10 Reasons to Spend Your Gap Year with Animals

The year 2020 has shown just how greatly humans influence nature. Limitations caused by COVID-19 on human activities have notably shrunk greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and allowed wildlife to thrive in areas where humans previously gathered. Headlines of sea turtles returning to otherwise overcrowded tourist beaches to lay eggs for the first time in years just scrape the surface.

Welcome home, buddy!

Without a doubt, humans are capable of turning back the tide and drastically improving our broken relationship with the environment. So, how do we ensure that these recent promising stories of change continue for the long-term, even when things return back to normal?

A gap year with animals not only gives your routine a change of pace, it also lets you dedicate efforts to supporting the lasting preservation of species and habitats. Gap years don’t have to be a full year either. Here’s everything you need to know about gap year programs with animals!

What’s it like to spend a gap year doing animal conservation?

Gap year program providers like Oyster Worldwide organize responsible travel that supports a worthwhile cause for global NGOs and influential projects.

For example, Oyster’s animal welfare program allows volunteers to work in diverse areas, such as scientific research, wildlife rescue, general animal care, and photography during their gap year. While your day-to-day will vary depending on which location, species, and project type you work with, taking care of animals means you’ll need a minimum level of fitness to keep up!

Basic maintenance work around sanctuaries, lots of walking, animal food prep, and observation are all possible daily tasks during a gap year with animals. Additionally, you can typically expect to work five-day weeks and usual business hours (unless, perhaps, you’re working with a nocturnal species).

Earn your conservation stripes during your gap year with animals.

With the typical animal protection program spanning one to 12 weeks, participants have the flexibility to sign up for numerous projects during the length of gap year that they choose, or even switch up locations! 

However, whether you opt to care for animals for two weeks or two months, wildlife conservation gap year programs will house you with other volunteers in your project’s nearby area. Logistics and planning are all taken care of when you take a gap year with a reputable provider, so you can focus on spending your gap year where it counts—with animals!

Why spend your gap year with animals?

Whether your heart is set on gorillas or feathered friends, here are 10 good reasons why spending some time during a gap year with any type of animal is a good idea!

1. Avoid large crowds and socially distance

While traditional in-person study abroad and volunteering with large groups of others presents a level of risk that we haven’t faced before, spending a gap year doing animal conservation ensures you contribute in a safer environment.

Looking after animals’ needs and spending time outdoors gives a level of freedom to complete your volunteer duties without thinking too much about how close the stray cats you’re looking after get (unless, of course, they’re lions).

2. Support long-term rehabilitation and preservation programs

Your short-term work can have a long-term impact.

Although many animal welfare and conservation programs can span as short as a week, it doesn’t mean your efforts will be short-lived. Oyster, for example, has clear expectations and requirements for all animal welfare volunteer projects with which they work.

These program guidelines ensure that all participants are working towards a larger goal of animal rehabilitation and care at sanctuaries, wild habitats, and reserves. Professional oversight and transparent goals provide a trustworthy environment for all volunteers to contribute with peace of mind.

3. Reduce stress by surrounding yourself with cute creatures

It’s not news that furry friends and scaly sidekicks reduce stress levels and feelings of loneliness. No matter your motives for taking a gap year, animals can boost your mood and renew a sense of purpose while you’re taking time off to explore other corners in life. Working on wildlife conversation through gap year programs is good for the soul and even better for the animals you serve.

4. Learn about a larger global ecosystem

The ecological effects of an endangered or threatened species aren’t limited to their habitats. More and more, we learn about how closely connected plants and animals are around the world. Working in animal conservation globally sheds light on smaller pieces of a wider global ecosystem.

For instance, your work with migratory birds in one area will teach you how this species interacts with ecosystems worldwide as the birds move with changing seasons. You might also pick up on knowledge of animals’ role in climate change and natural disasters like floods.

5. See your impact first-hand

At home, your only option to contribute to animal causes worldwide may be through charities where you have limited visibility into the impact of your contribution. A gap year spent with animals allows you to directly lend a hand at the source, so you know exactly how funds are spent and where your efforts help.

If you *want* to make a difference during your time as a volunteer, you will.

Having the extra flexibility of a gap year also means you are free from the responsibilities of schoolwork or jobs back home, so you can 100% focus on your project of choice with no strings attached.

6. Unlock new passions and potential career paths

From photography to marine biology to veterinary care, there are tons of ways to volunteer in animal conservation that you can explore while on your gap year. Those interested in sustainability, veterinary sciences, ecology, and a range of other related fields can get a first-hand taste of fieldwork. Dig deeper into something you’ve always been curious to learn or hone your skills to leverage back home in a future career or side project.

It’s not all exotic animals either. Projects working with stray dogs or cats, for example, will build transferable skills to apply anywhere else, so you don’t have to live near elephants to continue work after the gap year program is over.

7. Find fulfillment in contributing towards a unifying human cause

No matter your culture, nationality, or political beliefs, animal conservation effects and involves all of humanity. While volunteering on your gap year, you may work side-by-side with people from around the world who, despite all differences, share the same passion and love for animals.

Environmental sustainability and animal protection ultimately impacts the lives of everyone on Earth, so we’re truly all in this together! Human activity is also the root of many animal conservation problems, so we share equal responsibility.

8. Meet a broader community that supports the same cause

While the internet is a great centralized place to meet like-minded people with even the most niche of interests, actions can speak louder than words! Whether you have a hyper-specific love for sloths in Costa Rica or a lifelong dream to care for baby orangutans in Borneo, chances are there are more devotees out there looking to make a difference.

Make friends with animals—and network with fellow volunteers too!

Wildlife conservation gap year programs are great for the animals and your own growth, but joining a community of enduring friends is the cherry on top.

9. Inspire ideas of how to help when back home

Let’s say you regularly volunteer at your local community’s animal shelter. Supplementing this experience and foundational knowledge through an animal welfare program during your gap year can shed even more light on how others tackle similar issues elsewhere.

Whether it’s through shelter management, animal care, or community outreach, there are tons of facets that change how each project tackles its animal welfare cause. Explore a new perspective to common issues by volunteering somewhere new.

10. Discover how local politics and culture influence interactions with nature

Of course, animal conservation progress and efforts are largely dependent on local and national politics, as well as cultural factors. For example, enforcement of animal welfare laws and established nature reserves are largely up to governments.

Community support also changes how much a society prioritizes animal wellbeing in their area. Volunteering with these animal welfare programs in various settings will shed light on just how these factors come into play. You’ll then be able to transfer this knowledge back home with a widened understanding.

Inspired? Get matched with 5 gap year programs with animals for FREE

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Soar like an eagle during your gap year with animals!

If you’re thinking of taking some time off for a gap year and have a soft spot for animals, gap year programs with animals are the route to explore. Fulfill a greater purpose, explore broader horizons, and take the time to recharge—all with a secure, trustworthy provider that tackles all the logistics for you.

Browse ALL Gap Years with Animals on GoAbroad.com

This article was written with help from Oyster Worldwide. Oyster Worldwide has been sending gap year and career break travelers (as well as volunteers of all ages and family groups) abroad since 2006. With over 80 volunteer and paid programs in 25 destinations around the world, travelers will find their ideal experience abroad.