Organization Policies
Animal Care Volunteers
Animal Care Volunteer Description
Animal Care Volunteers at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center are an integral part of our ability to rehabilitate sick and injured marine mammals that strand on beaches in Orange County, California. Becoming an Animal Care Volunteer is a unique opportunity to assist with the care of sick and injured marine mammals including food preparation, feeding patients, washing dishes, weighing patients, cleaning enclosures and pools, and helping our medical team care with our patients. Animal Care Volunteers also assist with marine mammal rescues and help release healthy patients back to their natural habitat.
As an Animal Care Volunteer, you will need to commit to the same shift every week for one-year minimum. Shift times vary depending on the number of patients, with our busiest time extending from January to July. Being an Animal Care Volunteer is rewarding, educational and fun- and it is a GREAT way to give back to our environment and help make a difference for the wild marine mammals that call Orange County home.
The first step to joining our Animal Care team is to fill out the application below. No experience required- we will teach you the skills you need to care for our patients. Qualified applicants will be invited to attend one of our mandatory Animal Care Volunteer orientations. After attending orientation, Volunteers will spend 4-8 weeks training on the shift the applicant could commit to. During this time, applicants will get to see what the duties of an Animal Care Volunteer entail and will receive basic training by our Animal Care Staff and Volunteers. Once all training is successfully completed, selected candidates will be offered a position on the Animal Care team and given their first Pacific Marine Mammal Center Volunteer t-shirt! Additional Animal Care Volunteer orientations and trainings will be held on an as needed basis throughout the year to meet the needs of our busy Marine Mammal Hospital. We look forward to receiving your application and having you join our amazing team of Volunteers at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center!
Time Commitment*
Morning shift: 6:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Afternoon shift: 11:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Evening shift: 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM
*Animal Care Volunteers may be asked to stay for extended hours during our busy seasons.
- Commitment of one-year minimum (but most our volunteers stay around for years…even decades!)
- One shift per week on a consistent day, as detailed above
- All our volunteers are encouraged to volunteer at our annual fundraising events
Skills/Qualifications
- Applicant must be 18 years or older
- Must be covered by medical insurance
- Ability to work well on a team and take direction from Animal Care Staff
- Willingness to commit to PMMC on a weekly basis
- High levels of physical fitness and mental dedication
- Eagerness to work hard under difficult and stressful conditions
- Ability to tolerate unpleasant sights and smells
- Must be able to lift 50 pounds
Fish House Crew Volunteer Description
Fish House Crew Volunteers at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center are an integral part of our ability to rehabilitate sick and injured marine mammals that strand on beaches in Orange County, California. The Fish House Crew assists our Animal Care team in ensuring we provide the highest quality of nutrition for our patients.
As a Fish House Crew member, you will need to commit to the same two hour shift every week. Being a member of the Fish House Crew is one of the first and most important steps in our patient’s rehabilitation, preparing our patient’s diets.
General duties include: lifting and thawing frozen fish, weighing fish for patient feeds, organizing the diets in the refrigerators, washing dirty dishes and fish buckets.
The first step to joining our Fish House team is to fill out the application below. No experience required- we will teach you how to evaluate fish quality and accurately weigh our patient’s diets. Qualified applicants will be invited to attend our mandatory orientation. After attending orientation, Volunteers will learn all aspects of the Fish House Crew duties.
Time Commitment
2 hour commitment (10:00 AM to 12:00 PM) once a week during the busy season
Skills/Qualifications
- Ability to lift a 22-25 pound box of fish
- Willingness to commit to PMMC on a weekly basis
- Must be able to stand for > 2 hours
- Ability to tolerate unpleasant sights and smells
- Comfortable working in areas that appear slippery/wet
