Work with a variety of animals in
a Zoo in the capital city of Sri Lanka. Here you'll assist in trying to
uplift the quality of life of the animals by improving the enclosures
and keeping the animals mentally stimulated.
The
Zoo has a tremendous variety of animals.
It is a beautiful zoo set amongst acres of lush Sri Lankan vegetation.
The nature of your work will vary
according to what is required every day and also the Zoo’s needs in
general during the period of time that you’re there.
This project is for animals lovers and people who don't mind hard work
and getting their hands dirty.
“I'm thoroughly enjoying it and
one of the high lights so far was being able to watch a giraffe giving
birth! it was an amazing experience and well worth sitting in the rain
for 4 hours for. Sounds like madness but it's a once in a lifetime
opportunity
that we weren't going to miss!” Helenour Duke
ABOUT THE ZOO: There is a vast number and variety of animals at
the Zoo, currently (at time of writing) including 12 elephants,
many different primates and chimps, hippos, giraffes, bears,
seals, zebra, snakes, crocodiles, antelope, fish and various other animals.There is also a lone Orang Utan and an aquarium.
The
Zoo is hailed in several guide books as one of Asia's best and most beautiful
zoos. It is a quite a large zoo and usually takes visitors about 2 hours to
see everything.
One of the major
attractions is the
elephant shows that the Zoo holds with not less than 6
Indian elephants and another attraction is the beautiful butterfly park.
Many of our volunteers who participated on the Elephant
Orphanage project have spent some part of their time at the Zoo and
their experiences there have been so enjoyable that we have now developed a
special placement at the Zoo which has been running for about 6 years.
During this time, progress in improvements has been slow but
steady, with lots of enclosure enrichment projects adding new elements to the
quality of the animals' lives. When you apply for this project, we'll give you
lots of ideas and suggestions for enclosure enrichment that you will be able to
become involved with, or you may even be able to instigate your own ideas for
projects that will improve the animals' quality of life.
The conditions in which some of the
animals are kept are not very good and can be
distressing.We hope that in time
that our volunteers can make effective
contributions to the animals’ welfare and hopefully have a positive
influence on the conditions under which some of them live.
The nature of your work will vary
according to what is required every day and also the Zoo’s needs in
general during the period of time that you’re there.
This project is for animal lovers and people who don't mind hard work
and getting their hands dirty. Work starts early because a lot is done
before opening time at 8.30. Below is a
summary of current and potential work at the Zoo.
Much of the work involves cleaning
out the animal cages so that they're kept comfortable and healthy.
This usually takes place between 7.00 a.m. and 9.00 a.m., before the
Zoo opens - therefore, you need to be capable of
early starts!
Cleaning and
feeding the primates
Washing down the
enclosures and refilling the animals' baths
Feeding some animals (excluding
any of the dangerous ones, such as crocodiles and possibly the big cats).
Behavioural
observation, plus on occasion caring for sick animals.
Preparing the
food
Gardening to
maintain the surroundings.
Helping to build
the children's play area.
For people with an interest in
animals, there are opportunities to learn about the different
species and what is involved in animal care in a
third world country.
Although you'll help care for and feed
some
of the animals at the Zoo, your work with any big or
dangerous animals will only be undertaken under close supervision.
You will learn about
enrichment programmes and implement projects of your
choice ranging from building a hammock for the monkeys to
stimulating the environments of the bears through food/smell
enrichment techniques to rebuilding whole enclosures for the
animals.
Your presence at the zoo will make a
real difference to the lives of some of these captive animals.
Any hands on
contact with the animals will depend entirely on whether there are
young or tame animals at the zoo during your placement and will always be
at the discretion of the zoo supervisors. At present there are no young
animals at the zoo after the sad loss of a baby giraffe recently. Your
work at present will therefore be concentrated behind the scenes in zoo
keeper duties, observation, DIY work and enrichment projects.
Other work duties may include the opportunity to help the local staff with their English so that they can better converse with tourists, visitors and international Zoological experts.
The Zoo also needs to have the general information signs for visitors reproduced in good, accurate English, particularly signs which advise the public on how to treat the animals, warnings against littering
(because the animals can choke on litter), feeding the animals, etc.
You may also be asked to make yourself available in the Zoo grounds to answer general questions from Zoo visitors, both local and foreign. These questions could be things like, “Can you tell me a little bit more about the chimpanzee,” “Where does the Orang Utan come from?”. Etc.
It is necessary to be aware of the work ethic in Sri Lanka
and even more necessary to have patience with cultural differences. It can
take a long time to get anything done in Sri Lanka and the speed of your
progress may be halted by such things as language barriers, unexplainable
delays and the general slow pace of the other local workers at the zoo.
This is all part of the experience so please appreciate what you will come
to know as ‘Sri Lanka time’ and work with it the best way you can.
This is an amazing opportunity to understand the behind-the-scenes
workings of animal welfare in the uniquely laid back country of Sri Lanka.
This is a real experience of working within ‘Sri Lanka time’ and of
understanding a culture from the inside.Plus, you have an opportunity to change the lives of these animals. We are
continuously working towards better standards of living for all of the
animals and progress can be seen with each volunteer who wants to be
involved.
"I am having the most
incredible time here at the zoo. It is something that is very much changing
my thoughts and perception of things."
Henal Chotai
You can also combine a one-month placement
in the Zoo
with two months teaching
conversational English in Ja Ela,
OR
One month at Sri
Lanka's famous Elephant Orphanage
and
one month at the country's biggest Zoo.
This way you get the best of both worlds ... or all three!
JAWS!!
ACCOMMODATION
AND LIVING IN SRI LANKA:
We
cannot BEGIN to tell you how beautiful this paradise island is! Nor how
cheap to live and get around. It is almost
too good to be true! But it is true. And
there are so many fascinating places to visit. The tea
plantations are a must, the lace making, monuments and architectural
splendours, etc., but the most appealing is the Elephant Orphanage
at Pinnawala.
Accommodation:
Travellers has
a traditional Sri Lankan house in Ja-Ela. It has marble floors and 13
bathrooms! It is spacious and
comfortable, with a garden, several balconies, two lounge rooms and many
bedrooms. You will most likely share a room with other Travellers
volunteers. There is a TV and DVD player for evening entertainment, in
the upstairs lounge area and with the latest DVD copies just a pound to
buy locally, there is usually something to watch!
A chief will
cook all your meals and we have other staff at the house 24 hours a day
for cleaning, assistance, security and comfort.
Teaching, Work
Experience and the Colombo Zoo placements are all based in Ja-Ela and so
the house is often full and offers a lively, sociable atmosphere – there
is usually no shortage of friends to spend weekends at the beach with! Ja-Ela volunteers also have the advantage of easy access to Colombo’s
facilities, major bus stations and also the Airport Gardens Hotel - a
luxury hotel which offers facilities that include a fantastic swimming
pool. The hotel is only a short trip away from the volunteer house:
perfect for those lazy afternoons!
There is a
local live-in cook at the Travellers house who will prepare your
breakfast, lunch and dinner each day, throughout the week. The food is
usually local cuisine which means lots of curry, rice and salads.
Whether a curry fan or not, you will be by the time you return as Sri
Lankan food is delicious! You can buy snacks and treats, including a
growing variety of Western tastes (chocolate!) from the local store.
There is also a KFC in Ja-Ela for those who need a fix of home.
The area of
Ja-Ela is an industrialised town and although it is not one of the
paradise beauty spots, it's a good point at which to start your
exploration of the island's many beaches and beautiful inland resorts.
TRAVEL
and SUPPORT & BACKUP:
You have the option to arrange your
own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would
like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights
and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will
be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the
same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other
volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up
before leaving for your placement.
We can also arrange your flight
dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling
around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!
Where possible, all flights we
arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers
choose to extend their stay once they are in their destination country.
Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa
and the level of your air ticket, of course.
We meet you at the
airport regardless of whether you make your own travel arrangements or not.
You will fly into Sri Lanka
where you'll be met at Colombo Airport by our Sri Lanka Manager, Roshan Perera,or a member of his staff, and taken to your
placement.
Roshan will make you feel welcome from the first moment you
meet; he is a delightful person, laid back yet extremely efficient, and has
become a friend-for-life to many of our volunteers!
VISAS:. You don't need a visa for your first month in Sri Lanka
and our local manager will arrange for a visa for the rest of your stay - we
make the process very easy for you.
To read about the extensive
Support & Backup we provide inour countries,
please click here.
Roshan at the Zoo!
PRICES:
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in Sri Lanka, please
click here
Prices
include
Food & accommodation while on your project,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
