Volunteering
Do you want to help animals and make a real difference? Come and volunteer!
We welcome volunteers from all over the world! We cannot run our lion sanctuary and rescue centre without you…
Come help us Apply here
The support of our volunteers is essential to The Lions Foundation. We created a sanctuary for big cats to retire and be given the respect that these amazing creatures deserve. When volunteering with the big cats, you will help them by providing essential care such as preparing food and enrichments and assisting the caretakers in every possible way.
However, it cannot be stressed enough that around the big cats we have a very strict hands-off policy. There is absolutely no petting or feeding the animals by volunteers. You will be instructed on how close you are allowed to get to the fencing, and you will always be accompanied by a caretaker or experienced person.
Volunteers with The Lions Foundation will spend their time with the animal caretakers and reserve manager, following a daily schedule. This includes the following:
- Prepare meat for the individual big cats
- Assist the caretakers with feeding the big cats
- Clean the feeding facility and materials after feeding
- Prepare and distribute behavioural enrichments
- Observe animal behaviour
- Clean enclosures, including scrubbing pools
- Assist the security staff at night
- Feed the rescue donkeys
- Groom the rescue donkeys
- Clean enclosures and help build new enclosures at the Rescue & Conservation Centre
- Assist the caretakers with feeding all animals at the Rescue & Conservation Centre
- Assist the reserve manager and staff taking care of and observing the reserve wildlife
- Place, replace and inspect camera traps on the reserve and watch and report on footage
- Carry out general reserve maintenance including maintaining fences, fire corridors and roads, plant grasses and trees
- Educate visitors of TLF
- On occasion help out at Schrikkloof Lodge
To become a volunteer with us you need to fulfil the following criteria:
- You must be in good physical and mental condition
- You must be able to speak reasonable English
- You must be 18 years old or over
- You must have a positive and practical attitude towards animal welfare and wildlife conservation
HOW YOUR VOLUNTEER FEE IS SPENT
When you volunteer at TLF, the fee you paid is divided in two parts:
Volunteer housing and food
Part of your fee goes to your stay here, including all your meals, water, accommodation.
Animal care
The other part of your fee goes to helping us care for the animals and the general running costs of The Lions Foundation and the Rescue & Conservation Centre. Without you, the volunteers, we would be unable to help as many animals as we do.
Our volunteer partner organisations may charge a small commission fee to help arrange your experience here, but without them we would not get as many volunteers to help us.
