Wait!
These raccoons want to make sure you've read the previous page in its entirety, and that you understand what WWCC is looking for in our volunteers before continuing. If so, please click below to fill out an application. 

7,000  animals  in  a  year.  300  volunteers.  just  one  you.
WWCC’s Animal Care Volunteers help primarily with husbandry. This includes daily cleaning tasks such as laundry and washing dishes, as well as preparing diets and assisting our medical staff with different procedures.

​ Animal Care volunteers also assist with releasing healthy patients back to the wild when they're ready to go home! We do stress, though, that about 90% of the work animal care volunteers do is cleaning and food prep. Please read all the information on this page about our animal care role before filling out an application at the bottom of this page.

General  volunteering  information 

(Same across all volunteering pages on this website; animal care specific information below. Please read everything.)
What do you get for being a part of the WWCC team?
At the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, you get to be part of a diverse group of people who share one core value: the desire to help wildlife. We work with thousands of animals and hundreds of unique species each year, so no two days are ever the same! As a WWCC volunteer, you get to help care for these animals from the the time they come in the door, until the moment they are released.
What do we look for in a volunteer?
An ideal volunteer at WWCC will have the following traits:
  • The ability to commit to at least one shift at the same time each week for a minimum of one year. Consistency in care for animals is of the utmost importance, and we need volunteers who are reliable above all else. If you foresee having to miss shifts regularly for any reason, please reconsider applying at this time
  • Excellent time management skills
  • The ability to follow directions from WWCC staff or any of our regulating agencies, which include:
    • ​The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
    • The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)
    • The California Veterinary Medical Board (CVMB)
    • ​The Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN)
  • The ability to ask questions if a task or procedure is unclear
  • Excellent collaboration and communication skills
  • The ability to adapt and to keep a level head when a situation may be stressful or sad​
When can you volunteer at WWCC?

At this time, WWCC has applications open to volunteer with us on any shift, but some times of the week will need volunteers more than others. In your application, please select all times when you could make a shift. No matter how much availability you indicate, you'd still only be assigned one shift.

WWCC has the following orientation classes scheduled. One of these classes, which always run from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm, must be attended prior to beginning a volunteer position. If the dates below do not reflect your own availability, please check back in the future!
​​​​​
  • Saturday, April 4th, 2026
  • ​Sunday, April 26th, 2026
  • Sunday, May 17th
  • Saturday, June 6th
  • Sunday, June 21st
  • Sunday, July 19th
  • Saturday, August 29th
What should you know about WWCC before signing up to volunteer?

It  is  not  a  petting  zoo  or  shelter.

We care for wildlife that will hopefully be returned to a safe location as soon they are able. The animal’s survival depends upon them not becoming imprinted by/or attached to the humans caring for them. We don't talk to, cuddle with, or pet our animals. 

It  is  not  glamorous.

We are a wildlife hospital. Therefore, many of our tasks revolve around the daily care and maintenance of the facility, which can often be dirty, smelly, mucky, and slippery. However dirty you are imagining the center in your head, it's probably worse!

It  is  a  commitment.

Volunteers need to be willing to commit to at least one shift at the same time each week for a minimum of one year. While our requirement is that volunteers only commit for one year, we are more likely to accept your application if you're in it for the long run!

It  is  emotional,  but  rewarding.

Despite WWCC's best efforts, there are times when animals don't survive. Throughout the course of your volunteer journey, you will experience many cases where an animal doesn't make it through care, but also many cases when they do! You must be able to recognize that working in wildlife rehab can be an emotional rollercoaster. However, at the end of the day, getting to hold a cage door open for a rehabilitated bird going back to the wild is a special feeling, and that is what we always strive for.

Animal  care  specific  volunteering  information 

Our animal care volunteers work one of three shifts:
  • an AM shift from 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
  • a MID shift from 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
  • a PM shift from 4:00 pm - close*
​Animal care volunteers need to be able to commit to a shift in this timeframe on a consistent day of the week for at least one year.
*Closing time at WWCC can be unpredictable, and so we ask that volunteers taking on a closing shift be able to be flexible with when they leave the center. During our slower months of the year (November through February), closing can be as early as 6:30 pm. During our busier part of the year (March through October), closing can often be much later, sometimes even 9:00 or 9:30 pm.
Animal care volunteers also need to be comfortable getting their hands dirty. Comfortability with washing dirty dishes, cleaning soiled laundry, scrubbing messy floors, and working around animal waste is a must.  
Animal care volunteers make up the majority of WWCC's volunteer work force. If you've imagined working at a wildlife hospital, this is probably the role you've envisioned.

These volunteers need to understand that we never talk to our patients, we never pet them, and we never try to make them comfortable around us. If you think you might have a hard time doing this, then the animal care volunteer role might not be the best fit for you.

If all of that sounds good to you, click below to fill out an application!
​Please keep in mind before starting the application below that:
  • the application may take up to 30 minutes to complete
  • WWCC requests a $25 donation from each applicant (more info in the application itself). If you are unable to make this donation, please reach out and let us know