How can animal-welfare trips help you to become more educated about animal preservation?

“Animal welfare trips that are grounded in consent based tourism and local community leadership help us become more educated in animal conservation because truly we learn by doing. Seeing conservation and animal welfare programs that are guided and supported by the local community helps us understand how diverse these programs are around the world and how they can succeed when local solutions tackle local problems. When we take part in these programs we understand better in part all the steps, all the people and all the work that goes into animal conservation. It’s not just veterinarians, nurses and educators who are important in the conservation of animals, it’s maintenance workers, cooks, fundraisers, administers, cleaners and more! When we volunteer we see this and we see how far and impactful our volunteering can be. When lead by the local community with evidence based practices we don’t just get our hands dirty and help, we learn by doing and these lessons can be translated into so many difference spaces in our lives. Not every program will work in every community but learning about compassion, empathy and service will always help non human and human animals alike.”

… read more on on Porch to see more Expert Advice to Keep your Pet (and wildlife) Safe.

A Vegetarian Goes Fishing in South Africa.

Dispataches from Nora’s field journal.

2019 in South Africa.

Standing on the small fishing boat, I wedged myself between the cooler of dead fish and the gunwales. I delicately cut a partially-frozen squid in half, the ink squirting all over me and my jacket. I didn’t worry too much as I already had fish and shark blood on it. How did a vegetarian get herself in this predicament, fishing in South Africa? Well, it was all in the name of shark conservation!

Most of my job as a CEO of a travel social enterprise requires sitting behind a computer and making amazing trips happen for other people. I don’t mind! I love that in a year I can help about 200 people go on amazing conservation and animal-welfare trips. In fact, I love providing all these helping hands to centres because I love locally led community conservation programs and because I have visited all these programs first. I know personally what volunteers will be doing and how important those helping hands are.

I go to all the programs before I sent volunteers because I want to know that, as a solo woman traveler, it is safe for me and therefore our volunteers. I also want to make sure the programs are ethical and authentically helping the animals they were designed to. These programs have taken me all around the world, I meet new friends, see animals I didn’t know existed (please Google ‘African spring hare’) and, of course, take part in amazing conservation and animal welfare programs.

In October and November last year I got to visit South Africa to check out a shark conservation program. Two weeks of playing with shark biologists and people who are way smarter than me. I was so excited!

I said sorry every time I cut into a fish, and thank you every time we brought a shark on board. I then apologized to the shark every time I hook the hook out of its mouth.

The program is in Hermanus, in the deeply beautiful Western Cape. Also known as the Whale Coast and Shark Alley, I would be spending two weeks next to the biologically diverse coasts of both the Indian and Atlantic Ocean. All conservation is dependent on not just the biological understanding of the species but also the health of populations and the behavior of individual animals (as well as their families). This means terrestrial animals, while not always easy to monitor and understand, are at an advantage since they can’t escape into the almost infinite abyss that is the ocean.

As an example, the conservation of the wild horses in Mongolia is an amazing adventure, but one that seems relatively easy when you compare the ecosystems and populations. In Mongolia we hike the steppe to find the horses. As there are hardly any trees or other things clogging up your view, finding the horses can be quite easy. But, when looking at populations of sharks, we can’t “just” look on the horizon with our binoculars: we have to snorkel, free dive and fish.

All the fishing I did was, of course, catch and release. This is not perfect, as it still involves a poor shark being dragged up to the boat and having a hook taken from its mouth, but we do de-barb the hook (meaning the hook will slide out of the sharks gill without causing more damage), and only the well-trained get to handle the sharks. Each shark is only on the boat or on the shore for about three minutes. It’s enough time to take the hook out, measure it, tag it, take a fin clip (for DNA tests), and check what sex it is. (Sidebar: Did you know that male sharks have claspers? Please also Google them).

Turns out I quite like fishing in South Africa. Sitting around chatting with people is basically my favorite activity, but then when you catch a shark it’s deeply exciting.

I loved my time on the research boat. We would leave early in the morning (after taking anti-nausea medication, packing a lunch with plenty of ginger cookies and salty crackers to curb seasickness) and go out into the biologically rich waters. On the ride out to pre-determined locations we would see penguins, southern right wales and seals. Sometimes teams see great white sharks! The sharks we fish for vary, from soupfin sharks (about 25kg) and bronze whalers (about 170kg) to puffadder shysharks (about 41cm) and pajama catsharks (about 1m) at their largest.

The two weeks I spent on the project fishing in South Africa we ‘only’ caught smaller catsharks, but I was delighted every single time we caught one because before this, I had never met a shark in real life. I had briefly seen a shark while snorkeling in Oman, but in South Africa I was able to touch them, hold them and even tag them. Thanks science!

Of course to catch them, you have to get your hands dirty and this meant bailing the hook with the most delicious things to a carnivore of the sea: fish. This wasn’t the first time I had the task of preparing meat as a vegetarian. After spending lots of time on animal programs throughout the years, cutting up meat for animals is not my favourite activity but it’s something I know has to get done. At the start of the year I led a group down to a Guatemalan wildlife rehabilitation centre and volunteered to gut fish for the herons, so the other volunteers didn’t have to. When I was in Oman I cut up 20kg of raw chicken for rescue dogs every day. This vegetarian is not happy about it, but she is happy to do it for animals.

I want to know that, as a solo woman traveler, it is safe for me and therefore our volunteers. In fact, I also want to make sure the programs are ethical and authentically helping the animals they were designed to.

Now, while fishing in South Africa, I was cutting up thawed fish and skewering them on a hook to help catch sharks to better understand the populations in the water all around Hermanus. I said sorry every time I cut into a fish, and thank you every time we brought a shark on board. And I then apologized to the shark every time I hook the hook out of its mouth. Most sharks were too little for the hooks and didn’t even get hooked, their small teeth just got caught on the cotton we wrapped the bait in. I still apologized.

In the time I was there we were able to catch and tag about three dozen sharks, which is a lot of data. With the information we collected we know location, bait, time of day, the type of shark, size, sexual maturity and if they are caught again and where. The fin clip that is used for DNA testing tells us even more information. It’s a messy job but I loved every minute of it. It felt so neat to be in the middle of the ocean, helping science in this small way.

Turns out I quite like fishing. Sitting around chatting with people is basically my favorite activity, but then when you catch a shark it’s deeply exciting. It’s also nice knowing these animals are going back to their home with an exciting story to tell their buddies. The cherry on top is knowing that you are helping conserve these animals for future generations.

Hopefully, in time, technology will make conservation easier and less painful for the animals. With less invasive techniques we will be able to understand more about the oceans without having to fish for their residents. The fairly new (in scientific terms) baited remote underwater video (BRUV) technique is where cameras are dropped to the ocean floor and then the footage is interpreted later. Advances like this will help all of us know who lives where in the ocean and how to help them thrive there.

By the way…. does anyone know how to get squid ink out of a rain jacket?

A decade of helping dogs

Expedition Nepal was a celebration!

We were meant to visit Nepal in 2020. After partnering with our two shelters in 2011 and then in 2013 we wanted to celebrate almost a decade of volunteers. But, of course you know what happened that year. So we waited, and waited... and waited. When we finally bought our plane tickets it didn't feel real, when we stepped off the plane to the dry and clear night it seemed like a dream, when we finally sat and had tea after giving some excited dogs a bath it felt like everything had fallen into place perfectly.

Nepal will always be a country that means so much to us. The experiences Nora had there in 2008 propelled her to think differently about international volunteering. It also brought her to be the volunteer coordinator at the wildlife centre where she met Heather. Our dog rescue centres were some of our first international partnerships and of course, some of our first volunteer experiences. Being able to celebrate the growth of these centres, see the changes in animal welfare in the Kathmandu Valley and hug the friends we have been separated from for so long was nothing short of wonderous. 

Animals in the Kathmandu Valley are better because of our partnerships. Because of our volunteers. Because of the dedicated and amazing humans who have dedicated their lives to community dogs and the people who live around them. And we can't stop smiling when we think about that!! The centres are bigger and growing! More and more dogs (and cats) have been vaccinated against rabies (keeping human populations safe), there are less puppies from the committed animal birth control programs, there are more dogs on couches adopted with families because of the nonstop educational campaigns. The things we celebrate are tangible. They are quantifiable and sharable- which makes them celebrabte-able! 

We have some blogs and some updates and some things to share but for now we want you to know that you are part of the story, you are part of the dogs of Kathmandu. Without your support none of this is possible. That is never lost on us, while we are helping people travel, when we are traveling ourselves or when we are marvelling at the achievements in front of us. 

Feel inspired to volunteer in Nepal? How could you not? Check out the Nepali experience page for more information.
Want to come volunteer *with* us and celebrate 2023? We are going to Thailand! To read if this trip is for you check out the Expedition Page!

Looking forward to sharing even more with you, 

Nora

Dispatches from the field: Expedition Guatemala

In silence we hiked up the stairs, ascending the 70m Mayan temple in the dark. The air was warm and humid. The moon seen only in glimpses through the trees until we cleared the jungle canopy; then it hung as if suspended in the mist. Sitting on the top steps we looked over the forest that has stood for longer than time can remember, sitting on a temple that was here before any of these trees were even seeds. The city of Tikal was at one time almost completely cleared of forest by the ancient Mayan civilization, but now the ceiba trees reach higher than some temples and archeologists meticulously extract succulents from royal suites. We sit atop Temple IV, also known as The Temple of The Two Faced Serpent. Built in 741 it's the perfect place to watch the forest wake up, not only because of its position above the trees but because of its position in history. For hundreds of years it has sat on the edge of the city, then forest and now UNESCO heritage site and watched the sun rise.

Our volunteers visit Tikal National Park when they volunteer with wildlife, not only to see deeply important local historical sites but also to see the animals. To hear weaver birds call to each other, to see toucans bounce from branch to branch, to catch sight of grey foxes darting between stelas, to experience howler monkeys slowly crashing towards each other while babies learn to navigate above the ground, to silently "awww" when we see families of coati's sniff around the ground for grubs and other treasures. We come to see these animals interacting with nature as wild animals should. They are part of their almost infinite seeming wild home territory. Something that can only be imagined when we are volunteering in their enclosures. Something that seems so far from reality when they start their rehabilitation journey at our wildlife hospital partner site.

Our volunteers help the medical and behavioral rehabilitation of animals who have been stolen from the wild by animal traffickers, or were hurt and rescued after they have been injured by humans. Just like a human hospital, the animals start in small areas so they can be observed, given medication and correct food. Unlike humans these animals do not understand we are there to help. These animals that come from the vast expanse of the wild only see humans as predators and things to be feared. The tricky part is we want to keep it that way. We don't want these animals to be tamed or happy around people- they can't be released if they are. This means while volunteering we don't talk, pet or hug the animals. We clean the enclosures to make sure they don't get sick from bacteria, we prepare appropriate meals to make sure they get healthy and strong and we provide enrichment so their brains are engaged while they are in recovery - think about how bored you were at the start of 2022!

Seeing these animals in the hospital and taking part in their care both provides a deep sense of purpose and a deep sense of sadness. These animals shouldn't be here, they shouldn't have been taken from their families or their homes. BUT we are working for the good guys- the heroes who help these animals every day, from before we were there helping, to long after we leave. We are making sure that the animals get to be released again some day, back where they belong, maybe one day finding themselves climbing up the side of a Mayan temple that has stood for more than a thousand years.

Sitting and watching the sunrise, hearing the forest wake up, seeing the sun illuminate the Mayan roads the same way they have for thousands of years, there is something more than serene about it- there is something hopeful. And this is the very reason we wake up at 3:30am and walk back into the park with our guide. So we can record a core memory in our minds that morning and know when we get back to the hospital we are part of something bigger. We can know that because of us the animals we volunteer with will one day get to watch the sunrise as free animals- they too will be able to live again as they are supposed to, as wild animals in these wild spaces.

Getting Through Together- Apart

Dispatches from the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

A LOT HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST DAYS.

I am getting more and more hopeful for humanity in some ways. Seeing yoga instructors doing free courses online, meditation apps being given away for free and gym teachers going on Instagram once a day to help parents home school their kids... love and empathy are all around us. Things are hard right now but I am heartened by how many people have decided to use their skills and passions to remind us we are together and together we are much stronger.

Conversely, I'm so sad when I see people not taking this seriously, partying on beaches and not standing an appropriate distance away.  It's so easy to be good, to keep yourself and therefore your community and family members safe. All you need to do is wash your hands and stand apart. For animal people this is easy, the distance is a llama or a leatherback sea turtle. Imagine you are being followed by a llama or a leatherback and don’t let anyone come between your animal friend. For the macabre and those who need to hear the awful truth to remember how real this is: the distance of your sick family member is how far you should be standing from others.

Some people have decided to use this time to learn a new skill, start new projects or finish those projects that have collected dust for too long. But I do also want to remind people that rest is important. You are not on holiday, these are not normal circumstances and we don’t have a defined timeline. This isn’t a contest on who can be the most productive with this time. This is a time to not compare your life on social media- as we know comparison is the very thief of joy. This is a time to learn from yourself, what do you need to be healthy: mentally, physically and spiritually. Do you need to sleep more because the idea of a virus passing through all the countries of the world is hard to fathom and makes you very sad? Then sleep, rest, be good to yourself. Do you need to run or do push-ups or do HIIT guided by someone on YouTube because the idea of being in isolation for months gives you nervous energy that you need to get out of your body? Then sweat it out and breathe it out. Do you feel like you need to eat more comfort foods like chocolate, salad, pop tarts, Kraft Dinner or anything in between because your body is asking for comfort in a time of mass uncertainty and fire hoses of information? Then nourish your body and remember there should be no guilt in pleasure, let the soft animal of your body love what it loves ( Mary Oliver). Do you feel like you need to Zoom with friends more or you have zoomed so much this weekend that another video conference hangout makes you feel overdrawn? Listen to what you need in the right now and make choices for you now. This is a marathon, not a sprint and every single day will be different.

THERE WILL BE GOOD DAYS IN WHICH WE CELEBRATE TOGETHER (APART) AND THERE WILL BE DEVASTATING DAYS THAT WE CRY INTO OUR PILLOW AND MOURN DEEPLY.

What you need today may be different than what you needed yesterday and tomorrow—that is okay.

But, do remember this is the same with everyone around you, we are all going through this devastating time of grief and anxiety so while you are being kind to yourself, be kind to others. We will get annoyed with our housemates talking too loudly on the phone. We will glare at our partners when they leave their towels on the floor, even after we asked them not to. We will be angry that our kids thought unsupervised science experiences in the kitchen were a great idea. We will be overwhelmed and overdrawn at times and we will snap. That is okay because we are humans and humans are complex emotional creatures and we can say we are sorry. And just as we can apologize, we can accept apologies.

I AM NOT SURE HOW THINGS WILL LOOK IN A MONTH OR A YEAR FROM NOW BUT I KNOW HUMANITY WILL FIND A WAY TO KEEP ON SURPRISING ME WITH JOY.

I know in these times I will cry and I will laugh and I will experience everything in between. I will be as gentle as myself as possible and I hope you are as gentle with yourself, too.

When it is safe we will volunteer again, we will go out in great numbers and show how committed we are to these animals we love so much. We will help those community leaders that are still on the ground right now helping horses, dolphins, monkeys, pangolins, dogs, elephants, sea turtles and more. Until then, my dear friends, be kind and be safe and do remember that we are all in this together.

Consent Based Volunteering

Watch Nora talk with the Gap Year Association of Canada all about consent in travel. Consent in the local community hosts, consent in the animals we volunteer with and consent in our own bodies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P9f5-sLTDI&ab_channel=CanadianGapYearAssociation

Come Be Part of Something Big

While you can always travel solo with AEI we wanted to highlight two group trips, one with AEI and one not officially with us. We don't normally highlight trips that aren't run with our official partners but we can't think of a more important project right now. 

Project Red Shed is looking for volunteers in June to help rebuild and better the infrastructure at a domestic animal rescue at the boarder of Hungary and Ukraine. This shelter was already poorly funded, under-resourced and overcrowded BEFORE the war. It is now unable to cope with the amount of Ukrainian animals it has been asked to take in and Red Shed is looking to help them. If you are good at building, carpentry and getting your hands dirty, this is a project for you. Again, you won't be travelling with AEI but we believe in this project so much, we wanted to help anyone who could volunteer, learn about this opportunity. For more details please visit:  https://projectredshed.com/

If you want to volunteer *with* AEI in 2022, you should come to Nepal with us to volunteer with dogs, cats and cows!

This will be our 4th Expedition and this time we are going to the roof top of the world. Come with us to Nepal for 10 full days of volunteering with dogs, visiting UNESCO World Heritage Sites, hiking through terraced fields and taking part in activities that don't just help animals- they help the local population, too.

For all accomodation, meals, in-country transportation, access and administration to all UNESCO sites, fully guided day trek, full volunteer fees and donations to the centres, the trip will be $2495 Canadian. 

Doesn't sound like your thing? Remember that you can sign up to travel independently throughout the year. Most of our programs are offered year round, so you can plan an adventure that works best for you. We help with your airport pick up, pre-departure training, accommodation is always included and remember we have visited all the placements first to make sure we know they are safe, ethical and authentic. 

Want to learn more about Expedition Nepal?

Thailand is OPEN

Great news friends!! As of 1 May 2022, Thailand is dropping its hotel quarantine mandate. Fully vaccinated travellers can volunteer with us at our wildlife or elephant centre (or both) without having to spend any time in hotel quarantine! So, if you have been waiting to volunteer with orangutans, sun bears, elephants, otters, gibbons and horn bills- your wait it over!! Come on over to our website and apply! The application process is very simple. After you fill out a short survey you will be given our volunteer coordinator’s schedule. You get to choose a 30 minute time that works for you and then we will have a chat all about volunteering. You can ask any questions you have and we’ll tell you more about the program, making sure everyone's expectations are aligned.

As of May 1st, being fully vaccinated is the only requirement for people travelling to Thailand, and you will need to download a Thai Pass: Read More about the Thai Pass.

Elephants aren't your thing? Check out our other programs

No experience needed!

Remember, you don't need any experience to volunteer- there are vets and nurses already there! If you can sweep your floor, you can sweep a gibbon enclosure! If you can cut a watermelon, you can help make breakfast for a bear!

All our programs have been chosen because of their high standards of animal welfare, trust from the local community, investment in the local conservation professionals, safety and of course: authenticity in their benefit to the animals!

Come travel *with* us on a group trip in 2022.

Covid-19 Policy Updates

We are very happy to announce all of our programs are open and accepting volunteers! Many countries are still requiring a negative Covid-19 test to enter the country, don’t worry we will work with you if that is the case.

All of our programs will be requiring full vaccinations and masks while volunteering with the animals and while on the program. Covid-19 is a virus that has spilled over from a wild animals and we have seen numerous cases of both domestic and wild animal infections from humans. To protect the health of the animals you are volunteering with and the communities you are living in- we ask that you respect all the new and developing rules and polices of our partners. Our commitment to you is that they will never be a surprise. Once we know something, you will know something as well as the rational behind it.
We are all in this together, we will continue to act like it!

If you have paid your deposit for a trip in 2020 or 2021 but could not go because of Covid-19, remember it still is waiting for you. Our deposits are non refundable but they are transferable. Normally we hold them for a year but of course, these circumstances were completely different. We will be holding deposits for another full year. All deposits from 2019, 2020 and 2021 will be held in trust for the client until 23 March 2023.

Please, do not hesitate to ask us any questions to get clarifications.

Take care friends!

Gap Year Interview

Are you thinking about a Gap Year- from school, from work, from life??

Well, this just in: LinkedIn now has a section so you can register your Gap Year. If you took a gap in your education or professional life and want to explain it- you can. If you don’t want to- that is okay, too. If you want to show off that you travelled, took part in volunteering, learned in the experiential classroom that is life or something else- you can do that!

Thinking now about gap years and perhaps the ethics behind them? Don’t panic! We do that for you! Here is us in conversation with Jazz from the Canadian Gap Year Association talking about all things ethics, consent and gappy! Canadian Gap Year Association x Animal Experience International.

Let us know what you think and if you want to talk more about your Gap Year!