Assist hands-on with rescued and ex-pet Wolves, Wolf Dogs and Huskies at a canine sanctuary in a beautiful tranquil forest setting. Your duties while on the Wolves, Wolf Dogs and Husky Sanctuary volunteer project, will also be to help out with the other animals that call the sanctuary their home including farm animals, marmosets and alpacas. Perfect for those fascinated by canines!
Starting days
Starting days are Monday to Friday all year round. Closed between the 5th of December and the 15th of January
Minimum Requirements
2 weeks and longer subject to visa requirements. A minimum age of 16 years old without a guardian and 14 years old with a guardian
Cost
ÂŁ1150 for 2 weeks and ÂŁ400 for each additional week
What is included
Food, accommodation, meeting you at the airport, airport collection and drop-off, weekday transport to your project and back, welcome braai (BBQ), Saturday tour, donation to the project, pre-departure support, t-shirt, in-country staff, 24- emergency help and more.
What is not included
Flights, visas, travel insurance, spending money.
Best for
Gappers, career breakers, families, post-retirement gappers, couples, animal lovers, canine fans, conservation and zoology students, veterinary medicine students and qualified professionals
Project Description
Surrounded by beautiful pine forests, this beautiful, serene 6-hectare Wolves, Wolf Dogs and Husky Sanctuary, founded in 2000, is home to rescued ex-pets and animals from the exotic pet trade. There are two areas that you could help with, firstly with the rescued Wolves, Wolf dogs and Huskies and secondly with other resident animals like the farmyard animals: goats, pigs, sheep, horses, donkeys, emu, marmosets, alpacas, tortoises and bunnies.
You would work as part of the Wolves, Wolf Dogs and Husky Sanctuary team under the animal manager and her coordinator and have lots of opportunities between duties, to have time to spend and make special memories and moments with the animals.
The volunteer work takes place Monday to Friday with plenty of time on weekends to explore the neighbouring areas from blue flag beaches, hiking, wildlife reserves, animal sanctuaries or partaking in the fantastic extreme sports the area has to offer.
Currently there are several packs comprising of wolves, wolf dogs and huskies. The wolves, wolfhounds and huskies get fed once a day.
The farmyard animals get fed three times a day and the marmosets get fed twice a day so lots of feeding routines to help with
Morning feeds start early at 8.00 am and the day normally ends at 5pm with lots of little breaks in-between. Please be aware some of the animals are fed a healthy raw food diet so meat is handled and needs to be prepared
Your duties may include:
Food preparation- you will receive instruction on how to do this and what each animalâs diet is and how much to give them
Feeding routines through designated areas of the sanctuary
Checking the fences of the nature sanctuary
Cleaning, tidying, and repairing animal enclosures
Building new enclosures and expanding existing enclosures
Making animal enrichments like âbark boxesâ and of course they love soft toys, so any donations are always welcome although they do not last too long
Walking and running the huskies. This needs to be done to alleviate boredom. The huskies in particular love a lot of attention. One of the huskies has Down Syndrome so in his case, a more slower pace walk is needed.
Grooming and playing with the huskies
Removing alien and invasive vegetation around the sanctuary
Guiding tourists around the sanctuary and helping with the wolf tours. This is also a great way to learn about the background of the animals that are homed at the sanctuary
Helping with cutting firebreaks around the sanctuary
Assisting with general duties in the restaurant
Unloading deliveries
Administration work and any other general maintenance or project needed at the time
Assisting with social media- great photos of the animals are always appreciated
Typical day
7.00am – Wake up, freshen up, grab a bite to eat for breakfast and prepare a light lunch for the day
7.30am – You will be collected at your accommodation by your volunteer coordinator to be taken to the sanctuary
8.00am to 9.00am â Arrive at the sanctuary to help prepare the food for and start the feeding routines
9.00am to 10.00am â Time to do the rounds of the sanctuary and check that all is in order with the enclosures and animals
10.00 am to 10.30am -Tea break
10.30am to 1pm – Allocated volunteer daily duties or project
1.00 to 2.00pm â Break for lunch
2.00pm to 5.00pm – Complete your daily project and if finished early, enjoy some quiet time with the animals
4.30pm- Your volunteer coordinator will collect you and drive you back to your volunteer accommodation or you may choose to spend a bit of time at the shops
If you have any specific skills or qualifications that you feel could be of extra help, please let us know.
Accommodation
The Wolves, Wolf Dogs and Husky Sanctuary volunteer accommodation is a comfortable, self-catering flat located just a few minutesâ walk from Knysna town center, providing easy access to shopping malls, restaurants, takeaways, gyms, nightlife, entertainment, and essential services. The flat features a fully equipped kitchen with a dining table, fridge, kettle, induction plate, and all necessary utensils for meal preparation. The bathrooms are fitted with showers, sinks, and toilets. For leisure, there are TVs and access to a pool for hot summer days, as well as a private garden area with a picnic table for outdoor dining. Laundry facilities are available for personal use, and we provide laundry detergent. The property is secured with perimeter beams and situated in a quiet, safe neighborhood. Accommodation options include shared or private rooms, depending on volunteer numbers. Additionally, there is WIFI, and arrangements can be made for couples, friends, and families to stay together. There is a cleaner once a week.
If the volunteer flat is full, we have other self-catering options that are walking distance to the town centre and its amenities and very comfortable.
Food
You will receive a food allowance while on the Wolves, Wolf Dogs and Husky Sanctuary volunteer project to cover your basic groceries for self-prepared meals. As part of your induction, you will be taken on a grocery shopping trip upon your arrival, allowing you to select specific foods that meet your dietary requirements. Knysna boasts several grocery stores as well as a variety of excellent restaurants and takeaways for those times when you prefer not to cook. The kitchen is well-equipped with an induction plate, microwave, fridge/freezer, kettle, toaster, and grill.
Volunteers will be required to wash up after preparing your own meals in the kitchen. Please keep your living areas tidy.
Location
You will need to fly into George Airport between 09h00 and 16h00 for your airport collection where you will be met by your Volunteer International Adventures representative and driven to your volunteer accommodation in Knysna. On completion of your project, you will be driven back to George Airport in time for your return flight which must be any time after 10h30. If arriving by coach from Cape Town, you will be fetched and dropped off at the coach depot in Knysna. Arrivals and departures must be Monday to Fridays and not weekends.
Knysna is one of South Africaâs favourite towns based around the beautiful Knysna estuary with views of the iconic headlands. It is not known as the jewel of the Garden Route for nothing and is surrounded by magical forests, farmlands and a breath-taking coastline dotted with blue flag beaches which are great for swimming, barbequing or just simply watching dolphins surfing in the waves. It is also home to the famous elusive Knysna elephant which are the most southern free roaming elephants in the world and there are still hot debates about the numbers with some saying there is only one left and others a small herd of about four.
The area that Knysna is situated is the Garden Route of the province of the Western Cape and it is a dream for animal lovers and extreme sports enthusiasts as there are numerous private wildlife reserves, national parks, whale watching, predator sanctuaries, primate sanctuaries, elephant sanctuaries, bird sanctuaries, skydiving, paragliding, sandboarding, ziplining, numerous interesting markets, quaint shops and fantastic restaurants so boredom is not an option. It is very easy to find your feet, so volunteers tend to settle in within a few days. You will be given a site tour on arrival
Included in the project is a tour of the Saturday markets and a wildlife reserve- entry for your own cost-and a Sunday welcome braai (BBQ) to experience true South African hospitality and traditional meals to add to your experience of South African culture.
“What is the best thing about your placement so far? – Having such an all-rounded experience. Our trip was more than just volunteering with the animals, but also meeting other like-minded people we could connect with easily and experiencing such a wonderful country’s culture for the first time. And of course, getting to see wolves in real life was unforgettable! Your biggest achievement so far? – The sanctuary being home to so many animals meant we could try our hand at doing lots – my biggest achievement would probably be when I helped handle the herd of alpacas when we had to clip their nails! It took 5 of us to keep each alpaca down and that’s something I never would have imagined ever doing đ In your time there so far, has anything happened that has stood out, or touched your heart, or made you laugh? – Bonding with the wolf dogs was so special – especially when they recognise you and call for you to come play. They are such beautiful and misunderstood animals, and learning more about them from Angelique and Carina made us respect them so much more. What experience do you feel you are gaining? – A deeper understanding of other cultures and learning more about conservation. Please write a short case study to help future volunteers: Volunteering at the wolf sanctuary will let you get lots of hands-on experience, like learning to handle huskies and wolf dogs and caring for the farm animals, to building and cleaning the enclosures. Be prepared to get down and dirty (literally!) – it is not glamorous, and you must be ready to put in elbow grease to help everyone at the sanctuary. Angelique and Carina were amazing to work with and so kind to us during our time with them. As volunteers, you are expected to have a high level of respect for the animals you’ll be working with, so go in with an open mind and you will have a wonderful experience meeting and bonding with the dogs. One tip would be to head down during the dryer seasons as most of the work is outdoors – that said, we still had a great time despite volunteering in winter. If you don’t mind working in light rain and getting muddy kisses from the wolf dogs, you will be fine đ”
â Ra Ramakrishnam Singaporean, June 2023r
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you accept this policy as long as you are using this website AcceptView Policy
