Work Experience Volunteer (Full-Time)

MARS Wildlife Rescue Centre is a wildlife rescue centre that aims to rescue, rehabilitate, and release sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife on Vancouver Island. Our Mission is: To conserve and protect native wildlife and its natural habitat through education and rehabilitation.
Our centre is located in Merville, British Columbia on central Vancouver Island in the beautiful Comox Valley. Our hospital is staffed by a Manager, Hospital Team Lead, three Wildlife Rehabilitators and many dedicated volunteers. As a work experience volunteer, you will become part of a team of like-minded people and will be treated with both respect and friendship. MARS accepts student volunteer position applications all year round.
We are looking to fill spots beginning April 2025 and into the rest of the year. These are unpaid volunteer positions and are usually filled on a one-to-three-month placement basis. We accept stays as little as two weeks, and are happy to accommodate longer term volunteers as well.
As a work experience volunteer, you can expect to be involved in all aspects of the rehabilitation process, although your main responsibilities will be diet preparation, feeding, and cleaning. Volunteers must be willing to work long hours and perform repetitive daily chores and tasks, and constant cleaning of the facility, including laundry, sweeping, and cage cleaning, as our wild animals are constantly creating a mess.
Along with the grunt work, you will also learn how to properly calculate and administer medications to animals, proper rescue and rehab techniques, as well as how to handle all types of wildlife, including songbirds, raptors, seabirds, mammals, and occasionally reptiles. You will be expected to take part in animal and bird rescues and releases, participate in building projects and grounds maintenance, and participate in our community outreach program.
Spring, summer and early autumn are what we call Baby Season! This is when we receive the greatest number of patients during the year. Be forewarned, work at the wildlife centre can be very demanding! In the summer, our skilled caregivers typically work a variety of shifts between 7 am – 10 pm, with occasional rescues, pickups, and drop offs outside of regular hours. The schedule at MARS can be intense, but you will also be given time off to enjoy the beautiful scenery Vancouver Island has to offer.
Previous wildlife experience is not a prerequisite. Come here prepared to give 100% to our wild patients and you will have an extraordinary experience.
Interested applicants should be:

· self-motivated
· hard-working
· respectful
· cooperative
· independent
· responsible
· willing to work as part of a team

The wildlife centre offers very basic housing and occasionally some meals, but for the most part you will be responsible for your own food and other amenities.
If you are interested in applying for a volunteer position working with wildlife, please visit our website at http://www.marswildliferescue.com for more information. If you are interested, please email marsworkexperiencerecruit@gmail.com to request an application package. We will require you to email this back with a copy of your current resume, and a short letter outlining your reasons for applying.
All applicants will be contacted during the selection process. Thank you for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you!