Want to work with animals but aren’t sure where to start? Fancy a new adventure? I recommend Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT). I had just come out of a terrible break up in 2014 that had left me feeling empty and I needed to run away. I got straight onto google and that’s how I happened to discover WFFT.
It is a little cheaper to go directly to WFFT rather than through a volunteering website but at the time there wasn’t much information available, so I have written this in the hopes of answering any questions you may have. The hardest decision for me was whether to work in the animal rescue centre (primates, otters, bears etc.) or the elephant refuge. In the end I decided I wanted extra time with the elephants and filled in an application form. If you are struggling with this decision yourself, I have a dedicated section of pros and cons below.
I heard back from WFFT within two days and the provided lots of information on payment (paypal) as well as a volunteer handbook which answered all of my questions. The next step was booking the flights! WFFT offer taxi drivers at reduced rates to collect you from the airport in Bangkok and drive you to WFFT (a 3 hour journey). I opted for this as I didn’t fancy navigating Thailand alone after a long haul flight- however, there are other options if you would prefer this.
Arrival
I was given clear instructions via email with details about where the driver would meet me and when I arrived he was ready with my surname on a placard (made me feel a bit glamorous, if I’m honest!)
The journey was long but uneventful and allowed me to catch up on some (much needed) rest. Arriving at WFFT was a little chaotic with lots of volunteers arriving and many hands grabbing my bags & guiding me into the volunteer house. BUT it was a lovely warm welcome and immediately squashed any nerves I had been harbouring. There were dogs running around and even a chicken or two which confirmed I was going to enjoy my time here. I was taken to my room which was a shared 3 bed dorm with en-suite however, I did have this to myself for the week! The rooms were basic- no hot water, no western plumbing and little furnishings but I felt this was all part of the experience. Not once did I miss any of these things.
I had a little time to spare before the welcome tour began so I was given a mini tour by the volunteer co-ordinator and left to myself for an hour. This was a great chance to have a quick shower and a wander by myself. I was drawn to the elephants and enjoyed watching the existing volunteers feeding them whilst stroking one of the many dogs.
When welcome tour time came around I strolled over to the volunteer house and found it buzzing with all the new arrivals. It was great to have everyone arrive on the same day so that none of us felt like the newbie! We were taken around the sanctuary- which is larger than I ever imagined- and given the backstory to all of the animals, as well as their little quirks/preferences (like the parrot who likes to hang upside on a branch and shout ‘HELP’ when he’s hungry- believe me, you’ll hear it every morning!). This was a detailed introduction to the sanctuary and made me feel like I was ready to take on the week ahead.
Our evening was left free to socialise with the other volunteers. Dinner is around 7pm and we all headed over to the dining area which is next to one of the enclosures that house one of the elephants (Kaew Petch). Dinner was a buffet set up, with trays marked ‘meat’, ‘vegetarian’ and ‘vegan’. There was lots to go around and long tables for the volunteers to sit at and chat. One of the dogs (his name escapes me) lived in this area and would come around being friendly hoping for some scraps. I, personally, didn’t love the food at WFFT- some of it was too spicy for me but I never went to bed hungry! There is lots of choice so I recommend taking small portions of everything and then going for seconds of the things you liked. It’s most Thai food like noodles, pad thai etc. but occasionally you’ll spot some potatoes or fries (if you’ve never been excited about potatoes before, you will then!).
Following dinner on the first night, we all went to our rooms for an early night as the travel had tired us all out and we had an early start so don’t feel embarrassed to slink off to your room at 8pm!
Animal Rescue Centre VS Elephant Refuge
I was lucky enough to spend some time working in the animal rescue centre as well as the elephant refuge, due to them being low on volunteers. My first impression was that animal rescue centre hours are much longer then elephant refuge hours, this is due to the nocturnal animals and also the amount of animals compared to the amount of elephants. The average day finishes at 5pm, except if you’ve been placed on nocturnal animal duty where you will have to do some checks during the evening. During my time working animal rescue centre I felt I had less chill time than when I was working elephants. The number of animals you are looking after is much greater which means a lot of food prep! Food prep is a huge task and you must do it quickly to ensure you have time to clean the enclosures etc. too. However, this said have you ever hand fed a gibbon? Well at the rescue centre you can! You have a chance to get close to the animals and chat to them as they watch you clean their enclosures (from behind a locked door obviously- but the macaques love to sit and watch you with fascination). The primates have baskets on the outside of their enclosures which you fill with food and they reach out to help themselves, this means you have to be quick. I was grabbed by a macaque a few times and it’s a bit scary! Also, don’t wear jewellery this catches their attention and they would just love to rip it off!
Elephant refuge felt a lot more relaxed, you are often done with your jobs way before the allotted break time which means extra socialisation with both animals and other volunteers. You also get a lot more hands on with the animals (obviously rescue centre volunteers can’t get too close to the bears) and can get a lot more up close and personal. On the downside, you have to go to harvest every other day which is hard work (section on this below).
But to be honest, I would have loved either. There are pros and cons to both and I think you will enjoy it whichever you end up doing. At the end of the day, it’s all about helping the animals- no matter their size.
Daily routine
Work begins at 6.30am each morning, which sounds tough but I actually didn’t struggle whilst in Thailand. The sun is coming out and the gibbons screaming can be heard all over the sanctuary! There’s no point in showering before work so we all just rolled out of bed and headed over to the volunteer house. There is a whiteboard on the wall that shows which animals/elephant(s) you will be caring for that day. When you are new, you are always paired with an experienced volunteer so that they can show you the ropes. As I was only at the elephant refuge for a week I got to work with almost every elephant but it seems that if you are staying longer, the team try to train you on a particular set of elephants so that you can be the leader for new volunteers. It is important that the animals are fed and bathed before the humans can have breakfast so the first step is going to collect the food. The sanctuary staff prepare a basket of fruit for each elephant which is HUGE. The volunteers then load these on to trolleys, which are limited so be quick, and take them over to the food prep station nearest their elephant. I’m sure you’re wondering what the elephants eat and the answer is: Banana balls. I imagine this as a sort of elephant banana bread! It’s squished bananas with some pellets and vitamin powders, each elephant has a certain recipe which is included in the handbook (each elephant has their own so you know exactly how to care for them) and you just mix it together and ball it up. You mustn’t be afraid to get your hands dirty- banana will get EVERYWHERE.
Each elephant has a personal mahout and he must always be present when you are with the elephants. The elephants listen to the mahouts only so they can calm them if they are nervous- your mahout will tell you when you can approach the fence and hold a ball out to the elephant. The elephants will curl their trunks towards you and you can put the ball in the nook so they can pop it into their mouth. It’s a great chance to be close to them and give them a quick stroke- they’re rougher and hairier than you imagine. When you have run out of banana balls you can move away- probably with a little trunk reaching out to check you are telling the truth! As a group of volunteers is looking after each elephant, you usually split the balls between you- but don’t worry if you don’t have a chance to feed the elephant right away, this process is done another two times a day so there’s always the next feed!
After you have fed your elephant it’s usually bath time, a huge bowl of fruit (which you chopped earlier) is thrown into the water bowl and you grab a brush & scrub! The mahout or another volunteer will run a hose over the elephant and while they eat you can give them a big old brush. Don’t be afraid of hurting them, their hide is so thick they can barely feel it so you need to put your back into it so they get a nice back scratch. My tip for this is DO NOT WEAR SANDALS! The water gets everywhere and sandals would make your feet slip all over the place. The best footwear (although I know how most of us feel about them) is Crocs! The water drains out so you’re not left with wet feet all day! I went with a pair of Trekker shoes from Cotton Traders and they worked great. Your footwear gets pretty ruined so please don’t show up in your Kurt Geiger gladiator sandals, I’ll weep for them. It’s then time to clean all the poo from the enclosure which is great for working up an appetite!
Then you can finally have some breakfast! The sanctuary provides bread, butter, milk, tea, jam and eggs and you can go to the local shop if you would like anything else. A firm favourite with me and my friends was French toast, it really gives you energy to get going in the morning. After an hour or so, you do the routine all over again until lunch. Lunch is served the same as dinner and, when you’re working at the elephant refuge, there’s usually time for a mini power nap beforehand.
After lunch, you either take your elephant for a walk (feeding them fruit every few steps so they don’t wander off- also a great photo op!) or provide enrichment for the elephants which means hiding some fruit in clever ways, so they move around and use their brains a little bit. It helps stimulate them and keep them active. Then its feeding and bath time again. You usually finish around 4pm- which is way before the animal volunteers! This means you have a couple of hours or so before dinner. You can use this time to do whatever you want- use the computers in the volunteer house, have a shower, take a nap, relax etc. Dinner is at 7pm each evening and each day different volunteers are given ‘dinner duty’. This comprises of setting up the dining area such as setting out chairs & cleaning up afterwards, it will be shown on the whiteboard if you are chosen for this duty. But it’s really easy so don’t worry.
Your evening is then yours to do whatever you want, we would have tea and chat by the lake or head to the local shop to buy snacks. It’s a great chance to bond with those around you and make new friends. This was a huge part of the experience and made me feel like I belonged. As with dinner duty, certain volunteers are put on dog duty each day. This means feeding the two packs of dogs and even giving them a little bath so if you are placed on this duty you must remember to feed them during the evening. I loved the quiet evenings spent with my new friends, talking about our experiences and laughing together.
Harvest
What is harvest, you ask? I had exactly the same question, luckily a blog I found gave me all the information I needed- just as I am hoping to do for you! Harvest is when a select group of volunteers (usually the newbies) are sent out with the mahouts to chop down banana trees, load them onto a truck and bring them back to the sanctuary for the elephants to enjoy. It happens every other day, and I was lucky enough to be chosen to go TWICE during my short week at the sanctuary. It is HARD WORK. The mahouts chop the trees down and it is your job to lift the trees and carry them to the truck. In case you hadn’t noticed, elephants are large creatures, therefore, they eat a lot- and you will need to bring them lots of trees. You are given a few breaks throughout the afternoon and it’s like heaven sitting in the shade for a couple of minutes! Make sure you take a bottle of water with you- I made the mistake of forgetting once and I honestly thought I was going to pass out. BUT it’s actually quite a satisfying job. At the end of the afternoon you can look at the truck full of trees and think I DID THAT. Then the mahouts take you to a local river and you can go for a lovely relaxing swim. Fully clothed. And believe me, you won’t care about ruining them. You’re already covered in dirt, sweat and tree sap, what’s a little water? The time swimming in the river with my friends is still one of my fondest memories- I think we were all so happy to have finished harvest we were a little delirious!
This job is one that separates the men from the boys- if you’re dedicated to the cause, you’ll get on with it for the sake of the animals. If you don’t think it’s for you, then maybe you should consider a day trip to the sanctuary rather than a long volunteering stint. It’s definitely work, not a holiday, but it’s the best thing I ever did.
Social life
So you’ve worked hard all day, how do you relax? There are so many options at WFFT, so you can play just as hard as you work. You can take a day off each week, this is decided by writing your name and chosen day on the whiteboard which the volunteer co-ordinator will then approve. As with airport transfers, the sanctuary can book a taxi for you at special rates. A trip to Hua-Hin will cost 1400BAHT return or Cha-Am for 800BAHT return. On selected nights, there are night markets in these areas and details will be listed on a board in the volunteer house. You can sign up to go and will be given a time that your taxi will arrive and pick you up. These are a chance to get out into the ‘real world’ and have some fun, I really recommend these trips, as great as the sanctuary is, it’s nice to get out for a little bit and have some pizza!
Another trip that is usually scheduled once a week is the wild elephant safari. You jump on the back of the trucks and drive high into the mountains. There is a long stretch of road where there are regular elephant sightings, so the traffic moves nice and slow hoping to catch a glimpse. Obviously, nothing is guaranteed so we were very disappointed when we didn’t see anything. At the end of the road you stop off at a wonderful restaurant which opens out onto the grasslands. Imagine our surprise at the end of the meal when a male elephant practically walked into the restaurant. The staff were very calm and gave him some food, but it gave us an amazing opportunity to get close to a wild elephant. The way the staff reacted gave me the impression that this happens often so I hope you get this chance too!
There is also a good offer for local spas, if you book via the sanctuary and you get a taxi there you can have a discounted Thai massage. A lot of my friends loved a day by the pool with a book after all the hard work they had done.
The local area is a small village which has only been introduced to westerners in the last few years, so you must be respectful. This includes appropriate clothing and hiding shoulders/cleavage etc. There are a few shops where you can buy some yummy treats and restaurants that other volunteers raved about. If you would like some time on the computer there are a couple of internet cafes too, as mentioned before there are a few computers at the sanctuary but there’s usually a lot of people waiting to use them, so if you want to skype home it’s best to go to the internet café.
Once a week (usually a Thursday) it’s bar night at the sanctuary. The bar stays open until 10pm so you can have some drinks & listen to some music. 10pm is noise cut off time so don’t expect to be up till 2am singing karaoke! In my time at the sanctuary, no one was usually up too late as the work tires you out!
There are also some games in the volunteer house if you fancy a quiet night playing with your friends. There’s something to suit everyone so you won’t get bored.
Extras
If you’re planning to visit the sanctuary for a long time and are worried about the amount of clothes you’ll have to pack- never fear! The sanctuary has a laundry service, you can take your clothes and will be charged between 7-15 baht. They do not wash underwear so please wash this yourself & hang to dry discreetly as this is offensive in Thai culture.
WFFT also has a small shop with souvenirs. They have a wide range of coloured t shirts with cute animal prints on and ‘volunteer’ on the sleeves. They are made from cotton and so soft, I have several that I lived in whilst at the sanctuary and continue to wear at home. They are fairly priced, and the proceeds go to buy animal supplies so it’s all for a great cause.
Overall
Volunteering at Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand is one of the best experiences I have ever had. I am absolutely dying to go back and take some of my friends/family with me. I have never learnt so much in such a short amount of time. It is the hardest I have ever worked but also the most fun, I didn’t ever regret my choice to go.
There were a few people who arrived, saw the basic living conditions, worked a day or two and left because it wasn’t what they thought it would be. Don’t let that be you- do your research (hopefully I have helped in this area) and make sure you are up to the challenge, it’s not a holiday where you can take care of some cute, fluffy animals. These animals depend on you to be up at 6.30 and working all day for them. Your days off will help you relax and take on the rest of the working week, it’s amazing how much you can do when you put your mind to it. I urge you to do it, try it and I don’t think you’ll ever look back. It’s a chance to make some great friends and do things you would never dream you could. Want to take an elephant for a walk or swim in a beautiful lake fully clothed at 8pm? Go to WFFT. It’s a dream.
There is a lot of helpful information on the WFFT volunteer website HERE if you need further convincing.
Have I helped you make your decision? Please let me know! I would also love to hear your experiences of WFFT below.
The Nicky Experience 