Organisation:  SSPCA
Contact Details:  Lothian Animal Welfare, Balerno, Edinburgh, U.K.  Tel: (+44) (0) 131 4493979

Volunteer:  Bob Carter
Location:  Balerno, near Edinburgh, Scotland
Species:  Domestic and farm animals
Cost: No cost

Email: [email protected] (please mail if there’s anything else you think I could help you with)

I volunteered with the SSPCA part-time for almost two years in the mid 1990s at their animal welfare centre in Balerno near Edinburgh.

Volunteer work was varied and the manager made an effort to involve me in whatever was going on.  Necessarily, much of the work was fairly physical.  Typical duties could be: 

1. Exercising the dogs (most of whom were there as cruelty cases – therefore volunteers should have some experience of animals)
2. Cleaning dog kennels, cattery, and other animal cages (rabbits, birds, puppies, whatever was in at the time).
3. Helping in the shop
4. Unloading food stores, shop supplies, hay for the farm animals, etc. (The centre had a number of farm animals there when I was working – cows, pigs, as well as some horses).
5. Maintainence work for the site (grass cutting, fencing, painting...)

 This was a very rewarding place to volunteer, as the results of your efforts are immediately apparent.  It really gives you an idea of how hard these people work, and I felt very much part of the team.  It was often very hard both physically and emotionally (obviously many of the animals have suffered terrible treatment and the physical and emotional scars are often very much still present – you need to develop a bit of a thick skin), but on the whole I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys working closely with domestic and farm animals. 

No costs for volunteering. The organisation did reimburse me for my bus expenses on the days I was working.

Friends of the Earth Scotland 

Organisation:  Friends of the Earth Scotland
Contact Details:  72, Newhaven Road, Edinburgh EH6 5QG.  Tel: (+44) (0) 131 554 9977

Volunteer:  Bob Carter
Location:  Edinburgh, Scotland
Cost: No cost

Email: [email protected] (please mail if there’s anything else you think I could help you with)

I volunteered at the FOE Scotland offices for about a year in the mid-1990s.  They had a number of long-term volunteers there at the time, and so there wasn’t a great deal for me to do.  However, I was able to get involved in: 

1. Helping to organise publicity material and prizes for a fundraising raffle.
2. Organising a fundraising ceilidh
3. General office and campaign administration
4. Organising a “Slow Down Scotland” traffic action.

Whether this is a rewarding volunteer experience will depend, I think, on what vacancies they have for volunteers at the time.  It is also possible to join their local support groups who have their own campaign agenda.  Contact the office for details of who to contact.   No cost for volunteering of course.

Cetacean Research and Rescue Unit, Gardenstown, Scotland

Organisation:  CRRU
Contact Details:  www.crru.org.uk

Volunteer:  Bob Carter
Location:  Gardenstown, near Banff, Scotland
Species:  Bottlenose Dolphins and Minke Whales
Cost: Around �600-700 for a 12 day volunteer package.  See website for current cost details.

Email: [email protected] (please mail if there’s anything else you think I could help you with)

I volunteered with CRRU for 12 days during late summer 2004.  The period of volunteering is fixed although some students come to do research for longer periods.

Gardenstown is a beautiful, remote village on the North-East coast of Scotland.   Accommodation for volunteers in 2004 was in the Salmon House, a huge house by the harbourside which served as living area and education centre for the volunteers and researchers.  I understand this arrangement has now changed, so see the CRRU website for current details.

The Cetacean Research and Rescue unit is, as its name suggests, dedicated to monitoring the populations of Bottlenose Dolphins and Minke Whales in the Moray Firth.   The group also acts as a rescue unit for marine mammal strandings, and recently acquired a specially outfitted Land Rover to be used as a Marine Mammal Ambulance for rescue work.

Typically, there are around ten volunteers.  Volunteers receive educational talks on marine mammal identification and biology, and also on boat safety and survey techniques.  The CRRU uses two RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats) to patrol the coast when the weather permits and survey the activities of any cetaceans encountered (only one boat was in service when I was there last year but I understand both are now up and running).   Unfortunately, I'm not in a good position to comment on exactly how this works, since sadly 2004 was a very poor year for marine mammal activity and we didn't encounter anything during our time there.  Don't let this put you off, though, as 2005 seems to have been one of the best years ever with very regular sightings of dolphins (including Risso's dolphins at one point) and minke whales - that's just the way the luck goes, I'm afraid!

Volunteers came from a variety of backgrounds, some were biology graduates, others interested amateurs like myself.  Despite the lack of marine mammal activity, I had a very enjoyable time in Gardenstown.  The project staff are extremely good company and did their best to provide a good experience for us despite some fairly dodgy weather preventing us getting out on the water and the lack of sightings.  The surrounding area is quite interesting to explore with colonies of seabirds close by, and I certainly came home feeling I'd learnt something about the marine environment.  There is also a chance to practice stranding techniques with a lifesize inflatable pilot whale, which is good fun!

Price-wise, it is rather a lot of money to lay out for a couple of weeks, but this does include accommodation, food and all equipment and is comparable price-wise with many other cetacean projects.  I appreciated the scientific focus of this project and the efforts made to educate volunteers.  The lack of sightings was obviously rather disappointing, but wildlife is never predictable, and, as I said, 2005 by all accounts has been a regular cetacean bonanza!  The CRRU also has a very regular email newsletter which they are still sending to me at least twice a week, keeping ex-volunteers and interested parties informed of current activities!

Booking is made through Ecovolunteer.  I am always sceptical of giving money to agencies in this way, as I would prefer to give my cash directly to the project, but on the other hand my booking was dealt with efficiently and the financial contribution given by volunteers is a crucial part of the project's funding.

In all, I would certainly recommend this to anyone interested in marine life - hope you have better luck seeing animals than I did, though!  Even if you don't, it's a valuable and unique experience.

Pro Natura Conservation Workgroups- Zug, Switzerland

Organisation:  Pro Natura Zug

Contact Details:  www.pronatura.ch

Volunteers:  Bob & Sofia Carter
Location:  Canton Zug, Switzerland (other local groups also active in Switzerland)
Species:  Wetland/woodland species
Cost:  No cost

Email: [email protected] (please mail if there’s anything else you think I could help you with)

This is suitable for people living in Switzerland who want to get involved in some practical conservation.   About 5 times every spring and again every autumn, Pro Natura groups of about 5-8 people meet to do conservation work in the local area.  Much of this is concerned with wetland protection, and involves chopping down trees, clearing reeds and other vegetation, etc.

Other cantons in Switzerland also have local Pro Natura support groups.  See web site for details.

German is useful here but not essential - the people are very friendly and the areas you work in, though local, generally very pretty.  Expect to get muddy.  No costs to volunteer, though it's well worth joining the organisation as their newsletters are very good.

Pilot Whales - Tenerife

Organisation:  Projecto Ambiental Tenerife
Contact Details:  www.whalefoundation.org.uk, Email: [email protected]. 

Volunteer:  Bob Carter
Location:  Tenerife, Canary Islands
Species:  Pilot whales, dolphins
Cost: around GBP500 for four weeks (check for current costs)

Email: [email protected] (please mail if there’s anything else you think I could help you with)

 General Details:

This is a long-running project that has recently been picked up as part of the portfolio of projects offered by Ecovolunteer (www.ecovolunteer.org).  I believe it is still possible to register with the project directly, which is what I did.

 I took part in this project for 3 weeks in summer 1999.  Volunteers stay on a site owned by the project some 30 minutes’ drive from the ports.  Accommodation is in shared bunk-style rooms and there is a food delivery every few days.  Volunteers take it in turns to prepare food, wash up, clean, etc.

 The project aims to raise awareness of the importance of Tenerife as a whale-watching destination (I understand it has the only year-round resident population of pilot whales in the world apart from Hawaii).  Obviously there are huge conflicts between the needs of intensive tourism and the needs of the whales.  Many boats run whale-watching trips as the whales are close to the coast and easy to see.  The problem is that many of these boats do not observe responsible practices for whale-watching – it is not uncommon to see a boat full of tourists ploughing right through the middle of a pod in an attempt to give the passengers a good view.  Obviously this is stressful for the whales, especially as it happens year round several times a day.   The problem is that many of these trips are really pleasure cruises round the bay with a few whales thrown in, and as a result the clientele are not generally there for the wildlife, but rather for the party.

 Projecto Ambiental therefore tries to promote responsible practices among boat owners, to raise awareness among tourist populations of the value of Tenerife as a wildlife destination (by handing out posters, mounting exhibitions.....)  and also to carry out  research on pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins in the area.  When I was there, volunteer work consisted of a mix of the following:

1. Going out with some of the whale-watch boats to observe whale pods and record behavioural data.  There was also a photo-identification project in progress when I was there.
2. Designing awareness-raising material for exhibitions around the island on cetacean conservation.
3. Helping with a land-based survey of bottlenose dolphins (observing groups of dolphins from vantage points on the coast)
4. Helping with necessary repairs and modifications to the volunteer site (painting, building work, etc)

 Costs for the project have recently risen (check with organisation for details - at my time it was around �70 a week but I think is a little more now for shorter stays, though there is a discounted rate for volunteers staying over a month, I believe).  Despite the higher prices, I still think the value for money is excellent, and it all goes directly to the project anyway (at least if you book with them directly).

 Personal view

 I enjoyed my time with this project immensely.  Every day spent on the boats gives the opportunity to see at least some whales or dolphins, and I had some fantastic experiences (bottlenose dolphins bow-riding with the boat, other species of dolphin observed, one day an encounter with a Sei whale).  From this point of view I would recommend it wholeheartedly.  It also opened my eyes to the plight of these incredible creatures as well as saddening me with experiences of ignorance and disrespect.  Two examples of this while I was there were:

1. A tourist leaning over the side of the boat to pour beer on the head of a bow-riding dolphin with the words “Here flipper, have a drink on me”.
2. The day we saw the Sei whale (quite a large whale and not exactly an everyday occurence), while I and the other volunteers were practically wetting ourselves with excitement, some of the passengers didn’t even glance up from their beers.

 The organisers also make an effort to encourage volunteers to explore the sights of Tenerife (far wilder and more varied than I had expected), mounting trips to climb Mount Teide, visit other parts of the island, etc.

 The negative side was that I didn’t feel terribly useful while on the boats.  Although we recorded behavioural data and photographed individual, it was hard at the time to see where this was going.  I would imagine that this side of things is now more organised, but at the time I felt I was making a marginal contribution by being a conspicuous “pro-whale” person on the boats and handing out posters, but otherwise was just there having a good time.

 Some people complained of the basic facilities or the quality of the food (they always do), but personally I found this side of things was just fine, especially considering the cost.  At the time, this was about GBP70 per week, though it has since gone up.  However, I still think it represents excellent value for money.  The project tries to encourage volunteers to stay for a month or more, and consequently has made it relatively cheaper the longer you stay.  Other complaints were that people always wanted to be out on the boats instead of doing building work, but if one is there for the right reasons (i.e. to make some kind of contribution) then this is not really a realistic objection.

 If you have an interest in cetaceans then this is a marvellous opportunity to work with them in a cost-effective and very enjoyable way.  People just looking for some time in the sun will also enjoy Tenerife, but it is the wildlife that makes it such a unique volunteer opportunity.