Animal volunteering abroad is the perfect opportunity for animal lovers who want to do something good while traveling. Here are several programs.

Leatherback Turtle Ambassador

Our main mission is to protect endangered sea turtles such as the leatherback sea turtle and the green sea turtle. By working with locals and environmental education programs, we will be able to educate people on the importance of protecting the valuable sea ecosystem.

Location: Limon, Costa Rica

Requirements: Age: 18-50; Language skill: basic English

Fee: 266€ per week

Wildlife Shelter Carer

Every year, hundreds of thousands of native animals are injured or become sick, often because of interaction with people or pets. Our wildlife shelters have rescued sick, injured native wildlife and loved them back to health to be returned to the natural environment. Since we receive no funding from governments, the shelters rely on the donations of volunteers and the public.

Location: New South Wales, Australia

Requirements: Age: 18-50; Language skill: fluent English

Fee: 706€ per week

Thai Elephant Sanctuary

Our program helps domesticated elephants rescued from a life of working on the streets or logging and provides care to rescued elephant population. The program has won numerous awards for its ethical contribution to the assistance of Thai Elephants. The team have rescued dozens of elephants and given them shelters in beautiful, open spaces.

Location: Phetchaburi province, Thailand

Requirements: Age: 18-50; Language skill: fluent English

Fee: 647€ per week

Force-free Horse Sanctuary Assistant

Are you passionate about horses and eager to make a positive impact on horse welfare? Join our incredible Force-Free Horse Sanctuary Program, where you’ll become part of a devoted team caring for our beautiful horses. Through positive reinforcement and force-free horsemanship skills, you’ll help improve the lives of these magnificent animals.

Location: Atajate, Spain

Requirements: Age: 14-50; Language skill: basic English or basic Spanish

Fee: 392€ per week

This fall marks a new beginning for the hundreds of students walking onto a small Midwest college campus, but it’s an especially memorable time for one family. It celebrates three generations starting the new school year together.

Samantha Malczewski, 19, said that when she learned her mom and her grandmother would be joining her and her younger sister Mia Carter, 18, at Carthage College this fall, her eyes were wide open.

“I was clearly already admitted, and Mia was also admitted. And then all of a sudden, they were like, ‘Oh, we’re going too,’” Samantha recalled. “I didn’t expect it.”

Mia said she had an inkling (略知) that their mom and grandmother were interested in going back to school.

“My great-grandma just passed away and I think my mom had the realization that your mom’s not always gonna be there ... and I think it’s just the fact of them simply going to the same classroom every day and just gaining another aspect of spending time together,” the freshman accounting and marketing student said.

Her mom Amy Malczewski had worked at Carthage College for the last 22 years. She said she “always” knew she wanted to enroll (注册) as a student herself though. “I have a little time now. I’m like, you know what, I should get that graduate degree I’ve always wanted. And Carthage has this amazing master’s degree in business and design and innovation, which is really in line with all the things that I love,” said Amy.

Meanwhile, when Christy Schwan heard of her daughter’s plan, she quickly realized they could set on the journey together. The 71-year-old had retired three years before. She said she was drawn to learning about change management.

Amy and Christy are now classmates, studying for master’s degrees in business, design and innovation. Both nontraditional students say they encourage their peers (同龄人) to go for it if they’re also considering going back to school. “My advice to anybody is just, life is so short and if there’s something that you’re interested in, and maybe you’re doubting yourself a little bit, put that doubt aside and just go for it,” Amy said. “Especially if you have somebody that can do it with you, I think it makes it even sweeter, right?”

Bird expert James Zook has been collecting records on nearly 430 kinds of tropical birds on farms and natural forests in Central America for 18 years. While birds do best in natural rainforests, Zook said some species usually found in forests can establish populations in “diversified farms”.

“In these diversified farms, you see growth over the long term in bird species with specialized needs, which include safe and protected areas from the sun for birds to build their homes and different kinds of food sources. Besides, that kind of farming is very different to industrial agriculture or agriculture where only one crop like pineapple or bananas are planted,” said Nicholas Hendershot in a recent study.

University of California environmental scientist Natalia Ocampo-Penuela, who was not involved in the study, notes that the research provides rare detailed data over a long period, demonstrating that diversified farming can support forest bird populations.

The study reveals that 75 percent of the 305 bird species found in diversified farms showed stable or growing populations over the study period. This includes birds like the collared aracari and members of the manakin family known for their complex mating dances.

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center scientist Ruth Bennett, although not involved in the research, said, “It’s a huge contribution to have documented that some birds aren’t just going there, but staying there and populations are growing.”

Increasingly, scientists say saving species will require paying attention to areas affected by humans, not just untouched areas. Ocampo-Penuela says that conservation efforts should extend beyond protected areas to areas where some species can live.

Like many young Chinese, Zuo had been raised from a young age to be “a good student”. As long as she followed the rules and worked hard, money and success would naturally followed. Zuo had followed the instructions to the_________. She aced exam after exam, winning a place at a prestigious college inBeijing. However, when Zuo sent out a sea of job applications , She didn’t just fail to_________her preferred role; she didn’t receive a single_________.

For Zuo, the failure came as a crushing_________. Being a high flier, she was emotionally unprepared for such a setback. She struggled with anxiety for months: unable to sleep,_________ by guilt, and feeling compelled to repeatedly apologize to her parents and teachers.

But the ordeal (磨难) has left a profound impression on Zuo. The former teacher’s pet has transformed into a passionate_________of what she calls the ”good student mentality.“ In January, Zuo set up a group on Douban named “Victims of the Good Student Mentality,” and it has quickly attracted a passionate following.

“Good students” like Zuo tend to be_________vulnerable (脆弱的) to mental health issues. Successive studies have found that high achievers are more likely to_________ anxiety, depression than the general population. This is because high achievers like Zuo often excessively rely on _________ validation (认可) to support their self-esteem, leaving them unable to cope with setbacks. Over time, students __________ the externa world’s evaluation criteria as their own standard for self-assessment.

It’s clear that a diverse range of young people can__________victim to the “good student mentality.” Luckily, in Chinese education system, there is growing __________that student anxiety is a serious problem. A teacher in Shanghai, surnamed Dong, tells that “the good student mentality” is becoming ever more prevalent, with well behaved, introverted children__________seeking praise and awards as a way to __________their self esteem. If they fail to meet the school’s incredibly high standards, there’s a risk that it will trigger an emotional __________.Hence, Zuo recently wrote a welcome message offering new members some advice: “Be kind to yourself; challenge the norms; treat yourself well.“ And, most importantly:” You can be a “bad” kid.

Edgar McGregor, a climate activist, spent hundreds of days straight picking up litter     1     (drop) on the roads in Eaton Canyon, which is part of the Angeles National Forest in southern California.

McGregor was committed to clearing up litter while     2     (post) his progress on Twitter. His Twitter account quickly rose from one     3     (follow) to more than 17,000! McGregor was motivated to start this journey by the news     4     Los Angeles would be hosting the Olympic Games in 2028. He thought the litter-infested (垃圾遍布的) forests would be a “national embarrassment” for the United States. He decided to start with cleaning Eaton Canyon since he lived close to it.

Many people are thankful     5     his work, as this area is now free of waste. Recently, McGregor     6     (public) announced that there was no longer trash to be found in the area. However, his work was not complete. He planned to go back there     7     (maintain) its clean condition.   

When asked about his experience, McGregor said, “    8     it was burning hot or pouring with rain, I would be out there for at least an hour every single day, cleaning up my area.” All of the recyclables he finds     9     (turn) in and the money goes to charity. Up to now, many     10     (organize), such as World Central Kitchen and rural schools in Uganda have received donation from McGregor.