Volunteer Abroad Portugal: Animal Welfare

The minimum age required to participate in this project is 20 years. All volunteers must be fluent in English and/or Portuguese. In a working environment with abused animals, you need to be physically and mentally fit. Although the team supervises the work of the volunteers, a quick comprehension and the ability to work on your own is required.

The Natucate team is there to advise you before, during and after your trip. You will receive support in planning your journey, a risk coverage certificate and a detailed information package before you head off to Portugal. On-site, we will provide you with accommodation, and you will receive the necessary training for your work in animal welfare from the competent local team.

Please note that food, drinks and transportation costs are not included in the price.

Before travelling, talk to your doctor about possible risks and recommended vaccinations. Depending on where you travel from, no specific vaccinations need to be done in advance. However, it is generally advisable to consider the following vaccinations: Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR), Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria and Pertussis), Chicken Pox, Polio, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B and Rabies. For this project in particular, we strongly recommend you seek advice from a doctor about the tetanus vaccination, which is mandatory for this project. You can find more information/advice on the CDC website, for example. Authorities such as the Foreign Office in your country can also provide you with comprehensive travel and safety information.

You should bring a small first-aid kit with plasters, electrolytes, antihistamines, anti-diarrhoea medication and (head) painkillers. Additionally, you should pack a sufficient amount of medication you take regularly. It is required for all volunteers to have travel health insurance.

Yes, such insurance is a must.

We recommend that you pack suitable gardening gloves for the maintenance work, as well as a flashlight (or head torch). You do not need to bring any other special equipment. All necessary tools are at hand in the project.

We will send you a detailed packing list before your departure. Generally, it would be best to pack clothes that can get dirty. Permanent stains or damage to your apparel can occur. However, you will not need large quantities of clothes, as you can use the washing machine in the volunteer house. We advise you to pack comfortable shoes already worn-in in advance.

The project is offered for 13 or 27 days. You can stay longer than the 27 days, but you must always leave on one of the fixed departure dates. Feel free to ask your Natucate advisor about the options if you are interested in a longer stay. If you would like to stay longer than three months, our partner would like to see a CV and two references, as well as conduct a virtual interview.

You must plan your transport so that you arrive at your accommodation no later than 2 pm on the official start date. Please book your flight to Lisbon accordingly if you are arriving by air. If you are coming from overseas, you may need to arrive a day early and spend a night in the city (at your own expense). You can continue your journey from the airport by rental car or a combination of metro, train and taxi. Your personal Natucate consultant will help you organise these arrangements.

Once you arrive at the entrance of the property, you will be welcomed by a staff member. More volunteers may join on the same start date. Once all the new participants have arrived, the team will introduce themselves, give you basic knowledge about the sanctuary, and you will be given an orientation tour. After the orientation, you can take some time to get to know the other participants, get comfortable in your room and familiarise yourself with the surroundings. You will not be working on your arrival day. Your first shift will be the following day.

Normally you will spend your mornings looking after the animals and going out to all the territories where you and your team will clean, check water, food and how the animals are doing. There are some tasks that are only done once a week or once every two weeks (such as major clean-ups). Planting and maintenance can also be a task, but will vary according to need.

Usually your working day starts around 9h - 9h30. However, in summer, you may start earlier to avoid the hottest hours of the day.

Vet care is not required on a daily basis, but most of the time the vets come just to see the animals and not for procedures. The distribution of medication will depend on the animals, the type of medication, etc., but mostly it will be the staff who will take care of it.

The activities depend on the animals’ needs, the current demands of the shelter, the number of volunteers and unknown factors such as the weather. Usually, you will be involved in activities such as the following:

• cleaning of animal enclosures
• feeding animals
• socialisation of resident animals
• walking dogs
• Removing invasive species
• planting trees
• taking care of the flower garden
• property maintenance and repairs
• bush clearing
• forest maintenance
• deep cleaning of the volunteer accommodation is offered weekly, but volunteers will do their part

Up to 6 international volunteers at a time can work on this project. In addition, two staff members are on-site during the day. Occasionally, you will be supported by local volunteers who do not live in the volunteer house.

You will be living and working on a 27-hectare plot of land. This property also includes a forest area. The accommodation is relatively remote, but with your own rental car, you can be in the city of Santarém within 10 minutes, where you will find everything you need, including grocery shops, an ATM, a pharmacy and a clinic.

The comfortable volunteer house is equipped with fans (but no air-conditioning) to keep you cool in the summer and warm heaters for the cooler winter months. There are three different sleeping options: a single room, a double room and a shared room with two bunk beds. The double room is usually only occupied by one person or couples travelling together. In the shared space, all genders are accommodated together. The washing machine, the one bathroom and the kitchen are shared by all volunteers. The kitchen includes a fridge, stove, oven and microwave. The living room is also a shared space and offers a TV with a Netflix connection and games.

Please note: Staff will only sleep on some days at the sanctuary. Overnight, volunteers might be alone on the site, but have their own key to lock up.

You must be self-sufficient during your time on this project. Neither food nor drinks are included in the price. It is not recommended to drink tap water inside the volunteer house as it is not of proven drinking water quality. There is, however, a tap outside with drinking water available. You can order your food from an online supermarket and have it delivered.

A vegetarian diet is required. No meat or fish products may be consumed. All diets that take this into account are welcome. As you are responsible for your own diet, it is up to you to manage any allergies you may have. However, we do ask that you inform the Natucate team of any known allergies.

Both Portuguese and English are spoken on-site. You should be fluent in one of these languages to understand instructions and communicate with your team.

You have two days off a week. On your working days, you will work for 7-8 hours.

During the evenings and two full days off offer you plenty of free time. We recommend that you arrange a rental car to enjoy this free time to the fullest. However, getting around by taxi or Uber is an easily accessible alternative.

The city of Santarém, situated on a plateau, can be reached by car in about 10 minutes. Here you will be spoilt with a beautiful view over the valley of the Tejo. The Tejo is the largest river that flows through Portugal. In the city, you will find the “W Shopping” shopping centre, the “Mercado Municipal” market halls, and a historic old town centre covering almost 2 square kilometres. Try culinary delicacies such as “migas ribatejanas”, a tasty mixture of vegetables and bread, the regional wine or the exquisite olive oil from the local production. Santarém is the ideal place to immerse yourself in Portuguese culture during your volunteer stay.

The impressive capital Lisbon is also not far away. An hour’s drive will take you to this charismatic, lively metropolis situated on hilly terrain on the Atlantic coast.

If you prefer to spend your time on-site on the extensive grounds of the animal shelter, you can do that too. Even after working hours, you can spend time with the animals if you like. Train the dogs, cuddle the cats, or brush the horses. The animals will benefit from all the lovingly invested time in the later adoption process.

During the day, at least two staff members are on-site. At night, however, there is not always a staff member sleeping on the premises. If necessary, someone is always available by phone and can come by.

In Portugal, an EU country, you pay in euros. You can withdraw cash in Santarém. Standard credit cards are usually accepted. However, for smaller, local shops, you should have cash with you. We suggest you have 100 euros pocket money with you when you arrive.

For your groceries from the supermarket, you should budget about 50 euros per week. Although you can order a meal and drink in a restaurant for as little as 15 euros, you should plan on spending more money on food if you want to eat out.

Compared to European standards, taxis in Portugal are not expensive. A ride from the shelter to Santarém costs about 8 euros on average.

Don’t forget to factor in the cost of excursions.

Wi-Fi is available in the volunteer accommodation. You can therefore use WhatsApp or similar to stay in touch with your loved ones.

There are no roaming charges within the EU. This means that if your usual mobile phone provider is from an EU country, you can make calls in Portugal with your mobile phone at the same conditions as your standard domestic tariff. If this is not the case, you can get a local SIM card.

Santarém spoils you with warm temperatures all year round. From April to October, it is particularly hot, and there is hardly any rainfall. Temperatures can exceed 35 °C at this time. The warmest month is August. In November, you should expect an increase in rainfall. Although January is considered the coldest month, the average day temperature here is still around 13 °C. However, nights might cool down much lower. For those who want to avoid the intense heat, the winter travel season, with its pleasant temperatures, is particularly suitable.

Smoking is not allowed in the animal shelter except in the designated area. It is prohibited to consume alcohol during working hours. Outside working hours, alcohol should only be consumed in moderation, if at all. It is strictly forbidden to consume illegal drugs.

For animal emergencies, always contact staff. For human emergencies, you can contact staff for help. You can also call 112 for an ambulance or 808 24 24 24 (public health number where volunteers can explain their symptoms and someone will tell them what to do). There is a large public hospital within 10 minutes of the sanctuary and a private hospital also within 10 minutes of the sanctuary. Both have emergency services.