Animal Care Volunteer

Volunteer/Intern Positions – Minimum stay one month.
No experience is necessary as full training will be given.

Days are long, from dawn to dusk, but the happy smiling faces of the animals around you will make it all worth it.

Duties include:

  • daily cleaning of barns and coops
  • feeding
  • health checks
  • light maintenance work,
  • monitoring
  • intensive care of ill, old and baby animals.

Extra duties may be required when new rescues, infants or school groups come in.

This is a very responsible role and there will often be days that you will manage the sanctuary on your own. You will be provided with specific requirements and care standards and your work will be monitored regularly.

Only those with a deep desire to care for animals should apply.

Free Accommodation

Free private accommodation and a $80 per month food allowance is offered in our volunteer accommodation if you work 5 days per week, and $150 per month if you work 7 days per week. The food allowance will be paid partly always at the end of a week of your stay. If you start on a Monday for instance, you will be paid the following Monday your first installment.

The accommodation features a private room, shared bathroom with a shower running hot and cold water.

The farm is 9km from Murwillumbah, which has many cafes, pubs.

Conditions of the Role

The farm is vegetarian. Meat and fish products are not permitted to be brought into, or stored in, the volunteer accommodation or the property.

The Australian government does allow us to authorise second year Working Holiday Visas. You are welcome to apply.

If you fail to complete the one month period, no meal allowance will be paid.

You should not apply for this position if you:

  • can’t work under different climate conditions or if it is raining for instance
  • are scared of large animals,
  • don’t want to clean up poop,
  • don’t have the confidence to manage the farm for a 10 hour period on your own,
  • are subject to feeling lonely or homesick,
  • can’t cope without meat or fish products,
  • are not enthusiastic about animals

Working around farm animals can be:

  • heavy,
  • dirty
  • tiring work

and requires strength and stamina.

Working with large animals is not without danger but the sanctuary has policies in place so that you are insured against workplace accidents. Your safety is primarily your responsibility, you must follow our safety procedures or else you will place yourself at risk.

If short-listed you will be required to spend a day with one of our current volunteers, so that your abilities can be evaluated.

Please contact us using our application form.