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You’ll be matched with your personal volunteer travel expert who’ll guide you every step of the way.
Meet Your Travel Expert
Receive your welcome pack with everything you need: arrival info, contacts, visa and insurance help, packing tips, vaccines, language basics, and so much more.
Get Ready to Go!
Choose your dream project and apply for free—no commitment, just excitement!
Pick Your Destination & Apply
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Once your dates are confirmed, pay your program fee—choose to pay in full or in easy installments.
Secure Your Spot
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Want to gain professional wildlife field experience in Costa Rica?
Our Wildlife Field Assistant Program in Costa Rica is a specialised, professional-level opportunity designed for individuals who are serious about wildlife conservation, scientific research, and ethical reintroduction practices. This immersive program places participants directly inside real-world wildlife rehabilitation and release research — not observation from the sidelines.
Based at Bosque Escondido, a wildlife refuge on the Nicoya Peninsula. This role focuses on the scientific methodology behind wildlife rehabilitation, soft-release strategies, and long-term post-release monitoring. Participants contribute to ongoing research projects that support long-term conservation outcomes and peer-reviewed publications.
This position is considered a professional field placement, designed for those seeking career-relevant experience to strengthen their CV. A minimum commitment of three months is required to ensure meaningful contribution and a full understanding of long-term monitoring strategies. Throughout the program, participants work closely with experienced biologists and conservation professionals, gaining direct mentorship and applied scientific training.
Field Assistants will specialise in either primates (including Endangered Spider Monkeys, Howler Monkeys, and White-Faced Capuchins) or psittacines (such as Scarlet Macaws and Critically Endangered Yellow-naped Amazon Parrots). This is a physically demanding, field-based experience involving early morning starts, hiking on uneven terrain, and working in a remote natural environment.
Work is structured around two critical phases of wildlife conservation: pre-release preparation and post-release monitoring. From intake and veterinary processing to behavioural assessments and long-term tracking, participants support every step of an animal’s journey back to the wild using evidence-based, ethical conservation practices.
This is not a casual volunteering experience — it is a rigorous wildlife field assistant role designed for those who want to build real conservation careers while contributing directly to the long-term survival of Costa Rica’s native species.
Key Activities Include:
• Assisting with intake, processing, and veterinary assessments of rescued wildlife
• Collecting biometric data, applying identification markers, and recording detailed observations
• Conducting quantitative and qualitative behavioural assessments to evaluate release readiness
• Identifying, collecting, and preparing species-specific wild forage for natural diet conditioning
• Designing and implementing evidence-based environmental enrichment programs
• Supporting pre-release conditioning such as flight training and physical skill development
• Monitoring released animals at feeding stations using systematic data collection methods
• Tracking breeding success and juvenile survival to assess long-term population sustainability
• Contributing data to ongoing research projects and peer-reviewed conservation studies
• Maintaining detailed daily logs of tasks, observations, and scientific findings
• Participating in weekly evaluation meetings and delivering a final presentation to staffThis program offers serious, career-defining field experience for aspiring conservationists, researchers, and wildlife professionals — combining rigorous science, ethical practice, and measurable impact in one of Costa Rica’s most important wildlife regions.
By volunteering on our Wildlife Field Assistant Program in Costa Rica, you will:
Gain professional-level, field-based experience in wildlife rehabilitation, reintroduction, and long-term monitoring.
Work directly alongside experienced biologists and conservation professionals in an active research environment.
Develop practical skills in scientific data collection, behavioural assessment, and evidence-based conservation methods.
Contribute to real research projects that support long-term conservation outcomes and peer-reviewed publications.
Specialise in either primate or psittacine conservation, working with endangered and critically endangered species.
Learn the full soft-release process, from intake and pre-release conditioning to post-release monitoring in the wild.
Build strong transferable skills in problem-solving, adaptability, teamwork, and field professionalism.
Strengthen your CV with meaningful, career-relevant experience in one of Costa Rica’s most important wildlife regions.
This is an intensive, hands-on field assistant role designed for those who want more than volunteering — it’s an opportunity to step directly into the world of professional wildlife conservation.
What to Expect: A Day in the Life of a Wildlife Field Assistant
Life as a Wildlife Field Assistant in Costa Rica is immersive, structured, and deeply hands-on. Days are shaped by the needs of the animals, the research schedule, and environmental conditions, so flexibility and commitment are essential. Here’s what a typical day may look like:
5:30–6:00 AM – Early Start & Morning Preparation
Field days begin early to align with animal activity patterns. After a quick breakfast, you’ll prepare equipment, review the day’s objectives, and head out with the research team.6:30–10:00 AM – Pre-Release Preparation & Field Assessments
Mornings often focus on pre-release work. This may include assisting with intake and health checks, collecting biometric data, monitoring behaviour within pre-release habitats, identifying and collecting wild forage, and supporting environmental enrichment or conditioning activities such as flight training.10:00 AM–12:30 PM – Data Recording & Habitat Work
You’ll log observations, update data sheets, and assist with maintaining enclosures or habitats. Accuracy and attention to detail are essential, as this data contributes directly to long-term monitoring and research outcomes.12:30–1:30 PM – Lunch Break
A shared lunch at the field station provides time to rest, discuss findings, and reflect on the morning’s work with the team.1:30–4:30 PM – Post-Release Monitoring & Research Tasks
Afternoons may involve systematic monitoring of released animals at feeding stations, tracking movement patterns, recording breeding activity, or reviewing camera trap data. Some days include supporting ongoing research projects or preparing materials for future releases.Late Afternoon – Wrap-Up & Team Review
Before finishing for the day, you’ll clean equipment, organise data, and review findings with supervisors. Daily logs are completed to document observations, challenges, and learning progress.Evenings
Evenings are quieter and focused on rest, study, or informal discussions with the team. Weekly group meetings provide structured feedback, guidance, and opportunities to explore topics of particular interest in more depth.Days Off
Time off allows for physical recovery and reflection, though many assistants use this time to review notes, develop research questions, or explore the surrounding environment responsibly.This is a true field-based research experience, requiring physical fitness, focus, and a genuine commitment to conservation science. For those seeking professional growth and real responsibility in wildlife conservation, this role delivers exactly that.
Your Impact as a Volunteer
As a Wildlife Field Assistant in Costa Rica, your work directly supports the ethical rehabilitation, release, and long-term survival of native wildlife species. This is not observational volunteering — your daily contributions feed into real conservation outcomes, scientific research, and evidence-based decision making that shape how animals are returned to the wild.By supporting both pre-release preparation and post-release monitoring, you help ensure that each animal released has the highest possible chance of survival and independence. The data you collect, the behaviours you assess, and the enrichment you help design all contribute to understanding what successful rehabilitation truly looks like.
You will:
Support the safe and ethical release of rescued wildlife back into natural habitats
Contribute to scientific data used to evaluate release readiness and long-term survival
Help preserve endangered and critically endangered species through evidence-based conservation practices
Strengthen long-term monitoring programs that assess breeding success and population sustainability
Support research that informs future rehabilitation strategies and conservation policy
Play a role in protecting Costa Rica’s ecosystems through responsible, science-led action
Every observation recorded, every habitat improved, and every release monitored strengthens the future of wildlife conservation efforts on the ground. Your impact extends beyond individual animals — it helps shape conservation practices that will benefit ecosystems and species for years to come.This is conservation work with real responsibility, real science, and real impact.
Your Home in Costa Rica
During your internship, you’ll stay on-site at the wildlife centre’s shared volunteer guesthouse. Set within lush surroundings and just a short walk from the rescue clinic, this accommodation is designed for comfort, connection, and convenience.
Rooms are dormitory-style, typically shared with 2–4 other interns or volunteers. Each room is equipped with beds, fans, bedding, and secure storage space. Shared bathrooms with hot water showers are located nearby, and the communal kitchen and lounge area create a warm social atmosphere for sharing stories and meals with like-minded changemakers.
The centre provides three nutritious meals daily, featuring a delicious mix of local Costa Rican flavours with vegetarian options available. Wi-Fi is available in designated areas, and laundry facilities can be accessed for a small fee.
Living on-site gives you the unique advantage of staying immersed in the rhythm of the rescue centre—waking up to the calls of tropical birds and falling asleep knowing you’re making a real difference.
This program is hosted at one of Costa Rica’s leading wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centres, located just outside of San José. Since its founding, the centre has worked tirelessly to rescue, treat, rehabilitate, and, whenever possible, release native wildlife affected by illegal trafficking, habitat loss, and human conflict.
With over 3,000 animals cared for annually, the organisation operates a full-scale veterinary hospital, an intensive care unit, and various specialised rehabilitation enclosures. Their multi-disciplinary team includes wildlife veterinarians, biologists, zookeepers, and educators who are passionate about conservation and animal welfare.
Their mission is to protect Costa Rica’s biodiversity through high-standard veterinary care, public education, and sustainable rehabilitation practices. Their vision is a world where humans and wildlife can coexist in balance—and every action they take moves us closer to that reality.
As a veterinary intern, you become a vital part of that vision, helping restore health and dignity to rescued animals while learning from professionals dedicated to ethical wildlife medicine.
Program Fees & What’s Included
This Wildlife Field Assistant position operates with a weekly contribution of €260, which helps cover the essential costs of living, training, and professional supervision while you take part in this research-focused conservation role.
Your contribution includes:
Accommodation in a shared room at the field research station or off-site volunteer guesthouse (fan and clothing storage provided)
Linens provided and access to laundry facilities
Three home-cooked meals per day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Utilities, Wi-Fi access, shared kitchen, social areas, bathrooms, and showers
Hands-on training and direct mentorship from experienced biologists
All internship-related materials and research resources
Ongoing supervision and professional guidance throughout your placement
A letter of reference upon successful completion (performance dependent)
Opportunity to use supervising biologists as professional references
Airport pick-up and drop-off (San José area)
Full support before, during, and after your placement
Welcome pack with useful information and insider tips
Domestic orientation and cultural immersion
100% Money-Back Cancellation Guarantee
So much more
This contribution is not just a placement fee — it’s an investment in professional growth, hands-on conservation training, and the long-term protection of Costa Rica’s wildlife.
Your Investment in the Wild Release & Yourself
This Program is a true investment in your conservation journey. You’ll gain practical experience in wildlife release animal monitoring, wildlife behaviour studies, and field research.
Whether you’re pursuing a career in biology or simply passionate about helping wildlife thrive, this opportunity gives you the tools, confidence, and impact to make a real difference.
Where You'll Be: San José Region, Costa Rica
Your internship takes place at a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre just outside of San José, Costa Rica’s dynamic capital. Nestled in a green, tranquil setting, the centre offers the perfect balance between peaceful immersion in nature and convenient access to city amenities. Within a short drive, you can visit waterfalls, explore nature reserves, or soak in the rhythms of everyday life in bustling local towns.
The centre’s central location also makes weekend adventures across Costa Rica easy and accessible—from cloud forests and volcanoes to Pacific surf beaches and Caribbean coral reefs. You’ll be right in the middle of it all, while staying rooted in a community focused on conservation, learning, and meaningful impact.
About Costa Rica as a Destination
Costa Rica is a country that truly lives and breathes biodiversity. Home to over 500,000 species—including sloths, toucans, jaguars, tree frogs, and tapirs—this tiny Central American nation has become a global leader in eco-tourism and environmental protection. Roughly 25% of the country is protected through national parks and reserves, and its strong conservation culture has made it a hub for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts from all over the world.
Expect warm tropical weather year-round, rich cultural traditions, and a strong emphasis on sustainability and community well-being. Costa Ricans—or Ticos, as they call themselves—are known for their warmth, friendliness, and the national motto Pura Vida, which translates to “pure life” and perfectly captures the spirit of this inspiring country.
Whether you’re exploring wild rainforests, learning from passionate locals, or enjoying a fresh coconut on a sunny beach, your time in Costa Rica promises to be as enriching as it is unforgettable.
Free time Activities
& Tours
When you're not busy helping animals heal, Costa Rica offers endless opportunities to relax, explore, and immerse yourself in its rich culture and breathtaking landscapes.
Here are just a few ways you can spend your free time:
Visit the Arenal Volcano and soak in natural hot springs
Take a guided rainforest hike to spot sloths, monkeys, and exotic birds
Explore the colourful streets, markets, and museums of San José
Spend a weekend surfing or sunbathing on the Pacific or Caribbean coast
Swim beneath hidden jungle waterfalls
Enjoy a local casado meal or fresh coconut water at a roadside café
Visit nearby wildlife reserves or botanical gardens
Join fellow interns for sunset walks and storytelling under the stars
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