Itinerary

Day 1 (5th or 22nd of each month)
ARRIVAL & WELCOME
Arrive at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) OR Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). Please ensure you have provided us with the correct flight details and correct airport.
Meet at airport for transfer to twin share accommodation.
18.00 – Welcome dinner and briefing. Please check with receptionist to confirm meeting time.

Day 2
Orientation
After breakfast, transfer to Project Site: Zoo Negara.
When you arrive at the zoo you will meet your programme facilitator who will show you to your accommodation and then take you on a short orientation. You will be given a thorough health and safety talk, a tour of the zoo and then you will go shopping for food etc.

Day 3 - 13
PROJECT DAYS
Working hours at Zoo: 08.00 – 17.00
Days off: A total of 2 off days will be allocated throughout the programme. You may choose to explore other parts of Malaysia at your own expense or stay at the volunteer accommodation

Day 14
Departure
Check out and transfer to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) OR Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT).
Optional: independent travel to Kota Kinabalu or Turtle Islands

Note: Changes to the activities will occur subject to weather conditions, school calendar, community and project requirements. Some or all of the above activities may or may not be included on your itinerary. Other activities not mentioned above may also be included on your itinerary subject to weather conditions, community and project

Duties

At the Zoo
At the Zoo, your role is to assist the zookeepers in their daily jobs of cleaning cages, zoo compounds, feeding the animals and preparing enrichment activities for great apes, especially orang-utans and a variety of other zoo animals.
Interacting with the Malaysian animal keepers by working alongside them allows you to understand the conditions they work in, gain insight into the "behind the scenes" of working in an zoo and a chance to improve the living conditions of captive animals in the zoo.
It is advisable to do some research into animals and their behaviour in the wild before arrival. It’s true what they say – the more you put in, the more you are likely to get out of the experience!
We greatly appreciate volunteers coming up with new enrichment ideas; just imagine how it will feel, watching an animal with your enrichment and being able to say, "I thought of that". Though you must always check with the animal keeper or programme facilitator before imple

Listed below are some of the activities you may be involved with whilst at the zoo:
Husbandry
This involves cleaning cages and feeding. You will rotate working with different animals depending on the needs of the zoo, the keepers, or the animals themselves within the primates or ape section as well as in other sections. Cleaning is vital to the zoo as better hygiene helps to prevent disease.

Enrichment
The idea of enrichment is to stimulate the animals and improve their living conditions as much as possible to mimic their natural habitat. Some sample activities are:
- Provide leaves in cages for bedding and nesting purposes
- Put branches from fig or fruit trees in their homes to observe behaviour
- Rope work – make this fun and varied for the animal
- Hiding food around cages to encourage foraging behaviour

Construction
You may be asked to design and work on small construction projects to improve the night dens or enclosures of selected animals. This may include assisting in building new exhibits and extensions to improve the zoo facilities, or improving existing exhibits by adding furniture or painting.

Education
There is an education centre and library at the zoo. Volunteers should learn as much as possible about the animals and you may be asked to guide and talk to school children about them.

What Makes this Project Great

Working in a country where zoo standards are not very high, you will visibly see the positive impact your work at the zoo has on the captive animals. By working alongside Malaysian zookeepers you will witness the positive modifications made so far to upscale animal welfare and the continuing efforts to maintain and continue these improvements in various aspects.

The project’s strength lies in its unique collaboration of government, NGOs, communities, conservation organisations or individuals who exchange knowledge, advice and ideas towards environmental conservation in Malaysia. The projects vision is: improve the welfare or orang-utans in captivity or in the wild through enrichment or habitat restoration.

FAQs

What is the accommodation like?
You will live in a volunteer house in the grounds of the Negara Zoo itself. It is a three-bedroom house with two bathrooms. Rooms are dorm style with 2-4 volunteers sharing.

Does the accommodation have access to the internet?
The accommodation does not have internet but the nearby township has internet cafés that are within walking distance.

How much spending money would you recommend I take?
We generally recommend that you take around £70-£80 per week.

I am a first time traveller, and a bit apprehensive about travelling on my own. Do many people do this by themselves
The majority of our participants are solo travelers, so you will be one of many in the same position.

For more FAQs please see our FAQ section here

Reviews

This is not a great experience… it is A FANTABULOUSASTIC EXPERIENCE!
Lise Christie, Scotland

Just the best experience of my life.
Solene Loiseau, France

Important Information

Accommodation
Arrival night in Kuala Lumpur: Dormitory style room in a city centre guesthouse with shared toilets. Set right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur there are as many quaint little shops and eateries as there as humongous shopping malls and fancy restaurants. Welcome dinner is usually at 6pm (please check with reception at guesthouse) so if you arrive early, head out and explore

At Zoo Negara: Volunteer house set within the ground of the zoo accommodating seven people in total – shared bedrooms and shared toilets. Facilities include 2 bathrooms with cold showers, a kitchen with a fridge and cooking hobs, a dining / living room. There are shops selling food and sundries within walking distance from the house and plenty of food stalls and a few restaurants nearby.

Food and drinks:
A meal allowance is provided on orientation day and there will be the choice of cooking together with fellow participants as a self-catering option or purchasing food at the zoo canteen. Meals at local food stalls around the zoo are cheap and you can have a full meal for RM5 – RM12.
Money for bottled water and extras such as fruit juice or snacks throughout the programme will be needed as these are not provided.

What's Included:
• English speaking programme facilitator
• Accommodation
• Meal allowance as indicated in itinerary
• Meet and greet at Kuala Lumpur Aiport (KLIA) OR Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), Malaysia
• Arrival and departure transfers between project site and Kuala Lumpur Airport
• Welcome dinner
• Induction and orientation at zoo

What's Not Included:
• All flights
• Visas
• Drinks
• Private transfers
• Meal and accommodation when travelling independently
• Insurance
• Personal items

Video