Bat Rehabilitation Caretaker

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Recruiting Organization: Bat Conservation & Rescue of Virginia

Help save bats! Bat Conservation & Rescue of Virginia (BCRV) is an all-volunteer organization that provides care for orphaned, injured, and displaced bats. We are located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia between Harrisonburg and Staunton. We are a short half hour from James Madison, Eastern Mennonite, and Mary Baldwin Universities and Blue Ridge Community College and a mere fifteen minutes from Bridgewater College. BCRV volunteer positions are ideal for degree-seeking students to gain hands-on experience with wildlife, for wildlife enthusiasts to gain a more in-depth understanding of wild species than from field observation alone, and for anyone interested in natural history or bat conservation to contribute to the preservation of rapidly declining bat populations in Virginia.

Bat Caretakers support bats in rehabilitation and our education ambassador bats with day-to-day care. Bats in care make up the majority of our work, and they need your help. Duties include daily health checks, food preparation, cleaning enclosures, laundering bedding, training for ambassadors, and supporting medical care and training programs. In summer, volunteers may be invited to assist with orphan feeding. On the job training is provided, and periodic virtual or in person group training sessions will be assigned. Volunteers commit to a weekly 2-3 hour shift, and are welcome to come more often as space and workload permits. Hours are flexible, especially during summer orphan season. Please note--All days are available for shifts. The listing says weekends, but we had to pick either weekday or weekends and couldn't pick both.

Candidates must be 18 years of age and have rabies vaccinations and proof of acceptable titer (rabies is not a routine childhood vaccination; military, global travelers, and wildlife workers may already be vaccinated, but most people are not). Working quarters are tight and require stooping and climbing small step ladders. Some duties occur outdoors in uneven terrain and low light. COVID vaccination is mandatory, as are masks and gloves, in order to protect bats from potential disease transmission. A state issued Category 4 wildlife caretaker permit is required by the Department of Wildlife Resources; BCRV will assist volunteers with procuring permits.

Ideal candidates will have some previous animal handling experience, preferably with wildlife or exotics. We look for people who are willing to take direction and learn new things, and we get very excited about people who don't mind working alone once training is complete.

Stipend ProvidedFalse

Training ProvidedFalse

Housing AvailableFalse

Language/Cultral Support AvailableFalse

Wheelchair AccessibleFalse

Fee RequiredFalse

Fee Amount: None

This opportunity is recurring