Elephant Conservation Volunteer Project, Sri Lanka
Organisation: WorkingAbroad Projects
Country: Sri Lanka
Type: Environment & Wildlife Conservation, Humanitarian & Community Development
Website: Find out more

Volunteers can join the Elephant Conservation project in Sri Lanka from 1+ week(s), where they will take part in varied types of work including:
- Elephant foraging transect (to gather data on plants elephants eat and their impact on various habitats and plant species)
- Elephant distribution and ranging, composition and population transect (gather indirect data on elephants, i.e. collect data on elephant dung and conduct direct observations of elephants when present).
- Human-elephant conflict surveys – visit village homes that had been raided by elephants.
- Carnivore Research – check remote cameras, download data, reload cameras and help set up new cameras.
- Electric Fence monitoring, repair and maintenance – walk the length of solar powered electric fences erected to protect villages and their fields.
- Community Development. Help farmers to take care of their orange groves, check for diseases and pests, dig holes to plant new orange plants, during the fruiting season help count fruits, harvest and sort them for sale.
- Monitor the Community Bus. Travel in the bus early in the morning and afternoon when school children are transported to school and home through the elephant corridor. Take data on the presence of elephants and their behaviour.
Long-term internships are available to those who are looking to do field work related to their studies. Interns can join from 3 – 6 months throughout the year.
All work of volunteers and interns takes place in Wasgamuwa National Park conducted alongside local staff. Min age is 18 years old, but families are also welcome, as well as groups.
For more details on how the programme works, dates, costs and how to apply, please visit our detailed project page here.