Thailand continues to be one of the most tempting destinations for those who are seeking a combination of enchanting natural surroundings, alluring culture, and incredible biodiversity. Breathtaking silvery beaches lapped by warm, crystal clear waters are complemented by friendly locals, mouth-watering local delicacies, and an ancient and fascinating historical heritage rooted in Buddhist origins.
Join this rewarding, once in a lifetime opportunity to get some practical, hands-on work experience supporting staff at this popular zoo. Get your hands dirty by joining in on daily tasks such as cleaning out animal enclosures, feeding times, maintenance work and creating enrichment tasks to keep the animals entertained and their minds active. Take the tiger and leopard cubs for their daily exercise, feed the animals or entertain the Phayre langur with new toys. Whatever you get involved with you can guarantee you will be creating memories that will last forever whilst gaining hands on experience working and caring for these endangered animals.
WHAT DOES THE PROJECT DO?
The Frontier-Thailand Zoo Assistant project aims to support the work of the local staff that are committed to improving the welfare of the animals at the park whilst educating the local industry about responsible tourism. The park cares for animals which are unable to live in the wild and aims to improve their lives at the Safari park through maintaining safe and clean living conditions as well as introducing enrichment projects.
The project aspires to a long term goal of bringing about lasting and sustainable changes to the lives of animals in the park through education. In Thailand there is a lack of knowledge about responsible tourism. There are still tigers on chains, poorly run animal shows and enclosures that are too small. The best way to permanently end these practices is to show the local industry that there is a financial incentive to responsible tourism.
The park is currently running eco-friendly tourist packages to demonstrate that responsible tourism is not only ethical, but also more profitable. Education is fundamental to the future success of the project, and so to aid this we provide free English classes for staff, their families and the local villagers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. By joining this project you will not only be helping to improve the animal’s lives but also helping to ensure a sustainable future for the villagers as well.
WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
Volunteers will need to have a good fitness level to get stuck in and help maintain the upkeep of the animal enclosures. You will need to bring bags of enthusiasm to repair, build and clear out enclosures in all weather conditions. Challenge your creative side by joining the enrichment team, thinking outside the box and creating mentally stimulating toys for the animals.
Depending on the time of your visit you may even have the opportunity to take the leopard and tiger cubs for a playful walk in the mornings ensuring they are getting the exercise needed for them to grow into strong, healthy adults. In the afternoon you might take a ride in the bus to feed the friendly giraffes, deer, zebra, tigers and leopards where you will learn about each individual’s medical and dietary needs to ensure the animals are healthy and happy.
You will utilise your skills to help improve and develop the park, whether that be in marketing, creative writing or website design, you will be encouraged to become a part of the team brain storming and putting together new ideas to ensure a sustainable future for the park.
No two days are the same on this project, so if you are looking for an exciting, rewarding and hands on experience, whilst contributing towards helping the local tourism industry become more responsible then this is the project for you!
