Be a Hero to Animals

Do you love animals? Would you like to help improve the lives of animals in your community? No matter how old you are or how much time you have to offer, there are a number of ways in which to help animals and have a bit of fun at the same time. Here are just a few ideas of things you can do to be an animal hero in your community:

Adopt or Foster a Pet

There are millions of animals in shelters across America just waiting to be adopted. Adopting a pet can be an extremely rewarding experience. In fact, most people think of their pets as members of the family. However, pet adoption should be carefully considered and taken seriously. Before you adopt, be sure that you are willing to commit to the animal for the duration of its life. If you're not ready for such a commitment, becoming a foster parent to an animal may be the best choice for you. Fostering involves providing a temporary home and possibly veterinary care for an animal that is waiting to be adopted. Finding a permanent home for the animal may take weeks, months or longer, so keep in mind that fostering requires at least a short-term commitment. Fostering is also a great way to get to know an animal before deciding to adopt permanently. Whether you foster or adopt, providing a loving home is one of the best ways to be a hero to animals.

Get Started Now:

Adopt a pet

Next: Be a shelter helper and rescue a horse

Shelter Helpers

Another great way to help animals is to volunteer at a local animal shelter. Nearly every neighborhood in America has an animal shelter that takes in homeless animals. These organizations always need help. For example, you could volunteer to groom, walk and play with abandoned pets, take photos of pets for the adoption boards, or provide transportation for animals that need to see the veterinarian. Animal shelters also host fundraising and adoption events, which are a great way to meet other animal lovers and to spread the word about the need for additional support. Considering that most rescued animals are brought to shelters, volunteering at a shelter is a great way to be an animal hero.

Get Started Now:

Find a local shelter

Horse Rescue

Horse rescue farms are places that take in abandoned, neglected or abused horses. These farms provide a safe and loving environment for horses and help them to be adopted by loving families or to simply live out their lives in peace. It’s a kind of horse retirement community. Horse rescue farms always need volunteers. Help is needed to groom and care for the horses as well as their stables and tack. Some of the other jobs done by volunteers at horse rescue farms include exercising and training horses, marketing and fundraising to support horse adoption, and fence and barn maintenance.

Get Started Now:

Find out about helping horses and how horses help people!

Next: Create a habitat for wild animals

Wild animals need suitable habitat and basic resources to survive. As human development expands into natural areas, it becomes harder for wild animals to find such habitat. There are some easy and fun things you can do in your neighborhood, at your school, or in your back yard to help.

Create a Wildlife Habitat

Wildlife habitat projects aim to provide the basic necessities of life to wildlife; food, water, shelter and a place to raise young. Creating habitat for wildlife doesn’t require a lot of time, money or special training. In fact, it can be an afternoon activity for the entire family or for a group of friends. Also, because wildlife habitats are a restoration of the natural environment, they generally don't need upkeep once they are created. Creating a habitat for wildlife is a great way to be a hero to animals. It’s also one of the easiest and most fun.

Start by finding a place where you can create your wild space. Some good choices include your back yard, an unused part of your school's grounds, or a field or community garden in your neighborhood. Then, learn what animals live in your area and how to attract them. Keep in mind that the types of wildlife that occur in most urban or suburban neighborhoods include birds, butterflies, frogs, toads, turtles and other small animals such as rabbits and squirrels.

The next step is to decide what type of wildlife habitat to create. One idea is to plant a native garden. Native plants provide such things as nectar for hummingbirds, pollen for bees, nesting materials for birds and squirrels, and shelter for amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Building a nesting house for birds is another great habitat idea. If you want to attract amphibians, try creating a backyard pond. Or, you could build a wildlife brush pile to provide shelter for reptiles, birds and small mammals. Once you've decided on a location and the type of habitat you want to create, all you need to do is build your project. All of the examples mentioned above are easy to construct and will provide you and your family with endless opportunities for observing wildlife.

Get Started Now:

Step by step projects from Animal Planet's Backyard Habitat

Next: Volunteer at the zoo and/or animal hospital

Is the zoo the place for you?

If you love wild animals, volunteering at your local zoo is a fantastic way to be an animal hero. Not only do zoos provide a great opportunity to learn about exotic animals in a safe environment, they are wonderful places to make friends. Most zoos offer a wide variety of volunteer programs to choose from, all of which are great ways to help wild animals.

Animal Hospitals

Animals at the hospital may need some extra love and care. Find out how you can help animals at your local animal hospital.

Get Started Now:

Find an animal hospital near you!

Conclusion

Volunteering for pets and wildlife is a very important job. Animals are sometimes innocent victims of human activities and they need our help. If you love animals, become one of the many dedicated heroes working to improve their lives. Not only will you help animals in need, you are sure to have fun and make friends along the way.