Zoo Volunteer in Malaysia’s National Zoo

Maintain the clean surroundings and good health of the animals in the zoo as well as educating tourist on animal conservation.

Zoo Volunteer in Malaysia’s National Zoo

Volunteer in a Zoo and help improve animal welfare in Malaysia. Is animal Welfare top of your priorities with a deep passion in animal conservation? Do you love apes such as Orangutans, Chimpanzees and Gibbons? Get the chance to be part of the Zoo Negara (National Zoo) staff crew by volunteering in this Zoo Volunteer in Malaysia’s National Zoo volunteering programme and be involved in the process of enriching and improving various aspects of animal welfare at the zoo by volunteering in Malaysia’s national zoo. Zoo Assistants and zoo volunteers will be involved in many kinds of task such as construction, enriching the life of the animals through innovative ways of disguising food, working with children & visitors, helping out in research, providing food and clean surroundings for the animals, raising environmental awareness and many more. This programme allows volunteers interested in animal welfare to experience what it feels like to work in the zoo and what it takes to maintain animals in good health.

Cost and Booking
Activities
Accomodation
Itinerary
Travel Dates
FAQs

Cost

2 weeks – MYR2950
4 weeks – MYR5050

MYR – Malaysian Ringgit

Compulsory for all volunteers
Ecoteer Responsible Travel lifetime membership: GBP 55 (approximately MYR270)

Includes :

Meet and greet at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) OR Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), Malaysia;
Arrival transfer from Airport to city centre accommodation. Meet & greet and arrival transfers will only take effect if correct flight details have been confirmed received by Ecoteer one month prior to your arrival. Please ensure that we have received your flight details to avoid disappointment. Do check your arrival airport;
Welcome dinner on arrival day in Kuala Lumpur;
Transfer from city centre accommodation to project site;
Induction and orientation at Zoo;
Departure transfer to KLIA or LCCT, Malaysia;
English-speaking programme facilitator;
13 or 27 nights at designated accommodation;
Meal allowance/meals as indicated on itinerary;
All activities, materials, tools and equipment included in “Project Days”;
Conservation contribution to the project.

Not included: International and internal airfare, camera fees, visa application/fees, private transfers, meals and accommodation when travelling independently or on Off Days, insurance, personal incidentals and any item not stated in the list above

Download brochure here

Booking

Please allow a minimum of 3 weeks for us to process your application and payment.

Download the application form here

To make a reservation, please complete the application form and email to explore@ecoteer.com. We will then email you back confirming your reservation and how to make the deposit payment. If the deposit is not received within 2 weeks from the date your reservation is placed, your reservation will be cancelled automatically. Full payment is required no later than 1 month before departure. You may pay online by credit card or a direct transfer to our account. Once a deposit has been paid we will email you our Know Before You Go guide, which will give you useful information to help you prepare to volunteer.

Cancellation Policy

a. Cancellation of reservation must be made in writing to avoid any misunderstanding. If the company receives notice to cancel 30 days or more before the date of departure, a minimum administrative fee of RM100.00 or 10% of the tour deposit (whichever is lower) per person will be levied.

b. If notice of the cancellation is received 29 days or less before the date of departure the following charges will apply:

c. 15 – 29 working days before the date of departure = 50% of deposit
8 – 14 working days before the date of departure = 20% of FULL COST
3 – 7 working days before the date of departure = 40% of FULL COST
2 working days or less before the date of departure = 100% of FULL COST
Improve conditions of various animals in captivity through creating environmental and food enrichment;

Work alongside zookeepers to raise the quality of current enrichment and protocol standards in Malaysian zoos;

Help manage new Enrichment Centre;

Raise awareness on responsible living and travelling among tourists, local community and students;

Understand the threats to habitat and wildlife and to make a personal impact, bringing positive change.
Arrival night in Kuala Lumpur: Dormitory-style room in a city centre guesthouse, shared toilets. Set right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, there are as many quaint little shops and eateries as there are humongous shopping malls and fancy restaurants. If you arrive early, go out there and explore. Welcome dinner is usually at 6pm but please check with the registration counter for latest updates on timing;

At Zoo Negara: Comfortable and basic volunteer house, shared rooms with other participants, shared toilets. This is a 3-bedroom house set within the grounds of the zoo, accommodating seven people in total. Facilities include 2 bathrooms with cold showers, a kitchen with a fridge and cooking hobs, a dining cum living room. There are shops selling food and sundries within walking distance from the house and plenty of food stalls and a few restaurants nearby.
Day 1 (D)
ARRIVAL & WELCOME

Arrive Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KUL) and transfer to dormitory-style accommodation. Best to arrive at the airport before 1600 hours.

1800 hours, meet at lobby for welcome dinner & introduction to the programme.

Day 2 (Meal Allowance)
ORIENTATION

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the project site. You will be shown your accommodation and a full orientation of the zoo and local landscape will be conducted by our facilitator.

Day 3 – 27 (Meal Allowance)
PROJECT DAYS

You will work alongside the facilitator and zookeepers to create enrichment and improve various aspects of animal welfare at the zoo. Husbandry will be carried out on a daily basis while mini projects may include construction, design of enclosures, working with children or visitors, research and planting.

Day 28 (B)
DEPARTURE

Check out and transfer to Airport. Recommended departure flight time to be in the afternoon.
Zoo Assistant: 4 weeks, January – December, starts 5th of each month, ends 28 days later
Zoo Volunteer: 2 weeks, January – December, starts 22nd of each month, ends 14 days later
1. What are the requirements to join this volunteering project?
Volunteers will need to be able to speak English to be able to communicate with the facilitator. Minimum age requirement is 18 years old. Volunteers should also have a positive attitude and willing to participate in all task given to them.

2. How many hours do volunteer work per day?
7 to 8 hours a day with lunch break.

3. How do I go to the project site?
From your country of origin (except Malaysia), take a plane to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). From KLIA, volunteers will be pick up from there.

4. Do I need to apply for visa to join?
Tourist from the following countries will receive a 90 day free tourist visa upon arrival:

Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kirgystan, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Lienchestien, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherland, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Romania, St Marino, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Yemen.

5. What vaccinations do I need for this volunteering project?
Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, typhoid, measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), tetanus-diphtheria & malaria.

6. Is this program suitable for families with children?
No, this programme is not suitable for family with young children.

Testimonials

I love the elephants. They are my favourite and will always be. We cleaned and fed them plus cleaned out their pool… working with the elephants was Amazing. I enjoyed all of it and will take my experience and memories away with me, especially elephants.

Kirsty Jones, 21, United Kingdom

Sense of satisfaction… Having the privilege of working with the 5 year old orang-utan. Excellent time had by both of us and excellent location. Excellent coordinator.

Mr and Mrs Pinkney, 46 and 45, Scotland
Zoo Assistant, December 2008

It was fun making all the foods and toys for the animals. It was also very rewarding to see them so happy and to watch them play around and my favourite moment would be getting up close to all the animals…which was just amazing. It made my life now so determined with working with animals and helping them. TERIMA KASIH Malaysia’s National Zoo for such an amazing and wonderful project. Four weeks have just flew in and away again.

Emma Steele, 29, Scotland

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