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Indonesia – Orangutan and Wildlife Rescue Center – Images

Fast Facts

Please note: The volunteer program is currently on hold. You can apply for our Asian Wildlife Rescue Center in Thailand. Here, you will volunteer with orangutans, as well as over 10 species of primates, including gibbons and macaques. You can also work with other animals such as bears, otters, civets, reptiles, birds, and many more.

With orangutans quickly losing their natural habitats, you can be an integral part of their survival as you join this rescue center’s conservation efforts. The center provides a safe haven for an array of ‘at-risk’ animals from the rainforests of Indonesia. The center is dedicated to rescuing, and when possible, rehabilitating wild animals so that they may one day return to their natural habitats.

Program Highlights:

Spend your days providing care for rescued orangutans and other wildlife
Ethical wildlife volunteer tasks and interactions
Learn directly from the center’s professional staff each day
Experience living in a rural village that has only been exposed to Western culture for the last couple of years
Give back to the local community by helping them improve their English and engaging in fun activities with local children

Your Schedule at a Glance (Minimum one-week commitment):

Arrival Day, Monday: Arrive at Jogjakarta International Airport (JOG). You will be picked up from the airport and transferred to your new home in Java. Take the time to settle in.

Days 1-4, Tuesday-Friday: You will participate in different activities throughout the day.

Mornings: Your morning will be spent working with the animal keepers. Spend time preparing food, cleaning cages and learning about the orangutans.

Afternoons: In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to participate in enrichment projects with the orangutans, so that they have a stimulating and interesting life at the center. You will also spend some time working with local village children as a teaching assistant as well as join a community English class where you will help participants improve their English.

Evenings: Enjoy a home-cooked, Javan dinner before relaxing in the evening. Evenings are usually quiet so you will have time to get to know other volunteers better or enjoy a good book.

Days 5-6, Saturday-Sunday: The weekends are free for you to explore the surrounding areas. You can organize a local driver to take you to nearby attractions. Alternatively, you can also continue working with the orangutans on the weekends.

Remaining Weeks: The remaining weeks will follow a similar schedule of volunteering Monday-Friday and having Saturday-Sunday off. Use your weekends to relax and enjoy your life in tropical Indonesia or visit the local temples and palaces to learn more about the culture. Departures are on a Sunday.

It is important to note that the center is not a zoo and tourists cannot come on day visits unless they are volunteering on the project and playing an active role in the care of these animals. The center has rescued 17 animals and released 20 others in 2017!

Location of the Project: Java, Indonesia

Project length: Minimum 1 week – Maximum 8 weeks

Arrival Airport: Jogjakarta International Airport (JOG)

Volunteer Work: Animal conservation and rehabilitation, teaching English

Age: 18-50

Number of Volunteers: Up to 8 International volunteers

What’s Included

Accommodations: Double occupancy, shared room with en suite bathroom

Food: Three meals a day plus snacks and drinks (tea, coffee) are provided.

Airport Transfers: Airport transfers are included on both arrival and departure days.

Support: Comprehensive and professional pre-departure travel guidance, 24/7 GoEco emergency hotline, experienced local field team.

What’s not Included

Flights, visas (if required), travel health insurance, personal expenses, local transportation, vaccinations

Location

Indonesia, in Southeast Asia, is the largest archipelago in the world. The country is comprised of a range of stunning islands and is known for its natural biodiversity, despite heavily populated areas. The center is located in Jogjakarta, a city on the Indonesian island of Java. It’s known for its traditional arts and cultural heritage and its beautiful, lush rainforests, which are home to many extremely rare species.

Volunteer Work

Volunteers at the center will help with a variety of different tasks related to animal conservation and rehabilitation, including the cleaning of animal enclosures, preparing food and enrichment for the animals. Volunteers will also assist in conducting informal English lessons to advance the villagers’ and children’s English and environmental awareness. Some of the animals being housed at the center include orangutans, Siamang gibbons, crocodiles, raptors – including the Javan eagle – and many other bird species. All of these special animals share similar, devastating stories. The center provides them with a safe space in which to recover. The center is also famous for rehabilitating and releasing injured eagles, including the endangered Javan Eagle.

Volunteer tasks may include:

Shadowing an animal keeper: working with a different keeper and group of animals each day in order to experience the full spectrum of wildlife at the center. You will participate in cage cleaning, feeding, food preparation and maintenance and cage enrichment. You may also get to spend a morning with the center’s veterinarian, observing and learning about the animals.
Building cages: building sturdy and spacious cages is essential for the animals’ well-being. Thus whenever needed, volunteers will be assisting the animal keepers to build cages for the animals.

Please Note: The cages for the orangutans and gibbons are small. There are plans to build a new enclosure close to trees where the orangutans and gibbons can live in a more natural habitat. This project is long-term and requires significant funding that needs to be raised through donations.

Conservation English Club: Every Wednesday you will go into the village to teach an informal 90-minute ‘Conservation English’ class for the local school children – using environmental topics to improve their English vocabulary and raise awareness. A typical lesson consists of:

30 minutes – simple games using English vocabulary
30 minutes – focus on an environmental topic (through games, discussion or worksheets)
30 minutes – arts and crafts related to an environmental topic

Living Arrangements

Internet icon Internet: Limited WiFi access is available on-site.

Laundry icon Laundry: A washing machine is available on-site (volunteers will need their own washing powder).

Accommodations icon Accommodations: Shared, single-gender accommodations. A standard room has two beds and an en suite bathroom with a cold water shower and western-style toilet.

Food icon Food: Three meals a day are prepared by a local Javan chef. Most meals consist of rice, vegetables and chicken. The center can cater for most dietary requirements, including vegetarian and vegan, with advance notice.