Wildlife Care (Rouge Park)
As a Wildlife Care Volunteer at Toronto Wildlife Centre, you will be making important contributions of time, hard work and compassion towards assisting
staff with the daily care and rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned wild animals. This role is extremely supportive in nature, with a great emphasis on
cleaning and husbandry – tasks that form a very important foundation for excellent wildlife rehabilitative care! Volunteer responsibilities will increase based on demonstrated commitment and skill progress. Experienced volunteers will be able to work with increasingly complicated species and
tasks to provide opportunities for learning and advancement. This role is ideal for those with prior experience working with wild animals as well as those who are new to the field and are looking for experience in animal welfare and care.
Location
Toronto Wildlife Centre’s Rouge Park location (TWC East) in Scarborough
Closest main intersection: Steeles Avenue East and Markham Road. This site is NOT transit accessible. Volunteers will be expected to have their own vehicle or have access to a ride to get to and from their shift.
*Note: this site is currently open to staff and volunteers only*
What You’ll do
Follow diet charts and prepare daily meals
Clean and set up indoor and outdoor enclosures based on species- specific requirements
Accurately complete patient charts and perform wellness checks monitor patient vitals
Assist with supportive chores such as sweeping, mopping, dishes, laundry and cage washing
Carefully follow cleaning and disinfection protocols
Some handling of patients when required*Please note that direct hands-on contact with patients is kept to an absolute
minimum in an effort to manage stress levels. It is important to be aware the responsibilities of Wildlife Care volunteers are centered around cleaning and supportive chores – all of which are critical for an animal’s rehabilitation journey!
Time Commitment
Wildlife Care volunteers are scheduled for a minimum of one 4 hour shift per week. Due to the responsibilities of volunteers and the amount of training required, this position requires a minimum commitment of one year (12 months).
Wildlife Care shift times:
9:00am-1:00pm
1:00pm-5:00pm
Training
All Wildlife Care volunteers will begin with completing online basic skills training, all additional training will take place in-person on their volunteer shifts. Volunteers will always be supervised and supported by a team of wildlife rehabilitation staff members and will work alongside experienced volunteers.
Requirements
High degree of reliability
Good physical health (this role is active and you should expect to be on your feet and performing moderate labour intensive activities each week)
and ability to work in all weather conditions – a great deal of outdoor work will be required year round
Possess a strong comprehension of English and have good communication skills
Dedicated work ethic and strong detail orientation skills
Work well independently or in a small group
Patience and flexibility
Prior experience working with or caring for animals is a strong asset but is not necessary
Comfortable and confident working with a variety of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles
Must be comfortable handling meat and feeder species (such as frozen mice, live mealworms, smelt etc.) for diet preparations
Additional Requirements
Volunteers must be at least 18 years of age or older
Tetanus vaccination mandatory (from within the last 10 years)
Rabies vaccination is an asset
Payment of $25 onboarding fee
Access to reliable private transportation (site is not transit accessible)
