Wildlife Research and Conservation Project

	The Wildlife Research and Conservation Project in South Africa is a hub of conservation and animal re-introduction efforts in the Great Karoo basin. As a volunteer you will work on ongoing wildlife research and management projects as well as assist with community development and environmental education programmes. Come get your hands dirty in a unique South African bush experience!
Minimum Duration:	2 weeks	Cost:	From R5000 per week
Where?	Great Karoo Basin, South Africa	Age:	18 years and older

Overview

Day to day activities
You will be part of the running of this enormous reserve and help with the conservation activities and researches that concern cheetah’s, aardvark and vervet monkeys.

What’s included
Accommodation, all meals, drinks (excl alcohol), coordination, transfers.

What’s excluded
Flights, visas, insurance, personal luxury items, alcoholic beverages

Accommodation
The volunteer camp offers single or shared rooms, a communal lounge with TV and limited internet, a fully equipped kitchen and a location in the African bush!

Requirements
Love for animals, to be outdoors and conservation. You need to be physically fit because you will have to walk for an extended time.

Working Hours
Flexible, but we rise early most days to make the most of our days and avoid the heat.

Nearest town
Graaff-Reinet is 40 km (Eastern Cape)

Guaranteed
Experiencing the African Bush, tracking cheetahs on foot, working and living close to nature and learning about all the things it has to offer!

About

This project is located in the Great Karoo, a landscape of immense plains and dramatic mountains. Prior to European settlement 200 years ago, great migrations of springbuck, black wildebeest and eland passed through this area. Fenced farming relegated these migrations to the story books, and denuded the land. This reserve is now pulling up the fences, rehabilitating the land and reintroducing the game, in an attempt to return this land to its former glory. The volunteer programme offers you the opportunity to contribute to this ambitious and worthy cause and experience the incredible and unique landscape of the Great Karoo.

You will leave the Wildlife Conservation and Research Project with a deeper understanding of the bush, as well as with useful skills and techniques used in current scientific research, conservation and wildlife management. We also hope you will leave energized by the experience of living so closely with nature.

Location

The reserve is situated in the Eastern Cape, 260 kilometres from Port Elizabeth on the coast. This is also where the nearest airport is located. The environment provides a home for a vast quantity of animals and vegetation, truly a feast for the eyes.

Guidance and supervision

The volunteer project is run by a young South African couple who are passionate about nature and who love to share this passion with others. They both have Honours degrees in Zoology and Environmental Science. The coordinators live at the volunteer camp and are there to make your stay comfortable, interesting and fun.

Tasks

The projects you will be involved in as a volunteer or gap year student will include management and rehabilitation efforts, which involve hands-on reserve work, as well as research projects requiring data collection and analysis.

Cheetah predator-prey research

The cheetahs introduced in this reserve were the first wild cheetahs in this area in 125 years. Currently the prey preferences of the cheetah is investigated, the results will be used to determine how many cheetahs the reserve can support. This research requires tracking radio collared cheetahs from a vehicle and on foot by using telemetry sets.

The behavioural response of prey (like the kudu and hartebeest) to the presence/ absence of predators such as cheetahs is also of interest to the project. Therefore you, as a volunteer, might spend an afternoon observing these animals, to see how long the animals are looking out for predators instead of being occupied with eating.

Aardvark project

Aardvark are secretive, nocturnal animals that play a very important role in arid ecosystems. Very little is however known about this peculiar animal. In April 2011 an Aardvark behavioural physiology research project was initiated in collaboration with Wits University, Johannesburg.

Tracking academy

The reserve is home to a tracking academy run by one of only two Master trackers in South Africa. The volunteer programme allows you to accompany the tracker students for a day in the bush. Learning about the bush from one of the most knowledgeable men in South Africa is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Reserve management

This forms a large component of your daily activities as a volunteer and you will really get to know your way around all 27 000 hectares of the reserve. Some of the activities you may be involved in during your stay are:

Animal movement and population demography research
Land rehabilitation

Invasive alien vegetation control

Game captures and introductions are periodically scheduled to ensure that the correct sex ratios are maintained and the game stocking level is sustainable in the long-term. Witnessing the suspense and intensity of a large game capture is an amazing experience and a great opportunity to see these beautiful animals up close and personal.

Vervet monkey research

These small primates belong to a group of monkeys more commonly associated with the forests of tropical Africa. Yet, not only do they survive in the harsh Karoo environment, they positively thrive! This has drawn scientists from around the world to the Karoo to investigate the key adaptations these monkeys have made to survive in an environment not commonly associated with them. As a volunteer or gap year student you will be given the opportunity to learn about their research and accompany the scientists in the field, getting very close to these intriguing little monkeys.

Community outreach

Conservation also means acknowledging the people that have lived in this area for generations. The volunteer programme has developed a good relationship with a Safe Haven located in the nearby town of Graaff-Reinet. We occasionally arrange environmental education and fun days at the reserve for the children of the Haven.

Other activities

Hiking and camping. The mountainous landscape is ideal for hiking and camping! Spending time disconnected from society and without everyday luxuries is a very liberating experience and one of the best ways to get to know the bush.
It is possible to see a bit of the surrounding area on weekends, and through a local tour guide you can take a trip to the ocean, Addo Elephant National Park, river rafting or a cultural tour

Why?

This project in this unique and fascinating part of Africa will leave you astounded with the animals, insects, plants and all that make this complex ecosystem work. The mountains and plains offer views that are breathtaking and that will provide you with memories that last forever.

Because of the love and dedication of both the management and the coordinators, you will learn such a wide variety of interesting facts about the bush that you’ll join a game ranger course next time!

Accommodation

During your stay you will be living in the volunteer camp. The rooms are comfortable and may be single or shared with one other volunteer; depending on numbers (there are facilities for a maximum of eight volunteers or students). We happily cater for couples or friends travelling together. There is a fully equipped communal kitchen and meals are cooked by volunteers and coordinators in teams. Furthermore there is a homely relaxing area with couches, limited internet and TV, as well as an outside braai (BBQ) and fire pit overlooking the mountains, where many evenings are spend, relaxing and socializing after a day in the field. In summer volunteers are able to swim in the nearby dams and river pools.

Monday to Friday are working days. The times of activities differ in summer and winter but usually the programme consists of a morning and afternoon activity. Weekends are free time where volunteers can relax and recuperate, visit the local town or organize trips to our beautiful east coast (about 2½ hours drive), where there are endless beaches and fun coastal towns.

Fees and Dates

We offer a 2, 4, 8 and 12 week programme (longer stays can be arranged). Because the majority of our projects are research based, we like to keep a group together for a minimum of 2 weeks. This gives us enough time to provide all volunteers with relevant training. Longer stays will be more beneficial to both us and you as a volunteer, because the longer you stay the more competent you become as a researcher. You may also find that it takes a while to adjust to the bush and find your feet. We want you to really make a connection with the bush and animals and by the end of your stay feel that this was a significant and rewarding experience in your life. You also receive an accredited certificate acknowledging the skills you have acquired and your contribution to conservation at Samara.

2 weeks – R10 000

4 weeks – R15 000

8 weeks – R29 000

12 weeks – R43 000

The price includes accommodation, food, transport on the reserve and transport to the reserve from Port Elizabeth airport and back at the end of your stay. Flights and medical insurance are NOT included. Additional spending money will only be required for personal items (alcoholic drinks, sodas, sweets, toiletries and curios) and excursions away (meals at restaurants in town or weekend)

An extra booking fee of R500 is required if you need Khaya to arrange transfers, accommodation and bus tickets as well as external travel arrangements. This fee lets Khaya handle your travel arrangements completely.

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When is the project starting?

2011 start dates:

May 27, Jun 24, Aug 5, Sept 2, Oct 14, Nov 11.

2012 start dates:

Email us for the new dates!

Gallery

Testimonials

Veerle – The Netherlands

"My trip to the Wildlife Conservation Project was the biggest experience I’ve taken so far. It was my first visit to Africa, my first time 7 weeks away from home, my first step into the big world by myself.

When I was sitting on the plane, I was thinking to myself: What am I doing? What if this is a big mistake? What if...????

Then I met the coordinator at the airport. She made me feel welcome the first time I saw here. The trip there was awesome! When you go into the Karoo, you see the nature changing. But I liked it. Then I met some of the other volunteers. They just came back from some land rehabilitation and looked exhausted. I was still thinking that I was in over my head. Then my 6 weeks of volunteering started. I didn’t know what to expect. When I saw my first kudu, gemsbok, eland, rhino, giraffe, I knew why I was there. I learned so much about nature conservation and about how a private game reserve works, and how many people work behind the screens. This gives you another perspective when you think about a game reserve in Africa. It’s not always ‘milk and honey’ at a reserve, it’s about hard work and kind of playing God.

I learned a lot about nature, but I learned so much more about myself. This experience has been an eye-opener for me in so many ways. And I think everyone should have this kind of experience in their lives once. Sometimes it was a very hard experience for me, but I felt at home and the coordinaters helped me in so many ways.