Overview

The Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife is the first Lao registered wildlife rescue, conservation and education center in Laos. We have recently moved into a new site on the edge of the rainforest, where work is ongoing to create world-class conservation center to improve the lives of the resident animals as well as new rescues that arrive from the illegal wildlife trade.

None of this would be possible without the help of volunteers like you!

From caring for, feeding and enriching the lives of our animals, no day in our Animal Husbandry Program is ever the same! Everybody who volunteers here leaves something behind, and whether it’s a permanent enrichment structure, putting in new perching for our primates or a platform for a bear, you’ll leave knowing you’ve impacted the lives of endangered rescued wildlife for years to come.

Husbandry volunteers will work closely with our team of keepers to provide the general care and husbandry to our animals on site, of which there are over 200 currently. Tasks may include preparing and feeding our diets, creating enrichment, helping to set up new enclosures, and behavioural observations animals (often when we have to introduce new animals to each other or to new enclosures). You could be helping to feed 75 adult crocodiles one minute, and bottle feeding a baby monkey the next.

With our move to a new site being so recent, we are in need of extra pairs of hands more than ever to help make our vision a reality. With so much being built every day, your help will mean you have a lasting impact on the future of our center. New enclosures are always being worked on, so there is always something to help with in some way or another! We could have new rescues come in at any time, and you also may be lucky enough to experience a release to the wild – either of one of our rehabilitated animals or from one of our conservation breeding programs.

If you’re looking to get stuck in and really make a direct impact on endangered wildlife in the tropics, then this is the place for you! Volunteers do not need to have any prior experience with animal care, just a good level of enthusiasm and a reasonable level of fitness, as the work can be physically demanding.

We are situated on the edge of one of the largest national parks in Laos, making it the perfect place for some wildlife watching on your day off, whilst Laos in conveniently located between Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Myanmar, making it an excellent place to continue your travels around one of the most biodiverse places in the world.

About Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife

The Lao Conservation Trust for Wildlife was established in 2018, as the first all species rescue in Lao PDR. We will take on any species native to Laos, with the aim of rehabilitating and releasing animals to the wild wherever possible.

We work closely with the Lao Government to provide training to their officers to help facilitate safe and efficient rescues, and also with the local communities to educate them on issues surrounding the illegal wildlife trade, as well as providing income for the local area. Our overall goal is to reduce instances of the illegal wildlife trade in the future.

We run the countries only rescue hotline, where residents or tourists can contact us for free, 24/7 to report any instances of wildlife crime. We will collate the information, and report this to the government, liaising with them closely to help facilitate releases. As our organization grows, we are getting more calls and confiscations than ever, meaning we have to continually expand to be able to accept new animals.

In 2024 we moved into a new site, right on the edge of one of the largest National Parks in Laos. This move gave us the unique opportunity to design a conservation center from scratch, and enabled us to create enclosures that are focused on the rehabilitation of our animals, by giving them huge, completely natural forest enclosures to allow them to adapt to life in the wild. This is completely unique within this part of the world, and we have already had many examples of successful releases from these enclosures, including civets, pangolins, and tortoises.

Due to the move being unplanned and hurried, there is still a lot of work to do to finalize our site. Something new is always being built, and this gives each person - volunteer or otherwise - a unique chance to really make an impact on the future of conservation in South East Asia.

We are completely hands off here at LCTW, as we want the animals in our care to retain their natural instincts and fear of humans, which will ultimately benefit their survival once released. We ensure that each volunteer at our center is fully immersed in day to day life at our busy center, getting a thorough understanding of animal management skills in a safe environment.