Close up of baby turkey being held by volunteer

Volunteer at Wild Friends

Looking for face-to-face interaction with Wild Friends residents? You can help with daily care, provide companionship, and more.

Here at Wild Friends, you’ll find everything from rodents, reptiles, and amphibians to birds, ferrets, and minks. Some of our wildlife residents are here permanently due to injuries that prevent them from being released, while others are here until they’re rehabilitated and ready to go back into the wild. 

Because of the broad scope of our work here, there are so many ways you can help out.

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Enrich the lives of the Wild Friends residents with the gift of your time

See what a day in the life of a Wild Friends volunteer looks like:

Here’s what you can expect as a volunteer at Wild Friends

When you lend a hand at Wild Friends, you’ll improve the lives of the wildlife residing at the Sanctuary.

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Volunteer Tasks

As a volunteer at Wild Friends, you can expect to help with feeding and socializing the animals at Wild Friends. You might also help with various cleaning tasks or special projects.

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Time Commitment

You can choose from two volunteer shifts daily: 8:15-11:30 a.m. and 1:15-4 p.m.   

We also offer disability-friendly shifts that are shorter and last for one hour total. 

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Volunteer Requirements

Due to the nature of the animals in Wild Friends, please be aware that our animals are often fed meals that consist of what they would eat in the wild such as mice, rats, worms, etc. If you would like to experience this area but do not want to participate in the feeding, we would recommend the daily Wild Friends tour instead. Please contact the Welcome Center at 435-677-6486 for tour information.

Safety guidelines: We're focused on keeping you and our animal friends safe while you're volunteering. Before your trip to the Sanctuary, make sure you've read through what to expect at the Sanctuary and in specific animal areas.

Book your volunteer experience

Ready to plan your time at Wild Friends? We’re so excited you’ll be joining us soon — and the wildlife are, too!

Scheduling your volunteer shifts in advance is highly recommended, and shifts can be scheduled as far as one year in advance.

Sign Up to Volunteer

Once you sign up and complete your volunteer agreement, you can access the full list of volunteer opportunities.

If you already have a Best Friends volunteer profile, go to the volunteer portal to see opportunities available to you.

Volunteers with disabilities are welcome! Contact us to learn about volunteering with a disability; we offer shorter hour-long shifts for anyone interested. Email volunteers@bestfriends.org or call 435-319-0622 with questions or sign up for a shift.

Read about our wild friends

Check out these tales about our pals at Wild Friends and the people like you who love them.

Vintage photo of Sharon St. Joan holding a bird of prey with cliffs and a beautiful sky in the background

Looking back: How Best Friends’ Wild Friends began

For orphaned and injured wildlife, Wild Friends is a place to recover before returning to the wild and a home for those who can’t; here’s how it started.
The history of Wild Friends from Best Friends co-founder Sharon St. Joan
Best Friends Magazine
Smiling person hand-feeding a treat to Kazoo the crow

Kazoo the crow becomes a teacher

Kazoo came to Wild Friends at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary as a young crow who couldn’t fly, and now she’s an ambassador for wild birds.
Now she's a teaching bird
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Two cavies, nose-to-nose

Cavy curiosities: Meet our new wild friends

Learn about Hip and Hup the cavies, two unique new residents at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary.
Starting their jobs with Wild Friends’ educational program
Best Friends Magazine
Silhouettes of a duck, lizard, and flying bird

Adopt or sponsor a wild friend

Looking to add a new wild friend to the family? Great! Start your search today.

Animal Previews
Animal Previews
Animal Previews
Animal Previews

Sponsor a Wild Friends resident

By giving a gift of sponsorship to your friends or family, you can provide love and care to the wildlife at our animal sanctuary.

See all of the animals at Wild Friends

Two turtles walking side-by-side

Volunteer opportunities for groups

We have rewarding group volunteer experiences for your business, organization, college, or community group looking for a one-of-a-kind volunteer opportunity.
Volunteering as a group

Know before you go

If you’re not sure where to get lunch or what to wear in southern Utah during seasonal weather, we’ve got you covered.

Our animal sanctuary is an incredibly special place, and we’ll help you figure out everything you need to know to ensure that your visit is the trip of your dreams. 

Find out what to expect
Entrance sign to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary

Getting to our animal sanctuary

Ready to plan your volunteer trip to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in beautiful southern Utah? We have everything you need to know to get started. 
Start planning your trip
Smiling person holding a tiny kitten in a veterinary clinic setting

More ways to help at our sanctuary

With seven different animal areas and acres of canyon lands surrounding the Sanctuary, you’ll have plenty of choices for where you can lend a hand. 
Volunteering at the Sanctuary