Wildlife Internship

Help us care for and return wild animals to the wild and gain valuable animal care experience in a lush tropical setting with all the comforts of home.

Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release, Endangered Species Breeding and Reintroduction, Biodiversity Preservation and Lifetime Care of Non-releasable Animals

Have you been searching the internet for “wildlife volunteer,” “wildlife internships” or “volunteer Costa Rica”? Interning with Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center (RWRC) is a life-changing opportunity to work with wild animals in Costa Rica and assist us with our mission to protect and restore Costa Rica’s biodiversity through:

Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release
Endangered Species Breeding and Reintroduction
Biodiversity Preservation
Lifetime Care of Non-releasable Animals

Our Wildlife Internship Abroad Program

Interns work with our local team to provide the resident animals with the very best care and give the rehabilitating animals the best chance of being released back into the wild!

Assist the caregivers in the Lifetime Care Sanctuary and Endangered Species Breeding Centre with feeding, cleaning and maintenance.
Collect data for behavioral research in the Endangered Species Breeding Center.
Learn to recognize and collect wild foods for baby sloths and howler monkeys in the Rehabilitation Center.
Participate in weekly lecture series on wildlife care, rehabilitation and conservation.
Design and implement animal enrichment in the Lifetime Care Sanctuary, Endangered Species Breeding Center and Rehabilitation Center.
Help with clicker training animals in the sanctuary to allow for veterinary checks.
Students and long-term interns, develop your own research/personal project in the Lifetime Care Sactuary and Endangered Species Breeding Center.

Please note: Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center has a strict “hands off” policy in all areas of our center. This is not only for the safety of our interns, but also prevents rehabilitating animals from becoming too tame to be released. While we completely understand the desire to be close to animals, allowing the animals at the center to be handled and petted by ever-changing interns would be unethical and detrimental to their welfare.

No Day is Typical

One day you may be collecting natural browse for the baby sloths in the Rehabilitation Center, another day you may be monitoring the behavior of the Scarlet Macaws in the Endangered Species Breeding Center or making environmental enrichment for the coyotes in the Lifetime Care Sanctuary and another day you might be helping to clicker train Guapo the jaguar!
Various projects are developed through-out the year and there are often opportunities for longer-term interns to assist
at Rescate’s release sites in Nicoya and Golfito.
So, a “typical day” will be different depending on the needs of the animals. Interns staying longer periods of time have the opportunity to develop small projects during their internship period.

Example Schedule

Again, every day is different, but here is a sample of what you might expect:

What's included?

Accommodation: Shared accommodation is provided in a secure 3-bedroom house with two bathrooms and a kitchen. Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center is fenced and has 24-hour security. Wifi is provided and is available 24 hours a day in the intern accommodation, restaurant, outdoor café, rehabilitation center, and at various sites throughout the Lifetime Care Sanctuary

Breakfast: Eggs, fruit, cereal, milk, tea and coffee are provided for interns to prepare their own breakfast.

Lunch and dinner: Cooked meals are provided in the on-site restaurant. Interns can select from a special menu that includes dishes such as quesadillas, veggie burger and fries, spaghetti, burritos or a typical Costa Rican dish called casado.
Special diets will gladly be accommodated on request. Food can also be purchased a la carte from the restaurant in the Lifetime Care Sanctuary. There is also an ice cream shop, a snack shop, and a small outdoor café in the sanctuary where you can sample freshly made juice pops or fantastic coffee.

Costs: Internship costs vary depending on the length of stay.

Please reach out via email to jeanne.marie@rescatewildlife.org if you have any questions about the internship or the application process, we look forward to connecting with you.