Where the wild things are
Seven volunteer opportunities to work with undomesticated animals

A VISIT TO the local Humane Society will flush out any number of adorable and cuddly critters ideal for human companionship, but what if you've got a taste for the untamed? Certainly, purchasing a tiger or a lemur is possible – as well as time-consuming, expensive, and unethical. Here, then, are eight places in the Bay Area where you can satisfy your need to commune with nature as a volunteer. Contact them to see if your skills and/or interests meet their needs.

1. Aquarium of the Bay The aquarium at Fisherman's Wharf will bring you face-to-face with electric rays, leopard sharks, and a giant Pacific octopus. Volunteers assist guests in viewing, touching, and learning about the S.F. Bay's marine life – as well as assisting with research and observation of the aquarium's residents. Pier 39, Embarcadero and Beach, S.F. 1-800-SEA-DIVE, www.aquariumofthebay.com.

2. Coyote Point Museum Wildlife habitat aides help clean animal facilities, prepare food, and offer medical care as needed at this San Mateo museum, which is home to foxes, river otters, birds, honeybees, and more. Aides also learn to handle birds and serve as wildlife interpreters while displaying animals to visitors. 1651 Coyote Point Dr., San Mateo. (650) 340-7580, www.coyoteptmuseum.org.

3. Doc Quack's Wildlife Volunteers Under the auspices of the East Bay Regional Park District, Doc Quack's Wildlife Volunteers are sent to various parks to enhance habitats, capture and release, remove nonnative species, and monitor and care for birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. They also handle species inventories and breeding programs. 2950 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakl. (510) 544-2319, www.ebparks.org/volunter/volunter.htm.

4. Lindsey Wildlife Museum Volunteers help orphaned and injured native California wildlife recuperate at this Walnut Creek rehabilitation center, which treats more than 6,000 wild animals yearly. Rehab team members work with crows and ravens, birds of prey, bobcats, mountain lions, and small mammals at the wildlife hospital and in the museum exhibits. 1931 First Ave., Walnut Creek. (925) 935-1978, www.wildlife-museum.org.

5. Marine Mammal Center If your tastes run toward sea-faring life forms, consider helping out this Marin Headlands nonprofit, which works with more than 800 volunteers a year. MCC's mission is revitalizing sick, injured, and orphaned marine mammals on California's coast and introducing them back into the wild. The center trains volunteers in rescue and rehabilitation work as well as preserving the animals' ocean environment. 1065 Fort Cronkhite, Sausalito. (415) 289-SEAL, www.tmmc.org.

6. Oakland Zoo Interns and apprentices provide the backbone for animal care at the Oakland Zoo, which makes for a fairly tactile volunteer experience. Interns assist in day-to-day upkeep of the inhabitants and their homes, feeding and cleaning up after species from Asia, Africa, and Australia. Apprentices work on enriching the animals' lives and preventing stress and boredom by providing exhibit improvements, novel toys, and innovative feedings. 9777 Golf Links Rd., Oakl. (510) 632-9525, ext. 141, www.oaklandzoo.org.

7. Steinhart Aquarium The dwelling place of more than 600 varieties of fish as well as reptiles, amphibians, and black-footed penguins, the California Academy of Sciences' aquarium opens May 1 in its new location in downtown San Francisco. Docents monitor exhibits with live specimens and bones and scale samples or work behind the scenes helping maintain the tanks. 875 Howard, S.F. www.calacademy.org/aquarium.