Live-On-Site at the Sanctuary!

Caring for over 100 rescued animals is a lot of work! We greatly appreciate help from volunteer crew members who allow us to provide our animals with the best possible care. We have two different live-on-site options: animal care internships and wwoofing/work away. 

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Animal Care Internships

Animal care internships are a great opportunity for those with previous sanctuary experience, or those hoping to work with animals or start their own animal sanctuary in the future! We offer a unique, hands-on learning experience caring for a variety of animals, each with their own rescue story and care considerations. Internships are a minimum of one month and will provide you with a variety of skills that are essential for caring for rescued animals. Animal care interns will be asked to work 6-8 hours a day, 5 days a week. The program will include:

• Preparing animal feed
• Feeding animals (such as goats, sheep, cows, ponies, pigs, chickens, ducks, and rabbits)
• Cleaning animal environments
• Day to day maintenance of the sanctuary
• Assisting with medical tasks
• Animal enrichment
• Observing animal behaviour 
  

We welcome individuals who are passionate about caring for animals and who are a good fit for our sanctuary to stay longer than a month. Some of our previous crew members have chosen to stay as long as one year! There is so much to learn at our sanctuary and the longer you stay, the more skills and information you are able to take away with you. Depending on the length of your stay, additional learning outcomes may include:

• Administering medications and vaccinations 
• Building and maintaining animal environments 
• Animal first aid 
• Driving trailers and vans
• Vet liaising
• Volunteer coordination 
• Hoof care
• Responding to animal emergencies
• Bottle feeding baby animals 
  

There is so much to learn about running an animal sanctuary and caring for animals, and we are excited to share our project with passionate, motivated, hard-working individuals! It is essential that interns can communicate effectively, receive feedback well, follow oral and written instructions, and bring a positive attitude. Many of the tasks at the sanctuary are physical and involve walking and lifting, so be prepared to spend a few hours on your feet each day. If this all sounds great to you and you think you would make an excellent animal care intern, then please get in touch!

Wwoofing/Work Away

In addition to internships, we have wwoofing/work away opportunities at the Black Sheep! We have been hosting wwoofers for over a decade and the extra help has been crucial to our success. Wwoofing stays are a minimum of one month and involve working 5-6 hours a day in exchange for food and accommodation. Sadly, shorter stays are not possible due to the training involved. We also have a maximum stay of three months for our wwoofers, but if you are enjoying your time here and become inspired to level-up your skills, you are welcome to apply to become an animal care intern and stay longer! Throughout the stay you will help with tasks including:

• Preparing animal feed
• Feeding animals 
• Cleaning animal environments
• Cleaning communal spaces
• Weeding

Wwoofing at the Black Sheep is often a highlight of people’s time in New Zealand. We aim to create a welcoming and fun atmosphere where you get to spend time with rescued animals and experience living amongst other animal-loving individuals. If you are interested in becoming wwoofer we look forward to hearing from you!

More Information and How to Apply

We have roughly 12 people living on site at any given time, so staying here will also include the experience of communal living. You will have a private room either in the main house or in an outside accommodation such as a house truck or caravan.  We all take turns cooking a tasty vegan meal to share every evening (ingredients provided by the sanctuary). We have shared communal spaces, including a games room and sauna, and we are just 5 minutes from the Ōtaki river and 20 minutes from Ōtaki beach. 

It is important to note that we are an intersectional, feminist and queer-friendly space. We encourage women and trans and non-binary individuals to apply, and we do not tolerate hatred of any kind. We are also a human vegan space so you must eat vegan for the duration of your stay.

Some days can feel long, and we work hard in all weather conditions. The animals need to be fed and cared for no matter what! But we always aim to have fun and support each other along the way. As a crew member you may also get to work in our fundraising op shops in Wellington a couple times a month. These shops provide the main source of funding for our sanctuary so they are essential for allowing us to give our animals the great care they deserve.

If you have any questions or would like to apply, please email [email protected] and we will send you the application questions. Please specify whether you are interested in applying to be an animal care intern or a wwoofer. Due to high interest we suggest that you apply a minimum of 3 months before your intended start date. Thank you!