Volunteer Opportunities

We Can’t Do It Without You!

Florida Wildlife Hospital (FWH) would not be able to assist over 5,000 patients annually without the work of dedicated and motivated volunteers. Working side by side with staff, volunteers provide quality, compassionate care for our patients and help to empower our community through education to protect native Florida wildlife and their natural environment.

FWH strives to provide experiences that make the giving of volunteer time worthwhile, rewarding, and enriching. There are endless opportunities to learn about native wildlife and make a difference in the community while volunteering with FWH.

In 2024, our volunteers contributed 17,098 hours to help Keep Wildlife Wild!

Becoming A Volunteer

Commitment Policy:

Volunteers are expected to come in on a weekly basis (3.5 hours) and to notify the hospital if they are unable to come in for their regular shift.
Volunteers should be able to commit to volunteering for at least 3 months.
We are committed to keeping wildlife wild and handle our patients as little as possible. Taking care of wildlife means a lot of cleaning including dishes, laundry, and washing/disinfecting cages. This is not an opportunity to snuggle animals. If you truly want to help wildlife, then this is the place for you! If you want to play with animals, then we recommend looking at volunteering with domestic/pet animals.

Age Restrictions:

Those under 16 years of age are not eligible to volunteer on FWH property.
Students ages 16 and 17: Must complete 30 hours within 4 months for paperwork for school to be signed off and must have a Permission Form signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Other Restrictions:

We do not accept any court-ordered community service.
Peanuts are a common ingredient in our animals’ diets. If you have a peanut allergy this may not be a good match for your volunteer needs.

Application Process:

Submit application online.
Pass a criminal background check.
Attend one 1-hour online orientation
Pay $40 fee which covers t-shirt, name badge, on-boarding paperwork, and a 1-year membership to the Florida Wildlife Hospital.
Attend one 3-hour training day after attending orientation.
Agree to and sign our Liability Release and all policies related to FWH.

Please understand that acceptance to the Volunteer Program is not automatic or guaranteed.

Nursery Volunteer

Nursery volunteers are responsible for assisting staff with supportive animal care including laundry, dishes, wash station, diet prep, tortoise care, and general cleaning. Nursery volunteers may be invited to volunteer in other areas of the hospital based on performance and skills. Reports to Nursery Staff.

Groundskeeping Volunteer

Groundskeeper volunteers work to maintain lawns, including mowing, trimming, pruning, raking, and weeding. Prefer experience with servicing and maintaining lawn equipment and/or knowledge of native Florida plants. Reports to Maintenance Manager.

Animal Transport Volunteer

Transport volunteers help transport animals to the hospital when the animal finders are unable to transport the animal themselves. Whenever an animal is in need of transport, we will send a text out to our Volunteer Transporter group and who ever the first available person is will go pick up the animal and bring it to the hospital. Transport volunteers must attend Transport Volunteer Training (covers what animals need help and which should be left along and how to safely handle and transport animal), have a clean driving record, and have a driver’s license and insurance. Reports to Outreach & Volunteer Manager and Front Desk Staff.

Volunteering for Groups

Bring your organization or business and give back in a BIG way! Group volunteer opportunities include gardening, building projects, and more. To learn about Volunteer Group Projects, including Eagle Scout and Gold Award projects, please contact our Volunteer Manager at OVM@floridawildlifehospital.org.

Nursery/Groundskeeping Volunteers

If you are interested in volunteering with us, please complete a volunteer application. You will automatically be sent a link to the online orientation once you apply, if you do not see it, check your junk mail folder.

For questions regarding Florida Wildlife Hospital’s Volunteer Program, please contact our Volunteer Manager at (321) 254-8843 ext. 202 or OVM@floridawildlifehospital.org

Volunteers Apply

Animal Transport Volunteers

We currently are holding Animal Transport Training Classes every other month. The next orientation class will be Monday, March 10th from 6pm – 8pm. If you are interested, fill out an application and email the Volunteer Manager at OVM@floridawildlifehospital.org.

Animal Transporter Volunteer Application