My volunteer trip at the Wildlife Animal Sanctuary in Australia was an experience that would be absolutely impossible to forget. The things I got to do and see there, were things I have only ever seen on TV. It was truly a dream come true.
As a huge animal lover, I have always wanted to work hands on with animals from all over the world. This passion inspired what I wanted to research for my college capstone project. So, after going to Belize in January and working with marine animals, I decided what better way to collect capstone research than to travel across the world and work with animals I have never even seen in person before!
Luckily, I stumbled upon GoEco and found their wildlife sanctuary program and thought I would look into it. I am so incredibly grateful I did because this was all I could’ve ever wanted and more. Right away, I felt welcome by the staff and by the animals. As more days went by I really started to get an understanding of what I was doing and started to feel more like family with the rangers. By the end of my time there, I felt like I have known these people and animals for years!
I was able to learn all of the animal’s names and behaviors within a few hours of being there. In every zone I always found an animal to connect with. Having this connection made the volunteering experience have so much more meaning than I thought was possible. No matter the task I was put to by the rangers, I always found the fun and the meaning in it all – even if it was raking wombat poop into a pile, I enjoyed every second of it.
Having the ability to travel from the United States to Australia to do research for my capstone was already a huge deal to me. But being able to do my research while also supporting rescued wildlife, was a dream come true. My advice to anyone thinking about volunteering; do it! The stories I will be able to tell for a lifetime will be some of the most amazing stories I will ever tell and the stories I will be the most proud of!
