Find yourself in wonderful Malaysia to get real hands-on experience working with animals at the zoo. Take care of a great variety of animals; help with feeding and entertaining the animals, cleaning cages, making improvements to animal habitats, carry out small construction works, and guiding the public. This is a wonderful project for those that wish to get real close to animals.

Project overview

Project pictures

Project days:

Monday to Friday- from 08:00 – 17:00. Weekends off

Project start dates:

14 day project starts every 5th and 22nd of the month
28 day project starts every 5th of the month.

Project activities:

Become involved in all aspects of the zoo whilst helping the local zoo keepers. This would include:

• Feeding the animals, including the orang-utans
• Learning about the animals and their behavious
• Working alongside the zoo vet (if circumstances allow)
• Preparing animal food in the zoo kitchen
• Helping with enrichment projects
• Cleaning animal habitats to maintain a high level of hygiene
• Constructing improvements to animal habitats
• Working as a guide to school children and tourists
• And maybe learn some Malay whilst helping the local zoo keepers with their English

Activities could change depending on the weather, season, festivities, zoo and project requirements. Activities not listed above may also be included
 

Project fee:

£625 for 14 days (2 weeks)
£1200 for 28 days (4 weeks)
 

Project location:

The zoo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Accommodation:

A three bedroom volunteer house on the grounds of the zoo itself. Rooms are dorm style with 2-4 volunteers sharing.
 

What is included

Accommodation:

A three bedroom volunteer house on the grounds of the zoo itself. Rooms are dorm style with 2-4 volunteers sharing.
 

Food:

You will be given an allowance to either buy your own food or eat at local restaurants

Airport Pickup:

Please arrive before 15.00 on either Kuala Lumpur International (KLIA) or Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) on your first project day.

You will be taken to a guest house in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur and dinner will be served (dormitory style rooms for the first night)

Orientation:

Welcome dinner & briefing at guesthouse on arrival date

Support:

In-country team & 24 hour emergency support

Internet:

Near the project site

Airport drop off:

On your last day we will drop you off for any flights between 12.00 and 21.00 at either Kuala Lumpur airport

Not included

Zoo Assistant at the zoo in Malaysia

Explore the beauty of Malaysia, with the world’s oldest rainforests, great mountains, perfect beaches and historic temples, whilst working with some of the 5,400 individual animals, like the famous orang-utan, the Malayan Sun Bear, tigers, birds, reptiles and more at Negara Kuala Lumpur zoo.

Situated on 110 acres of land the zoo has more than 5,400 individual animals making up more than 470 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. The zoo’s long term objective is to develop into a world-class zoo and is in the midst of making changes to their systems and protocols.

Work alongside the local zoo keepers you will get involved in preparing food and feeding the animals, assist in up scaling animal welfare, cleaning out the enclosures, and preparing enrichment activities for great apes, especially orang-utans and a variety of other zoo animals.

You may also work as a guide for the local schoolchildren and tourists sharing all you have learned about the magnificent animals in the zoo.

A great and fun project to get really close to all kinds of animals and get to understand them on a personal level, but also to get to know the people of Malaysia and to take a shot at improving the lives of both the people and animals you’re working with!

Itinerary

Day 1, Arrival

• We meet at Kuala Lumpur airport
• Transfer to a guest house with dormitory style rooms in Kuala Lumpur city centre for the 1st night only
• 1800 hours – Welcome dinner and briefing, telling you all about the project and the city

Day 2

• After breakfast, transfer to Project Site: the zoo.
• At the zoo you meet your project facilitator
• Settle in at the accommodation at the zoo
• Short orientation and health & safety talk
• Tour of the zoo
• Food shopping (and anything else you fancy shopping for)

Day 3 – until your last day (day 14 or 28)
Get fully into the project and enjoy your work, the amazing city of Kuala Lumpur and take the opportunity to engage on short weekend trips to explore the beauty of Malaysia.

Food
A food allowance is provided. You can use this to go out and sample the countless small food stalls and restaurants, cater for yourselves or try the zoo canteen which also provides a good Malaysian meal and gives you a great opportunity to get to know your local colleagues a little better. Note that food can be spicy… very spicy, so do be careful!

 
More information
For more information about Accommodation, flights, host family, local transport, project dates, project locations, sim cards, Sri Lanka itself, the first couple of days, the team behind LEO, the former war, travel & socializing, travel insurance, vaccinations, visa, volunteering in general and why you would pay to volunteer please visit our FAQ.