Wildlife Rescue & Species Management

Indonesia is home to 100’s of different species of animals, many of which find themselves dispersed by deforestation while the country expands it’s exporting of goods like palm oil and rubber. There are seven centres in the whole of the country that rehabilitate and release endangered animals into their native habitat in the wild. Plan My Gap Year provides great insight and opportunity for volunteers to join in on the care of these animals at the Bali Wildlife Rescue Centre.

Within the centre you will find a range of animals that were victims to poachers and traffickers. The primates and birds looked after have been rescued from markets, private homes and businesses where they were kept as pets or for entertainment purposes. There are currently over 40 endangered primates and birds including Javan Lutung, Southern Pig-tailed Macague, Grey-headed Fish Eagle, Southern Cassowary, Palm Cockatoo and more.

PMGY has created a programme that allows you to work to give endangered animals daily support and enrich their lives. The Programme Fee involved helps provide upkeep and care for these beautiful creatures!

Please note that the European summer period is our peak time in Bali (June-August). As a consequence, volunteers may be allocated to alternative placements during their time on the programme.

While on the project you will work alongside the animal keeper and other staff members who have years of experience interacting with animals. The activities you will get involved in during your time on the project include:

FEEDING – These animals are fed based on the species and time of year. Animals like the crocodiles are fed two times a week with things such as chicken or duck while monkeys are fed daily with fruits. You will be able to cut and prepare meals based on the species you are working with and learn about the types of food that are best.

ENRICHMENT – Many of these animals are endangered and have come from the loss of their native habitat or poor treatment in the black market. Their displacement often leaves these animals irritable and at times depressed causing for them to have poor eating habits or behaviour. Your time interacting with them and coaching them on things such as eating or interacting with other animals is imperative! Over time these animals may just learn to trust you and in turn you could find one of those pretty Parakeets on your forearm.

ENCLOSURE CLEANING – These enclosures are made for each animal based on the feedback of the veterinarian during the first assessment. You may find the enclosures to be small, but some animals being irritable find it more comfortable to be in smaller spaces and over time the enclosures will be expanded and eventually they will be released back into the wild. The crocodiles tend to need the brush cleared back to keep them from being confined to one area so an example of this upkeep would be while the staff keep the crocodile occupied you are able to cut the brush back. In the bird enclosures the branches and chains may need to be replaced and cleaned as they begin to rot, if you are comfortable they will let you clean and make repairs in the enclosure with these beauties flying all around you!

MAINTENANCE – The centre is a great place, but with limited funding it could do with some tender loving care! Volunteers will be asked to help with creating a better atmosphere for the animals by clearing up the grounds. While you are doing a bit of upkeep this will include fixing the hinges on enclosure doors, relining the fencing, adding new gating on the enclosure, repairing the habit and or cleaning the grounds of rubbish and weeds.

All that is required of volunteers is to be fit enough to participate in tropical climates, ability to handle animals and interact with the centre’s staff.

In addition to our volunteers’ work at the Bali Wildlife Conservation Centre, our participants are likely to get involved in several of our other wildlife and conservation projects.

PROJECT EXAMPLE – TURTLE CONSERVATION PROJECT

Sea turtles are wonderful creatures that enrich marine life all over the world. Unfortunately, sea turtles are struggling more and more as numbers in our oceans are decline drastically – to a point where some species are even becoming close to extinction. The main challenges being faced by these majestic creatures include: egg poaching, getting caught in fisherman’s nets and facing damages caused by environmental choices that humans make every day. Some other factors that endanger their species are bycatch, overharvesting and climate change.

Our Turtle Conservation Project offers our volunteers the chance to help protect the sea turtles in multiple locations in Bali. This is a unique opportunity to help take care of the sea turtles of Bali, helping local staff with typical duties, such as:

– Cleaning and refilling the turtle tanks
– Preparing food and feeding the turtles
– Producing information boards for educational purposes
– Cleaning the project premises and the relevant beach area
– Providing care for disabled turtles
– Up-keep of the nesting area
– Cleaning the turtles’ shells

PROJECT EXAMPLE – BEACH CLEANS

Did you know a plastic straw takes one minute to manufacture, will be used for ten, before being disregarded and taking hundreds of years to decompose? Millions of plastic straws are found on the beaches of Bali every year and they are just one of the many items that are littered and washed ashore on this island every single day.

Plastic pollution is becoming a big problem in Bali and PMGY Bali wants to do her part to fight the battle against plastic pollution. Our team promotes this by hosting regular beach cleans with our volunteers and the local community. Every day, our volunteers visit local beaches to collect disregarded items, before correctly disposing and recycling these. We also work with the local community to create an even bigger impact by educating them about environmental conservation and recycling.