If Steve Irwin ranks as one of your all-time Aussie legends (let’s be honest, isn’t he everyone’s?!) then we’ve got the blog for you this week!
Working with wildlife ranks as one of the top careers for young people. Yet, it’s an industry that can be notoriously difficult to get work experience in, probably owing to its popularity.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t many ways to get involved and demonstrate your commitment. This World Wildlife Day is the perfect chance to see how you can get started.
When is World Wildlife Day?
The 3rd of March was declared World Wildlife Day by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2013. World Wildlife Day aims to celebrate and raise awareness of the world’s wild animals and plants and has become the most important global annual event dedicated to wildlife.
The theme for 2023 is ‘Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation‘. The celebrations will seek to draw attention to the conservation status of some of the most critically endangered wildlife species and drive discussions towards imagining and implementing solutions to conserve them.
5 Ways to Get Started With Wildlife Work Experience
If you’re interested in a career with wildlife, you can get started in little ways today to start building your knowledge and experience. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and if you start small, you can quickly begin finding other ways to grow your experience as you go.
Here are five easy ways to do that:
1.Get along to your local nature reserve community meet-ups.
Many local nature reserves and conservation parks have a group of friendly locals who meet monthly or weekly to help keep the area clean, check trails are properly maintained, and look out for any wildlife in need.
It’s a great way to meet like-minded people to learn from, give back to your local wildlife, and gain some superb experience for your resume while you’re at it! Check out your local noticeboard or local government websites for more information.
2. Volunteer at a wildlife or animal shelter.
Gain hands-on experience with various critters with different needs by volunteering with an animal or wildlife rescue shelter. Wildlife shelters welcome a range of animals, from birds to marsupials, lizards and snakes! Others often find them in need of help, who then bring them to the shelter for care and support until they can be re-released.
Animal shelters like cat and dog shelters usually always need volunteers to help with the day-to-day running of their facilities. You could also expand your experience by looking into shelters that take in old farm animals or larger mammals like horses. Google who’s in your area and check their websites for information on how to get involved.
3. Become an animal foster carer.
Some shelters need members in the community to help offer their time and space to care for some wildlife that can’t be cared for at the shelter. There are a few more restrictions around this one, but having a safe space and the time to support it can be a rewarding way to gain experience and support local wildlife.
Each state has different groups (like WIRES in NSW and WRIN in VIC) that can help you explore how you might get involved. Some require you to be at least 18 years old, but it might be worth exploring if your family are on board too.
4. Create a conservation space at school.Â
Does your school have some natural areas that aren’t in use and look unkempt? Why not turn them into a nature conservation and wildlife area!
There are many ways you can create a welcoming space for local wildlife: from creating bee sanctuaries to planting native plants for birds, building a bird bath or creating quiet safe spaces for other critters. Chat with your head of year and see what their thoughts are and how you might be able to turn an unused space into something essential for wildlife.
5. Find a course with integrated work experience.
 If you’re starting to look into potential courses and opportunities for your next steps after school and you’re keen to gain work experience, opt for a course that includes it as part of the curriculum.
Traineeships and apprenticeships all utilise work components to help you develop your skills, but there are also many TAFE courses and university degrees that provide work experience options you can gain credit for. Research and find the qualifications that offer the best of both worlds!
Top 3 Skills Needed to Work With Wildlife
Working with any wildlife species – animal or plant – is never easy. It takes a lot of time, commitment, and resilience to work with something that can’t communicate directly with you and has a life of its own!
If you’re keen but wondering what skills you might need, we did a little investigating and here are the top three that kept coming up:
- Empathy: Our natural world can often be volatile, and it takes a very calm, caring approach to handle what it might throw at you. Empathy allows you to take a step back and see things from the perspective of others – vital when working with wildlife!
- Analytical Skills: Wildlife can’t communicate with us directly, but it can communicate with us in other ways – and there will be lots of little signs you’ll need to figure out and puzzle pieces to put together. Analytical skills allow you to look at a situation and then get underneath the surface to find out why it’s happening and how to fix it.
- Teamwork: Much as you’ll be a specialist in one area, this kind of work relies on a strong network of specialists and professionals coming together to achieve successful outcomes. Teamwork is vital!
Find Out More
Check out the UNs page to learn more about World Wildlife Day and see what events are happening near you!
Don’t forget our industry profiles are also a great way to learn more about specific industries. Our Animal Care profileis a great starting point if you want to discover more.
