Volunteer Opportunities
Join our amazing team of volunteers and help save wild lives across Rhode Island. Whether you’re caring for animals hands-on, transporting wildlife to safety, supporting daily clinic operations, or helping behind the scenes, your time and compassion make a direct difference for injured and orphaned wildlife in need.
Make a Difference for Wildlife in
Rhode Island
Whether you want to work hands-on with wildlife or support our mission behind the scenes, there is a place for you here. Our volunteers give their time, skills, and compassion to help injured and orphaned wildlife receive the care they need, and to help build a community that understands, respects, and protects wild lives.
Questions? We're here to help!
Olivia Harrington
Community Engagement & Programs Director
(401) 294-6363
Together, our volunteers help ensure that injured and orphaned wildlife always have a safe place to land.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Work alongside our experienced staff to help provide daily care for our wildlife patients. This hands-on role may include cleaning enclosures, preparing diets, assisting with animal care tasks, and supporting the safe, compassionate rehabilitation of patients in care. No prior wildlife experience is required, and we provide training and guidance to help you get started.
Hands-on wildlife care require proper state permitting and we can guide you through that process.
Want to care for wildlife from home? Our in-home rehabilitators are an essential part of our lifesaving team, providing specialized care for injured and orphaned animals as they grow, heal, and prepare for release. We partner with individuals interested in becoming licensed in-home wildlife rehabilitators in RI and can help guide you through the permitting process. We also support our in-home rehab partners with veterinary guidance, supplies, sponsorship support, and resources to help wild patients succeed.
Bring your clinical skills to the wild side. We welcome veterinarians, veterinary technicians, assistants, students, and other animal health professionals who want to help injured and orphaned wildlife receive the medical care they need to heal, grow, and return home. No wildlife experience required.
Use the skills you already have in a uniquely meaningful way supporting complex cases, strengthening the standard of care for wild patients, and expanding your own clinical perspective through work that is challenging, purposeful, and deeply rewarding. Whether you can assist regularly, consult occasionally, or lend your knowledge behind the scenes, your expertise can make a lasting difference.
Help us teach people to care about the wildlife around them and inspire the next generation of wildlife advocates. We welcome educators and learning professionals who can bring fresh ideas and creative energy to our programs, outreach, and curriculum development.
No wildlife background required - bring your ability to engage learners and make complex ideas accessible, and we’ll help you connect it to our mission. Use your expertise in a fresh, rewarding way while helping our community better understand, protect, and coexist with Rhode Island’s native wildlife.
Help wildlife get the ride that could save their life. Our transport volunteers help move injured and orphaned animals safely to the Wildlife Clinic or one of our licensed in-home rehab partners when finders are unable to make the trip themselves.
All you need is a willingness to help when you can and a short training to get started. Transport requests are coordinated through an app or by phone, and you can choose the trips that work for your schedule.
Our Youth Career Awareness Program gives teens ages 13–17 a meaningful way to explore wildlife conservation, animal care, and environmental stewardship. Through hands-on experiences, learning projects, and service opportunities, participants gain valuable skills while helping support Rhode Island’s injured and orphaned wildlife.
For more information, click here.
In 2024 we were thrilled to welcome two new members to our Wildlife Clinic family, a charming pair of Wild Turkeys! These special birds serve as educational ambassadors, acting as the cornerstones of our educational programs and curriculum and helping to teach our communities about native wildlife.
Volunteers have the unique opportunity to help in their daily care and enrichment, from helping to keep their enclosures clean to spending quality time socializing with them - even reading, walking and playing with them!
The Wildlife Clinic is always bustling with projects to keep our animal enclosures, buildings, and grounds safe, functional, and beautiful.
If you have skills in construction, landscaping, plumbing, electrical work, gardening, or other trades, your expertise can make a real difference for the animals in our care.
Whether you can lend a hand on a project or simply offer guidance and advice, we would be grateful for your support.
Are you passionate about protecting Rhode Island’s native wildlife and helping build a stronger future for the Wildlife Clinic? We are looking for dedicated, conservation-minded community members to join our board and use their skills, experience, and perspective to help guide our mission, shape our vision, and support our continued growth. If you are ready to make a lasting impact, we would love to hear from you! Please contact our Executive Director, William Morrissette, at wmorrissette@riwildliferehab.org.
Want to help wildlife but not sure hands-on animal care is right for you? Our administrative volunteers provide warm, welcoming front desk and reception support at the Wildlife Clinic, helping answer calls, greet community members, assist donors and visitors, and keep daily operations running smoothly. No formal experience is needed, we'll teach you everything you need to know.
Love social media, marketing, or storytelling? We’re looking for creative, compassionate volunteers to help share our mission, create engaging content, connect with new supporters, and raise awareness for Rhode Island’s native wildlife. Join us in telling our story and driving our mission - together, we can inspire positive change for our native wildlife!
Looking for a way to make a truly wild impact? Help us plan events, connect with supporters, and raise essential funds to support the 7,500+ wild animals that come to us for care. If you're ready to roll up your sleeves and work together to make some truly wild things happen, we want to hear from you today!
