Volunteer with us!

Your role as a Busch Wildlife Sanctuary Volunteer is vital to the success of the organization’s programs in education, rehabilitation, and conservation.  You will interact with an incredibly diverse range of animals and people, whether at the Sanctuary or out in the community. You will learn the fundamentals of working at a sanctuary and further develop your knowledge of a diverse range of animals and the laws we abide by to protect Florida’s resources, habitats, and inhabitants.

The purpose of the volunteer program is to offer a wide variety of opportunities to interested people and to provide useful and meaningful service. This will assist Sanctuary staff in furthering the goals of The Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, and provide support that would otherwise be impossible due to budget limitations. Not only will you be helping Florida’s wildlife, you’ll enjoy meeting new friends who share similar environmental concerns and gain personal satisfaction that comes from preserving Florida’s native animals.

Volunteer Requirements

Please carefully read the below list of requirements to be a volunteer at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary. We love all our volunteers and without them we couldn’t care for our animals. However we ask that our volunteers be serious in their commitment and honestly to evaluate availability before applying to our volunteer program, thank you!

  • All volunteers must be 15 years or older.

  • All applicants must go through an interview process and attend a New Volunteer Orientation prior to volunteering.

  • All volunteers must fill out, sign, and turn in all required documents.

  • All volunteers must commit to one 3-4hr. shift per week for a period of 3 months (We hope you will continue to volunteer past this minimum commitment as our experienced volunteers are our most valuable resource!)

  • All volunteers must wear a Busch Wildlife Sanctuary volunteer shirt, comfortable (non-revealing) pants/shorts, and closed toed shoes when conducting volunteer activities. Safety equipment must be worn in designated enclosures. (i.e. safety glasses, gloves, or hardhat)

  • Fees: $35 (onetime, non-refundable), includes one volunteer t-shirt.

  • We ask all applicants please give serious consideration to their availability prior to submitting an application. Our patients and residents depend on volunteers in addition to our staff for their well-being. Missing a scheduled shift can negatively impact our patients’ and interfere with the training needed for volunteers.

  • Please understand that volunteering with us does not guarantee or entitle volunteers to handle hospital patients or our animal ambassadors. A list of typical volunteer roles, their responsibilities and typical shifts is listed on this page.

How to Become a Volunteer

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Busch Wildlife Sanctuary. If you have questions about your application, please DO NOT CALL please email volunteers@buschwildlife.org to reach the Volunteer Coordinator.

The volunteer selection and onboarding process can take up to 60 days to complete and is done to fill only the volunteer roles that are available.

  1. Read the Volunteer Requirements on this page.

  2. Submit the appropriate application below;

  3. Email completed application (intern only) to volunteers@buschwildlife.org 

  4. Be prepared to pay the $35 application fee if and when requested

  5. Await a response from our volunteer coordinator. This may take one to multiple weeks to respond. We have an high volume of interest and limited availability.

  6. If selected you will be required to our Volunteer Orientation and sign the necessary waivers and documents.

Busch Wildlife Sanctuary is an equal opportunity organization and will not allow discrimination based upon age, ethnicity, ancestry, gender, national origin, disability, race, size, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or any other status prohibited by applicable law.

Volunteer Roles

Animal Care Sanctuary 

Shifts:  Monday through Sunday 8:00am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 5:00pm

Volunteers assist with the daily feeding, cleaning, and enrichment of the Sanctuary's permanent animals. Volunteers do an abundance of household-type chores including washing dishes, sweeping, mopping, and laundry. Deep cleaning enclosures and prepping diets are also included. Expect to work outside in all Florida weather, lift heavy objects, and get dirty, working in and around animal fecal matter and bodily fluids.

Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

Shifts: Monday through Sunday: 8:00am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 5:00pm

Volunteers assist with an abundance of household-type chores including washing dishes, sweeping, mopping, and laundry, working in and around animal fecal matter and bodily fluids. They also assist with the care of our injured and orphaned wildlife by helping with diet preparation, general clean-up, and deep cleaning enclosures. In addition to daily chores, consistent volunteers are given the opportunity to learn the necessary skills to enable them to feed baby birds and mammals. Applicants should keep in mind that our goal is always to rehabilitate and release whenever possible. These animals are not pets and must be cared for accordingly. Minimal human contact is essential to help ensure they remain wild.

Education

Shifts:  Monday through Sunday 9:30am to 1:00pm and 1:00pm to 4:30p.

Volunteers assist the Education Department with programs, lectures, and tours. You may also be asked to help with school field trips or offsite programs. These volunteers are expected to learn about the background of Florida wildlife and their habitats. Experienced volunteers can be trained in animal handling procedures. Volunteers will interact with the public throughout the Sanctuary, by educating the public on Florida Wildlife, conservation, and environmental stewardship. Bilingual in English & Spanish is a plus!

Welcome Center

Shift: Monday through Sunday : 9:45am – 1:30pm and Afternoon: 1:30pm – 4:30pm

Must be at least 16 years old.Volunteers in this position are the first impression of BWS. They greet guests, provide information, and answer questions to enhance visitor’s experiences. You may also be asked to help in the gift shop to help stock merchandise. This volunteer must be honest, outgoing, reliable, friendly, and can work well with others & the public. Bilingual in English & Spanish is a plus!

Rescue and Release

Shifts: Monday through Sunday 8:00am - 4:30pm

Must be at least 18 years of age. This is an on-call position where Rescue Volunteers respond to reports of sick, injured, or orphaned animals when they can. Participants are added to a group chat and respond to reports according to their experience, comfort level, and availability. This requires the volunteer to be available to drive and pick up or drop off injured animals. Volunteers receive training regarding animal handling procedures and protocols and are never expected to conduct any response efforts they are not trained for or comfortable with. Transporters will be using their own vehicle and must have a valid driver’s license, car insurance, and be willing to drive contained, injured, or orphaned wild animals to/from BWS. Injured animals do need to be brought to the hospital within hospital hours.

Grounds Keeping

Shifts: Monday through Sunday 8:00am to 4:30pm

Volunteers who help in this department often do a great deal of physical work and spend most of their time outdoors. They should possess knowledge of native and exotic plants, landscaping, and gardening. The volunteer will be tending to/or performing various grounds-keeping activities such as trimming, pruning, mulching, raking, and weeding. You may also be asked to do some maintenance tasks.