A Day in the Life of a Care for Wild Volunteer

A day volunteering at a rhino sanctuary like Care for Wild starts with a team briefing at around 06:30. It runs through morning rhino care, breakfast, afternoon conservation work and lunch, and finishes at around 16:00, with dinner at about 18:00. The programme is structured, but timings and priorities can change at short notice.

A day at Care for Wild is structured around the needs of the rhinos, and for a volunteer, that means becoming part of a working conservation operation from the moment the day begins.

Volunteers are not here simply to observe what happens at the sanctuary. They become an integral part of its daily operations, working alongside the Care for Wild team and contributing to the many tasks required to care for the animals, maintain their environments and support the wider work of the organisation.

There is a clear structure to the volunteer programme, with established timings, routines and protocols. That structure is essential. The work Care for Wild undertakes is often reactionary by nature, particularly when dealing with veterinary cases, emergency situations and newly rescued animals, and it is only through preparation, organisation and well established protocols that the team is able to respond effectively when circumstances change.

For volunteers, this means understanding that there is a programme, but also that the programme can change. Timings can move, activities can be altered and priorities can shift.

The day begins early!

A typical day begins at around 06:30 with a team briefing, where the day’s programme is discussed, responsibilities are allocated and any changes or priorities are communicated before the teams move into the various areas of the sanctuary.

Volunteers may be divided into teams working in the Intensive Care Unit, rehabilitation bomas and other operational areas. The first part of the day is focused on the morning care of the animals and involves a combination of feeding, animal husbandry, health and behavioural observations and environmental management.

Milk is prepared for younger rhinos and volunteers assist staff with health checks and behavioural observations. Rehabilitation bomas are cleaned and maintained, including the removal of dung and wet bedding, cleaning of feeding areas and sleeping spaces, weighing and preparation of feeds, and general raking and sweeping.

Maintaining the hygiene of the rehabilitation environment is a fundamental part of animal care. These are environments in which young and recovering rhinos are growing, developing and adapting, and they need to be maintained to a standard that supports their health and welfare.

For younger calves, feeding is also a continuous part of the day. Some animals require milk feeds at intervals of approximately three hours, meaning that preparation, feeding, observation and cleaning continue throughout the day.

Breakfast is generally served between 09:00 and 09:30.

After breakfast: the range of work expands

After breakfast, the range of work expands. Volunteers may prepare afternoon feeds, prepare rehabilitation bomas and night pens for the evening, assist with fence-line and camp maintenance, repair roads and infrastructure, or cut, rake and bale grass before moving it into the areas where it is required.

There may be further behavioural observations, additional feeding and milk preparation, depending on the age and requirements of the rhinos being cared for.

Different days also bring different priorities. Certain days may be dedicated to deep cleaning, stock replenishment, weighing rhinos and recording biometrics, or boma and camp rotations as animals move through different stages of rehabilitation.

Lunch is generally between 12:30 and 13:30.

After lunch: preparing for the night

After lunch preparations for the evening begin. This may include further feeding and milk preparation, preparing the teams for the night, checking that the rhinos are in the appropriate areas and ensuring that the environment and equipment are ready for the evening and overnight routines.

The working day normally finishes at around 16:00, with dinner at approximately 18:00.

Flexibility is part of the experience

While there is a standard structure to the day, volunteers also need to understand that working with wildlife requires the ability to respond to circumstances as they arise.

A veterinarian may need to treat a rhino. An animal may require additional monitoring. A rehabilitation group may need to be moved. An unexpected rescue may come into the sanctuary and require immediate attention.

The experience extends beyond rhino rehabilitation

Although rhino rehabilitation is central to the volunteer programme, volunteers also have opportunities to experience the wider conservation operation at Care for Wild.

This may include time in the Intensive Protection Zone and larger conservation areas, where volunteers can participate in behavioural observations of released rhinos and their calves and gain an understanding of the animals once they have progressed beyond the rehabilitation environment.

The K9 Unit provides an opportunity to learn about the role of conservation dogs within the wider protection operation, while assisting with kennel maintenance, grooming and exercising the dogs.

Volunteers may also spend time with the Mounted Unit, learning about its role in conservation and assisting the team with grooming, horse care and maintaining the environments in which the horses work.

Conservation technology forms another part of the experience. Volunteers can learn about the systems and technologies being used at Care for Wild and how these tools support wildlife monitoring, protection and management.

The wider conservation picture also includes the surrounding communities. Care for Wild’s community programmes operate alongside the sanctuary’s rhino and conservation work, and volunteers may have the opportunity to participate in educational outreach, meet children involved in these programmes and assist with community activities.

Be Patient and Welcoming

A volunteer programme such as this brings together people from different countries, backgrounds, ages and experiences. Some volunteers arrive with previous animal-care or conservation experience, while for others this is their first opportunity to work within a professional wildlife conservation environment.

What matters is coming with the right attitude.

Volunteers need to be open to learning, willing to receive instruction and prepared to work alongside people whose experiences may be very different from their own. Patience, respect and an open mind are important, as is an understanding that every person is experiencing the programme in their own way.

Most importantly, volunteers need to appreciate the responsibility that comes with working so closely with these rhinos.

It is an enormous privilege to be trusted to contribute to the care of a rhino, but it is also a responsibility that should never be taken lightly.

Becoming part of the Care for Wild story

Volunteers have played an important role throughout the history of Care for Wild and continue to have an important place in its future.

Their contribution does not end when they leave the sanctuary.

Volunteers become some of Care for Wild’s most important ambassadors because they have experienced the work for themselves. They have not simply been told what rhino rehabilitation involves. They have been part of it.

They have spent the early mornings preparing feeds and helping with animal care. They have cleaned bomas, worked in the rain, walked through the mud, maintained environments, assisted with observations and learned from the people who dedicate their lives to this work.

They have laughed with us. They have cried with us. They have sweated with us. They have experienced the exhaustion, the uncertainty, the excitement and the immense privilege that comes with caring for wildlife.

They have lived and breathed rhinos with us.

They leave having seen the reality behind rehabilitation: that successful conservation is built through commitment, consistency and an enormous amount of work, much of which happens in the ordinary moments of every day.

Frequently asked questions about volunteering at a rhino sanctuary

What time does a volunteer day at Care for Wild start and finish?

A typical day begins at around 06:30 with a team briefing. Breakfast is generally between 09:00 and 09:30 and lunch between 12:30 and 13:30. The working day normally finishes at around 16:00, with dinner at approximately 18:00.

What do volunteers do at a rhino sanctuary?

Morning care combines feeding, animal husbandry, health and behavioural observations and environmental management, including preparing milk and cleaning rehabilitation bomas. Later work can include fence-line and camp maintenance, repairing roads and infrastructure, and cutting, raking and baling grass.

Does the volunteer programme change from day to day?

Yes. Timings can move, activities can be altered and priorities can shift, particularly with veterinary cases, emergencies and newly rescued animals. A veterinarian may need to treat a rhino, or an unexpected rescue may arrive and need immediate attention.

Do volunteers experience more than rhino rehabilitation?

Yes. Volunteers may spend time in the Intensive Protection Zone, with the K9 Unit and the Mounted Unit, and learn about conservation technology. They may also take part in educational outreach and community activities.

Volunteering at Care for Wild is a chance to give your time to something real

It is practical, purposeful and deeply connected to the daily work of rhino care and conservation.
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More ways to get involved: Donate · Adopt a rhino · Volunteer · Stay at Rhino View Lodge