The nature of the work includes partly wildlife rehabilitation with a little veterinary ongoing treatment (if needed by the animal patients) and partly care work with animals.
There are two main sections to this project
Assisting in the Awareness Centre
To fund the rehabilitation work and to raise awareness of the conservation issues in South Africa, the centre offers small group programs throughout the day with a focus on providing a conservation-based, informative tour.
The awareness centre homes captive-bred ‘ambassador’ animals used for education and awareness purposes, which is vital to conservation efforts. Note: This should not be confused with a ‘breeding centre’ (which has no conservation value) as no breeding takes place.
The work you’ll be involved with at the Awareness Centre could include …
Animals include lions, leopard, servals, caracal, African wild cats, meerkats, water mongoose, and a variety of indigenous birds! Many of the resident animals are ex-pets that have been confiscated due to a lack of paperwork and are too human habituated to be released into the wild.
Assisting in the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre and Clinic
This area of the rehabilitation centre is not open to the public. Here you’ll be able to assist with much needed care for the animals in the unit which includes a pelagic bird and animal section as there are often rescued turtles and penguins that are brought in by the public.
Your duties could involve the following:
You’ll work 6 days on and 1 day off per week, however, although an additional day off a week can be requested. Please let us know if you have any specific skills, studies or qualifications related to wildlife or veterinary medicine
The project work is with some of the most unpredictable factors around animals, nature, weather and people. In fact the best saying around here is “the most predictable thing about our work is its unpredictability…” Because of this it is very difficult to get an exact outline of a day in the life of a volunteer.
For those that speak foreign languages, we would love you to assist if we need a translator and help with social media and marketing is always appreciated
We put the animals and their needs first but as a “Guideline” we can say a day might look something like this…
07:00am – The day starts. Everyone meet up at the Rehabilitation centre for the daily briefing and go through what needs to be done for the day.
7:30 – 9:00am – Start with animal feeding and enclosure cleaning in the morning. This means you will be assisting the staff to feed various animals between the awareness centre and the rehabilitation facility. Exactly what animals will depend on, what is in for treatment and the schedule of the in-house animals in the awareness centre.
9:00am – Tea and coffee break
9:30am – Food Preparation and General duties which are usually any issues noticed in the morning that need attention. If there is nothing urgent then the list from the previous day is referred too
12:30 – 2:00pm – Break for a long lunch due to the early start to the day
2:00 – 16:30pm – General duties: Any tasks that need addressing – these could be things like fixing a small hole in an enclosure fence, removing a tree that’s fallen over, painting an enclosure, working on long term projects and general stuff that happens around the project. There may be animals that need medication or new rescued animals brought in throughout the day that need housing or attention.
Lastly the afternoon feed and animal checks. Then its time to lock up all the gates and say goodnight to all the animals.
16:30pm – Time to relax around the fire, catch up with the family or take an afternoon walk through the forest. Remember that things change constantly and the first focus is on the animals but we also want you to be comfortable and ENJOY the experience, make some memories, friends and lasting ethical practices for the future.
The onsite volunteer accommodation is very comfortable and beautifully furnished in a scenic setting beside a dam. It is probably our most luxurious volunteer accommodation. Depending on the volunteer numbers, rooms are shared or single ensuite with a little outside patio to relax and read a book. The dining room and TV area is shared with permanent staff as is the kitchen. There is also an outside patio with a pizza over, boma (firepit) and braai (BBQ) facilities. At night one can hear the nearby lion roar which is an experience on its own
Private and couples rooms are available but there might be a surcharge depending on volunteer numbers
Laundry, Wi-Fi and satellite TV are included.
Wildlife Rehabilitation & Veterinary experience
Help with wildlife awareness and life-saving care, feeding, treatment and rehabilitation of rescued injured, sick and orphaned animals at a rehabilitation centre
$463/week
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