Booking Conditions

Commitment

 Wildtracks has established and maintains an extremely high level of success in its rehabilitation of wildlife, and reintroduction back into the wild. This is, in part, a reflection of the dedication and commitment of all team members in the implementation of their assigned activities with the animals. In booking a volunteer placement with us, you are committing yourself to maintaining these very high standards for the duration of your placement. If you have any doubt about your ability to meet these commitments, please do not apply for a placement with us.

As a volunteer organization, Wildtracks successfully delegates significant responsibilities in the care of endangered species to its team members and will be depending upon you to honour, respect and cherish that responsibility. Volunteering at Wildtracks can be an incredible, life-changing experience, but it is not a holiday: you will be here for the animals, not the other way around. Stepping out of personal comfort zones into a foreign country, working with wildlife as part of a close-knit team should be an extremely rewarding experience, but it doesn’t suit everyone. You should be sure that a placement at Wildtracks is right for you before applying - changes of mind, last-minute cancellations, or early departures can cause significant challenges – leaving our team short-handed in meeting the needs of the animals in rehabilitation.

Selection Process and Payments

When you have read through the volunteer information available via our website, or received from us by e-mail, and are confident that you are a good fit for the Programme and vice versa, you will need to submit a completed Application Form and sign that you have read and agree with the terms detailed in the Booking Conditions. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please note that our volunteer positions are normally booked up several months in advance – so please allow adequate time. We do however sometimes have short-notice spaces available when an approved volunteer has to postpone a placement to a later date and the vacated space can be reallocated.

Applications are assessed on merit, and processed on an ongoing basis on receipt. A confirmation of receipt of an application is normally sent within 72 hours. You may be asked to provide additional information, contact details of referees, or to have a phone interview. Applications are normally assessed within 7-10 days of receipt, and applicants informed of the decision. If a placement offer is made, there is a 21 day confirmation period (from the date of the offer) in which the placement booking must be confirmed by payment of 50% of the Volunteer Fee for the duration of the placement, with the remaining 50% to be paid during the first week at Wildtracks. For placements of 3+ months booked at least 8 months in advance, it may be possible to arrange to pay the deposit in instalments – with the first payment to be made within the 21 day confirmation period. Such arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis, so you should enquire soon after receiving the placement offer if you would like to pay the deposit in instalments. Failure to pay the deposit (or an agreed instalment) within the 21 day confirmation period automatically cancels the placement offer, so that the placement can be reallocated to another applicant.

Travel Insurance           

Travel insurance including adequate medical and emergency repatriation is a requirement for volunteer positions. Failure to provide proof of insurance a minimum of 10 days prior to your arrival date will result in the cancellation of your placement without refund.

Termination

 Wildtracks reserves the right to terminate a volunteer’s placement at any time in the event that the volunteer fails to honour the commitment made to the care of animals, fails to abide by our zero-tolerance policy regarding illegal drugs, puts themselves, other volunteers or the animals at risk through their behaviour, or otherwise fails to follow the policies, procedures, and instruction given by staff relating to the placement.

Refund Policy

 Our policy is to issue a 50% refund of the deposit for cancellations made prior to 90 days before the placement starting date - when we are able to offer the placement to another applicant. Past that timeframe refunds are not normally entertained as we at times have to offer assisted placements at short notice to help fill the gap left by the cancellation.

 A volunteer whose placement is terminated for any of the reasons detailed under the “Termination” section is not eligible for any form of refund; neither is a volunteer choosing to end a placement prior to the end of the booked period. A volunteer ending a placement early as a result of personal medical emergency, or serious illness or death in immediate family, may be offered the opportunity to return to Wildtracks at a later date to resume the remaining portion of the booked placement, or may be offered a partial refund on a case-by-case basis.

Liability Waiver statement

 Wildtracks makes every effort to ensure that volunteers are adequately prepared for their placements here and are not exposed to unreasonable risks. Volunteers are not permitted to undertake certain tasks, or use some power tools (including, but not limited to chainsaws and circular saws).  Volunteers must comply with all directions given by staff pertaining to interaction and care of the animals, failure to do so could result in serious and unnecessary injury to the volunteer and / or animal. In accepting volunteers 18 years old or over, Wildtracks expects each individual to act safely and responsibly in all activities during the placement and to accept full responsibility for their actions. It is the responsibility of the volunteer to ensure his/her full compliance with Wildtracks policies and procedures. Minors are accepted on to the Programme only with an adult family member who acts as guardian and who accepts responsibility for the safety, wellbeing and actions of the minor.