The Impact of Ethical Animal Volunteering on Animals

Ethical Animal Volunteering has a positive impact on the wildlife and domesticated animal community. It can improve the quality of life for countless animals! By volunteering in an ethical way with animals, you can not only assist their rescuers but also help them rehabilitate. In time, they can be rehomed or rewilded for the remainder of their lives.

Conditions of Animals Before Rescue

Most animals are forced to suffer due to poor animal trafficking conditions. For example, animals such as birds and reptiles are stuffed inside hair curlers or held within thermoses. Most animals are unable to survive such a harsh journey. For example, a study suggests that only 1 in 4 parrots being trafficked from Mexico survive the journey. 

Other rescue situations include cases where animals are forced to perform for entertainment purposes. In such situations, Macaques are tied to the ground to limit their movement, tigers and lions are drugged to be taken pictures with, elephants suffer from bull-hook injuries in order to perform for the audience. Animals are also held captive in severe conditions privately and treated roughly. Volunteering with Animals can help these traumatized creatures lead a regular life.

What is Animal Rescue

Animal Rescue refers to the effort to save and protect animals from poor care and conditions, such as illegal wildlife trafficking and ignorant pet owners. These animals are then put in rehabilitation centers to improve their mental and physical wellbeing. On improvement, they are either released back to the wild or rehomed to sanctuaries where they can live out the remainder of their life. This is because some animals sustain an injury, so they cannot survive in the wild. For example, some exotic birds have their eyes removed during the process of illegal animal trafficking. Furthermore, most animals cannot be released to the wild due to the trauma they suffered or because of the destruction of their native habitat.

It is very important to support such shelters and sanctuaries by animal volunteering, as they have very limited resources. According to reports,  “more than six million companion animals enter shelters every year just in the United States. Of those, 1.5 million get euthanized, either because they’re too ill or injured to help or because of overcrowding at shelters.” You can help save lives by simply providing a helping hand to animal rescue shelters and sanctuaries!

How does Ethical Animal Volunteering Help?

Ethical Animal Volunteering can Help Protect Endangered Animals

It is not news that our planet has been suffering for a very long time now. This has greatly affected wildlife animals such as elephants, orangutans, and tigers, which are on the brim of extinction. They are currently critically endangered. So, without active efforts made by us, it is very likely that these extinctions turns into a sad reality. 

Ecosystems are Reliant on Wildlife Conservation

All ecosystems consist of a food chain that involves animals relying on each other. Therefore, the extinction of one species would result in the endangerment of another. For example, “If antelopes become extinct in the jungle, the effect can be detrimental to the survival of the cats.” This would force the cats to seek other means of food, which could potentially have a different adverse effect and could potentially lead to human-wildlife conflicts. 

Volunteering can Help Animals with Rehabilitation

Despite the improvement of animal trafficking or poaching laws and regulations in recent years, it is still an issue very much present today.

Animal sanctuaries are a great place to help animals who suffered from the poor conditions they were put through due to trafficking conducted by poachers. Just like us humans, animals suffer as well. And it is our responsibility to help relieve some of that. In a lot of countries, bigger cats like tigers and other exotic wildlife are seen as a symbol of prestige- the size and rarity of the animals entail symbolic importance. 

Ethical Animal Volunteering Reduces Suffering on Animals

Have you ever been to the zoo and witnessed an elephant playing football? Or maybe you noticed an opportunity to swim with dolphins? Don’t be fooled by the façade displayed by such zoos and organizations! These animals are tortured and held captive, being silently forced to entertain humans under subpar living conditions. Wildlife rescue aims to protect the welfare of such animals who have suffered emotionally and physically. Join the conservation movement by animal volunteering now!

Volunteering with animals has such a large-scale impact and it is our responsibility to help with the survival of these species! If you are interested in volunteering, click here to find some opportunities that may be of your interest. Start making a difference today!