue but it is actually not the biggest threat the elephants are facing.

The quick growth of human populations in South Asia causes the elephant's habitat to shrink more and more which leads to increasing numbers of human-elephant conflicts. The result is most often the illegal killing of elephants that come too close to the villages and feed on the crops. Many elephants are also captured from the wild for commercial purposes like logging, illegal wildlife trade and - most famously - the tourism industry .

We all know the pictures of tourists riding elephants during their holiday in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, but many people do not know how much harm their "holiday fun" actually causes. Elephants are captured as babies and undergo extremely violent and cruel practices to be “tamed”, practices that many of them don't survive in the first place. The constant physical and psychological torture of being used for elephant rides leaves most elephants ill and traumatized.

Luckily, there are many sanctuaries in Thailand that are dedicated to saving elephants from such places and give them a safe haven where they can spend the remainder of their days in peace. And of course, the help of volunteers is very much needed her, too. The sanctuaries often welcome tourists to observe the elephants and walk with them to teach them about the gentle giants and the harm that elephant riding causes. Volunteers can work at the sanctuaries to support these efforts by:

• cleaning the enclosures
• feeding and washing the elephants
• guiding tourists through the sanctuary
• observing elephant behavior for research purposes
• educating locals and tourists about elephant riding

Stopping the elephant riding and elephant tourism altogether is important to conserve the Asian elephant population in the long run. With the booming tourism industry, 30% of all Asian elephants live in captivity which means that the gene pool of the wild populations is drastically shrinking. This can lead to inbreeding and thus smaller chances of survival altogether.

If you have always been fascinated by rainforests and the abundance of animal species they are home to, you have to volunteer in Central or South America. It is estimated that 50% of terrestrial biodiversity is found in rainforests and South America hosts the biggest rainforest in the world, the Amazon rainforest. Unfortunately, not even this unique place is safe from destruction through the hands of humans. Illegal deforestation through the logging and palm oil industries are a big threat to the species inhabiting the rainforests.

As a volunteer, there are many ways to help and protect the wildlife that lives in the rainforests of Central and South America. You can work in a sanctuary that takes care of animals that have been injured in deforestation activities or through poachers. Illegal pet trade is another big threat for many primates, sloths, bird species and big cats. Animals that have been rescued live at a rehabilitation center until they can be released back into the wild, which is a very exciting moment to witness as a volunteer.

Unfortunately, some animals will have to stay in a sanctuary for the rest of their lives as their injuries or past as an illegal pet left them unable to survive in the wild. Volunteers help to take care of these animals and take part in different tasks like:

• cleaning and maintaining the enclosures
• feeding the animals
• creating enriching activities
• conducting regular check-ups of the animals
• assisting in veterinary treatments
• giving visitors tours of the sanctuary

Volunteer projects working with wild and more dangerous animals accept volunteers from the age of 18 but there is no age limit upwards - as long as you are physically fit and ready for a challenge you are the perfect candidate to volunteer. However, there are also a lot of animal sanctuaries that work with less dangerous animals accepting international volunteers who are under 18 years old. You can find the specific requirements for each project in their profile on Volunteer World.