Volunteer for an animal sanctuary in the mountains of South Spain

  • Favourited 77 times
  • Last activity : 3 Oct 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Details

  • Description

    Description

    Hi! We are Tracey (35) & Raquel (37) a British/Spanish couple living in the mountains of Andalusia. Two years ago we embarked on a journey from the UK to South Spain, and decided to set up a small animal rescue on our little piece of land on the edge of the Sierra Almijara national park.

    We now share this land with 54 rescue animals, including all kinds of furry, feathered and hooved. We are seeking eager animal loving individuals who are are keen to get stuck in, on the everyday maintenance of the Sanctuary but also on some exciting projects to enrich the lives of the animals. i.e. Fencing off areas, creating enrichment, building or extending coops. There may also be times where we might need assistance in Projects such as Expanding the Volunteer Hub, creating outside kitchen area, compost loos, and Shower facilities. D.I.Y experience would be preferred but not essential.

    We are asking for 4-5 hours a day of work with two days off a week. In your free time, choose to explore the area or stick around and relax. The Sanctuary is only a 15-minute drive from the picturesque town of Competa, with many shops, bars and plenty of hikes in the Natural Park of Sierra Almijara and Tejeda, and 30 minute drive to the Seaside. A Hire car would be ideal but we have a moped that you can use to get to the town and back. A driving License is essential.

    The settings of the Sanctuary and the Caravan are ideal for a Vegetarian/Vegan couple or individuals. We ask that people respect this place as a meat-free environment and understand that this is the home of a variety of different animals all with different personalities, some enjoy daily interactions, others prefer to be left alone. We ask that you respect each animal as an individual and approach these areas with care and empathy.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Charity Work
    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    General Maintenance
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    You will have a unique behind the scenes view on what it is like to run an animal sanctuary. Hands on experience with daily Animal Care, and all things related to animal rescue. This would suit someone wanting to give back to the animals, or gain from our experience as to what it is like to open and run a Microsanctuary. There will also be some exchange in skills of D.I.Y and maintenance although we favour applicants who already come equipped with these skills as we really need it. Tracey is British and Raquel is Spanish so there is some opportunity for Languages exchange if this is of interest to you.

  • Help

    Help

    We are seeking a Workaway individual(s) for a variety of tasks some tasks will be shared experiences others will be self motivated. The majority of the tasks involved will be to assist with the animal caretaking jobs, and will sometimes be done in our absence. These tasks consist of the following; opening of coops in the mornings, making sure feed buckets are full and accessible, cleaning and refilling of water dispensers, chopping veggies/fruits for the animals and distributing. Filling up the Hay racks for the Donkey, Goats and Rabbits, letting the donkeys out into the designated grazing areas, cleaning out the coops, and donkey manure maintenance.

    Some of the lighter shared tasks might involve Painting fencing, and weatherproofing Coops, general maintenance of animal living spaces, washing/grooming the animals. Occasionally we may also have a sick animal that might require special quarantine assistance, this would be subject to the animal in need but could involve preparation of special diet food, warm Epsom salt bathing, cleaning of wounds and applying creams, administering medications.

    Some of the heavier shared tasks might be to help on a particular project depending on the season and this might involve picking olives, trimming trees, mixing of cement, carrying of cement, digging holes or trenches, levelling off the ground, erecting fencing out of wooden pallets, building coops using repurposed materials, other D.I.Y projects that involve upcycling or repurposing. We would also like to work on making our Volunteer hub better with plans for outdoor shower cubicles and an outside shared kitchen in the future.

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    Spanish: Fluent

    This host offers a language exchange
    This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
    You can contact them directly for more information.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    We offer a modest one-bedroom Semi off-grid Caravan, with amazing views of the mountains. The Caravan is run by Solar panel but is also connected to the main electric system, includes a small working mini fridge, and a compost toilet, it is very cosy with basic essentials, no shower, but you have access to our private bathroom until we have made an outside shower for future guests.

    There is no Wifi at the caravan but signal is good for personal data. Whilst working in the Sanctuary you have access to our private Wifi and home with all the essentials and amenities.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    We are a multi species animal sanctuary therefore we prefer to keep the environment meat free. We will provide a nutritious plant based Meals for you every day which you are welcome to sit and enjoy with us. In your free time we highly recommend you to visit Competa and surrounding villages where there are plenty of bars and restaurants with amazing food and atmosphere. You could also take a trip down to the coast or explore the many different mountain hikes, river walks, tours, or take a swim in the public pool. We would recommended that you hire a car but there is a bus from Competa that runs 4 times a day, more during summer. We are a 40min walk from Competa town with the first part of the walk being up hill, we don't recommend to do this walk during to hottest part of the day in summer. There is a Moped on site that you can use to go back and fourth to the town if needed. We favour applications who can stay 2 weeks or longer so you can get to know the animals and the routine, but may be open to applications for shorter periods especially if you have D.I.Y or Building experience and could possibly help us on some bigger projects.
    We look forward to meeting you :)

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    We offer a very modest 1 bedroom Caravan with basic amenities, however we also welcome those who have campers/motorhomes and want to stay in their own accommodation to hook up to the electrics and use our water.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    Two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week (2days off)

Host ref number: 757518873653

Feedback (2)


Feedback

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(5.0)

Communication:
(5.0)