VOLUNTEERING MEXICO
ANIMAL CARE
Do you have a big heart for animals? Many needy four-legged friends need your support! In our shelter on the paradisiacal Caribbean island of Holbox in Mexico, dogs, cats and other injured or sick animals living on the streets of Mexico are taken in and cared for. Here they become part of a big family and get love and attention until they find a loving home. The animals do not have a home, so they are happy about the love and attention of the volunteers. You will help the staff with the care of the animals, the maintenance of the shelter and of course with the daily walks on the dream beaches of Holbox. In your free time you can explore the island – delicious food, hip beach parties and relaxation under palm trees included. Holbox is a very special place and its beauty can hardly be surpassed.
QUICK FACTS
Type of program
Program location
Working time
Program start
Duration
Minimum age
Language
Requirements
Location
Accommodation
Catering
Support
Internet
Price
Animal Care
Isla Holbox, Mexico
about 6 hours, 5 days
Every 1st Saturday of the month
1-6 months
18 years
Spanish (Good basic knowledge)
Animal loving and helpful
On an island, beach within walking distance
Shared room in hostel
Not included
English speaking contact person on site
Mobile internet with SIM card from WanderWorld Travel
From 1.320,00 €
QUICK FACTS
Type of program: Animal Care
Program location: Isla Holbox, Mexico
Working time: about 6 hours, 5 days
Program start: Every 1st Saturday of the month
Duration: 1-6 months
Minimum age: 18 years
Language: Spanish (good basic knowledge)
Requirements: Animal lover and helpful
Location: On an island, beach within walking distance
Accommodation: Shared room in hostel
Meals: Not included
Support: English speaking contact person via WhatsApp
Internet: Mobile internet with SIM card from WanderWorld Travel
Price: from 1.320,00 €


PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Our animal shelter on the Caribbean island of Holbox in Mexico, is a unique organization that cares for animals in need from all over the region. The project is truly a matter of the heart. The founder is a Mexican entrepreneur who spent her entire fortune to start the organization 10 years ago because she loves animals and wanted to create a place to do some good. She bought land where the animals could live and be cared for and built a veterinary clinic. To this day, the project is financed through her savings. Every day she fights for the well-being of the four-legged friends and passes this passion on to the volunteers.
Every day, the shelter welcomes dogs, cats and other animals from emergency situations that are in need of care because they had accidents, were abandoned or abandoned. After each rescue, the necessary treatment begins by the veterinarians who work in the shelter’s own clinic. From now on, for many of the animals, the shelter is the first loving home they have ever had! Here they get lots of love, attention and become part of a big family. They are cared for, walked and groomed on a daily basis. A dream animal life on a dream island! In addition, the shelter team also organizes educational events to educate the community and surrounding areas on how to better treat our environment and animals. They travel throughout the surrounding communities to provide free counseling and treatment for animals in need. This is the only way to make a lasting improvement in the lives of the animals, as well as the residents.
Once a dog, cat, bird, raccoon, etc. is healed, the phase of adoption or reintegration into the natural habitat begins. But this road is long and needs your support! The shelter lives on donations and the help of volunteers.


TASKS
The tasks at the shelter are very diverse. Every day is different and the team relies on the help of volunteers. The main task is to take care of the dogs and the other animals in the shelter. This includes the one or other walk around the island, where the four-legged friends are also allowed to swim in the clear Caribbean water from time to time. Also tourists of the island like to borrow the dogs to go for a walk with them – here it is important that they are given all the important information and instructions in advance. In addition, the animals are fed, brushed, bathed and groomed. The needs of the animals are different and require a lot of empathy. Of course, the shelter also needs to be maintained. The facility, the cages, the feeding stations – everything has to be cleaned. This is also part of the job and is fun when you are part of a team.
In the long term, the animals are to be adopted. Therefore, the shelter always needs help with the maintenance of the network, the website or the Instagram account. This is also where you come in: make sure that the adoption process is ideal for both parties and explain to interested parties what it means to adopt a dog or cat. Your knowledge of German and English could also be an advantage here! Along with the adoption goes the collection of donations and the organization of sponsoring and fundraising activities, through which the shelter is mainly financed.
The animals show their gratitude in an incomparable way. Here you help where help is really needed. You grow beyond yourself, expand your horizons and get a lot in return. Working at Holbox is something for everyone who wants to make the world a better place and help animals in need. The shelter looks forward to your support.


Isla Holbox
Isla Holbox, on the north coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, is a paradise on earth. Holbox is the place that almost every Yucatán travelogue raves about. Endless white sand beaches, many rare bird species, undiscovered places and crystal clear water await you here. Holbox is paradisiacally beautiful, that much is certain. This island is still a real insider tip and far from being as touristy as other parts of the area. There are no hotel bunkers, no cars, no paved roads. Holbox is authentic! And a meeting point for backpackers from all over the world. You will quickly make new friends with whom you can explore the island.
After work you can not only relax, but also go out to eat, go from bar to bar and have beach parties. On your days off, you can bike to secluded beaches and watch flamingos, lie in a hammock and forget about time.
From Cancún International Airport you can reach the island by bus and ferry in about 2 hours.


REQUIREMENTS
You don’t need any special prerequisites for the program, just motivation, enthusiasm and love for animals. You should have a desire to work with animals and the motivation to make a lasting difference in the lives of animals. Also, openness to new cultures is especially important to us. Living in a foreign country always requires a certain willingness to adapt, which will be very rewarding for your development.
LANGUAGE
The national language in Mexico is Spanish. To be able to communicate well in the project, a basic knowledge of Spanish is required. The vets and staff in the project sometimes have little knowledge of English, but are very considerate and happy to help you learn Spanish. We will gladly organize a language course for you before the start of the program or parallel to the project.
ACCOMODATION
During your time at the Animal Shelter you will live in a shared room in the hostel on the island. Here you will quickly make new friends. In the hostel you can keep to yourself, but at the same time get in touch with people from all over the world. The hostel has common areas and a shared kitchen. If you don’t feel like going to one of the many good restaurants on the island, you can cook for yourself at a reasonable price. The hostel also has a bar where people meet in the evenings and there is often a party. Depending on availability, you will stay in the hostel or similar accommodation.
YOUR CONTACT PERSON IN MEXICO
Silvia is originally from Munich and she liked it so much in Mexico during a world trip more than 15 years ago that she moved her life center to the Rivera Maya in Quintana Roo a few years later. She is very involved with the lived traditions and rituals of the locals. She knows the area very well and always discovers the beauty of the diverse nature and likes to share this with everyone who lands in Mexico for the first time. She speaks German, English and Spanish.
Silvia will take care of you during your orientation in Playa del Carmen. For questions of any concern during your stay in Latin America, an English-speaking contact person is available via WhatsApp in the same time zone.

SERVICES AND PRICES
Prices:
Shared room:
- 1st month in start package: 1.320,00 €
- Extension month: 630,00 €
- As 2nd or 3rd program: 1.090,00 €
Benefits:
You can find out more about our services here.
Experience Report
Paula
“Experiencing something new and getting out of the everyday stress were decisive points for me. You should take the chance to live freely without studying or working directly.”
Rebecca
“I love Latin America, but especially Mexico, because it gives me a certain feeling of home. The people, the food, the environment, it all made my stay so unique and I took a lot away from this trip.”