Making a Difference:
Endangered Wildlife
Monitoring
Operates:
Duration:
Includes:
Excludes:
Experience level:
Notes:
Accommodation:
Scheduled dates below from Durban
17 days / 16 nights
Transfers, accommodation and expert guidance
Meals as indicated B=Breakfast L=Lunch D=Dinner
Meals and services not indicated in itinerary, drinks, gratuities, personal
expenses, laundry.
None required – participants are guided and tought
All trips are led by experienced guides and are fully supported.
Other than a hotel in Durban at start and finish – team self catering
accommodation is provided in the game reserves.
We are proud to announce our partnership with a
research and conservation project in KwaZulu-Natal,
monitoring endangered and keynote species. You are
Making a Difference, as you get directly involved with
some of the most exciting endangered and priority
species conservation work in the heartbeat. Working
with a professional team (who are supported, amongst
others, by WWF) in national wildlife reserves, you will
be monitoring endangered animals like the Cheetah,
African Wild Dog and Black Rhino, and priority species
with a high ecological impact like Elephant, Lion,
Rhino, Hyena, Leopard and Buffalo.
An outline of the experience:
Day 1:
Arrival at Durban’s King Shaka International Airport,
where you will be met and transferred to Durban’s
beachfront and your hotel. Rest of day at leisure.
Overnight: Tropicana Hotel, Durban.
Day 2:
You will be transferred from Durban, to the meeting point for your Endangered Wildlife
Monitoring experience – refer information below.
(BLD)
Day 3 – 15:
At the Endangered Wildlife Monitoring project busy
with a variety of conservation and monitoring work
involving endangered wild animals.(BLD)
Day 16:
Your last day at the Endangered Wildlife Monitoring
camp. If you would like a longer Wildlife Monitoring
experience, this must be arranged prior to your
arrival and your itinerary will be adjusted
accordingly. You will be collected and transferred
back to Durban, Where your hotel is at Durban’s
popular Gateway entertainment and shopping
complex. After two weeks in the ‘bush’ you will
probably enjoy being able to enjoy the restaurants
and shopping which are across the road from your
hotel.
Overnight: City Lodge, Umhlanga Ridge. (B)
Day 17:
Your last day in Durban. You will be transferred to
Durban’s King Shaka International Airport for your
departure flight. (B)
WHERE WILL I WORK?
The Zululand ecosystem is among the most diverse
and productive wild lands in the world, yet amid its
gallery of wildlife, conservation efforts face
tremendous challenges. Some of these challenges
include: rapid encroachment and fragmentation of
natural habitat; poaching; insufficient research and
inadequate funding for monitoring and research;
coupled with the occurrence of many endangered
species. Zululand makes a dramatic backdrop to this
initiative. It is a place of unspoilt beauty with
cultures as diverse as its landscapes. Zululand is a
rare place where age-old cultures and traditions live
hand-in-hand with modern culture, living and
conservation efforts.
This takes place across 5 very different safari
reserves in Zululand. Depending on your start date,
and the duration of your participation, you may work
at any, numerous or all of the safari parks. Each
reserve is different in that the vegetation varies and
different species of animal occur on each.
The opportunity to work on multiple reserves
depends on the length of your stay. If you stay for
the minimum (2 weeks), you will work on only one reserve, but for every additional two weeks
you take, the better your chance of experiencing another wildlife reserve.
WHAT WILL I DO?
You will assist the wildlife monitor in all day-to-day
aspects of monitoring, including (where necessary):
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Daily tracking and locating of priority species
wildlife in the wild, from an open 4x4 vehicle,
via radio telemetry.
Mapping the sightings using GPS equipment.
You will be taught how to use the equipment.
Observing animal behaviour (e.g. wild dog pack
dynamics) for research purposes.
Photographing and creating identity kits (for
recently reintroduced/relocated animals).
Periodically setting up camera traps at watering
holes and game trails.
Assisting with ongoing game counts if needed.
Depending on how long you join our team for and the
time of year you visit, you could be fortunate enough
to participate in one of the following activities, which
occur strictly as and when the need arises:
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Radio collaring of animals.
Notching (identity marking) of animals such as
Rhino.
Night tracking excursions – for example
Hyaenas.
Animal Call-Ups (for example Lion)
Relocation or re-introduction of endangered
species.
Vulture counts and nest surveys.
Bird ringing & alien plant control.
We cannot guarantee what activities will be happening
over the time you are here; you will help out in these
cases where the Reserve Management staff identify a
particular need. As mentioned, the primary function
of our teams is to provide the vital monitoring service
for these reserves, and that does take up the majority
of our time, as tracking the animals can be a timeconsuming task!
Each Reserve has a different focus in terms of the
work being done. While the project does plan and
follow basic schedules, the nature of the work being
done dictates that the animals and their environment
are our number-one priority, and therefore our
schedules may at times have to be altered due to
unforeseen circumstances or incidents within this wild
and dynamic environment.
A TYPICAL DAY
Volunteers leave camp at dawn (just before sunrise),
seated on bench-seats on the back of the open 4x4
tracking vehicle. The team will locate the endangered species animals that the wildlife monitor
has earmarked for the morning, using radio telemetry equipment that receives radio signal from
the collars which are fitted onto the priority species animals. Once the team has successfully
sighted the animals, you will observe them for as long as necessary, record the data and then
move on the next animal/species on the daily monitoring schedule.
Each day you will have free time during the midday
period when it is hot and most animals are inactive
(resting in the shade). During these few hours over
the midday period you are welcome to read, sleep,
eat, play cards or board games, or simply enjoy the
animal and bird activity within and around your
accommodation.
If you would like to contribute in some way to the
maintenance of the accommodation camp itself you
are most welcome to do so – please let us know if you
are “handy” with tools and would like the opportunity
to contribute in this way, and we will alert your
monitor to the fact that he/she may have some help
thanks to you!
You head out again on the vehicle between 2-3pm to
follow up on those animals which were not located in
the morning. You should be back in camp shortly after
sunset, to start preparing supper and sit around the
fire listening to the sounds of the bush and discussing
the day’s events. Usually you will be in bed early, but
on some nights volunteers may go out to track species
like Hyaena, which are active at night.
At least once a week, you will have a day set aside for
administrative work (data capture and analysis). This
is a vital part of the monitoring process, as this
valuable information, which we gather, has numerous
management applications, including the planning of
successful introduction and removal strategies of
priority wildlife species, as well as supplying
information to the local conservation authorities.
WHO CAN JOIN THE TEAM?
Anyone from the ages of 18 to 70+ is welcome to
join; there is usually a wide mixture of ages within the
participants joining us, and we do our best to place
participants of similar ages together where possible,
as we find that this best facilitates group cohesion.
All you need is a basic grasp of the English language,
an enthusiastic attitude and open mind, and the
passion to make a difference. All training and
supervision will be provided, so no prior qualifications,
skills or previous experience are required. We only
accept a maximum of 5 volunteers at any given time
on each of the reserves on which we work. We find
this keeps the team small and efficient providing you
with insights into real conservation work.
WHERE WILL I BE LIVING?
Each camp is situated within the reserves on which we work. The accommodation is basic but
comfortable, with electricity, running warm water and flushing toilet. (Please note that, this being
Africa, electricity and water supplies can at times be unreliable!) A bed, mattress, pillows and
bedding are provided, but please bring your own towels. The accommodation is provided in twin
rooms so you are likely to have to share room with another participant during your stay. There is
a separate shared toilet/shower and kitchen, an outside seating and dining area, as well as a
barbecue area where you can sit by the fire under the stars. (With the absence of artificial light,
stargazing at the reserves is phenomenal!)
Some camps are partly fenced but some are not, so
you can expect visits from Baboons, Monkeys,
Antelope, Bushbabies, Elephant and Hyena on
occasion. For this reason please remember it is very
important to always use torches when moving around
the accommodation at night, and to NEVER leave the
immediate camp area on foot when it is dark! It is also
important to note that no-one is allowed to walk
around within the reserves on their own (for example
leave the accommodation camp for a walk) unless you
are accompanied by a ranger who is qualified to deal
with dangerous game on foot.
The camp has a communal kitchen where everybody
joins in to prepare their meals. Everything you need is
provided including an oven, stovetop, microwave, solar
cooker, and of course a fire, to cook on. Most of the
time participants take turns preparing meals, or one
person becomes the "chef" and the others help with
chopping, peeling and cleaning. Basic food items are
provided for within our food budget, enough for 3
healthy meals a day, including fruit. As far as possible,
the project tries to be environmentally friendly, for
example we do not buy tinned tuna, and we try to use
game venison instead of commercially produced beef where
possible. We do provide for vegetarians; please make us
aware of your needs before you arrive. Drinking water at the
accommodation is of a good quality, but you are welcome to
purchase bottled water at your own expense.
Each visitor will also be responsible for helping with general
camp cleanliness and maintenance. This is a very important
part of bush life, as an untidy / dirty room or kitchen is an
invitation for all sorts of creatures to invade it. Some camps
have washing machines to wash clothes, but if not, a tub with
laundry detergent is provided for hand-washing your clothes.
WHEN CAN I JOIN?
2015
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04 or 18 January
01 or 15 February
01, 15 or 29 March
12 or 26 April
10 or 24 May
07 or 21 June
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05 or 19 July
02, 16 or 30 August
13 or 27 September
11 or 25 October
08 or 22 November
06 December
Rates are subject to Change and Exchange Fluctuations
Making a Difference: Endangered Wildlife
Monitoring
1 Oct – 31 Dec 14
1 Jan – 31 Oct 15
Cost per additional 2 weeks
(Updated 07 Jan 2015)
17 days / 16 nights
Currency
Per Adult Sharing
from / to Durban
from / to Durban
from / to Durban
ZAR
ZAR
ZAR
20 090
21 470
11 700
Inspirations Travel & Tours
Email: info@inspirations-travel.co.za l Tel: +27(0)31 266 0030 | Fax: +27(0) 31 266 0255
Inbound: www.africaninspirations.co.za l Outbound: www.inspirations-travel.co.za
9 Kensington Drive, Westville, 3629 l PO Box 1166, Westville, Durban, 3629, South Africa