Welfare and Safety Project Officer

We’re looking for a Welfare and Safety Project Officer who can live and volunteer for 6 months in Cambodia.

• This assignment seeks to develop assessment tools, then provide training and mentoring to locally employed animal care staff in best-practice welfare and enrichment for rescued bears.
• To be considered for this role, you’ll need Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE) and background or experience working in zoo’s or wildlife rescue centres.
• As a volunteer, you will support to build capacity within the local team to help identify and mitigate safety hazards.

About the partner organisation 

Free the Bears is an international animal welfare and wildlife conservation charity headquartered in Perth, Western Australia. Free the Bears works with governments and non-governmental partners to build, manage and sustain bear sanctuaries and field programmes in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Our aim is to end the suffering of captive bears whilst protecting wild bears across Southeast Asia. The volunteer will work closely with local staff in Cambodia to identify areas for improvement in welfare and safety, support the organisation and prioritisation of maintenance tasks, and assist in identifying and addressing hazards. A key focus will be the development and modernisation of the enrichment programme to improve animal wellbeing and strengthen current practices.

About the Australian Volunteers Program  

The Australian Volunteers Program is an Australian government-funded initiative. We support partner organisations across the Pacific, Asia, and Africa to achieve locally led change.  

Volunteers are supported throughout their volunteer journey. We actively support and encourage people of all backgrounds and abilities to volunteer and aim to make the program as accessible and inclusive as possible. If you have accessibility requirements, please contact us to discuss how we can support you to volunteer with us - [email protected]. Learn more about our commitment to inclusion.