Get trained as a skilled volunteer to help conserve the wildlife of South Africa on this well established conservation program

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Program Overview
Life on the Program
Project Details
Volunteer Testimonials

Program Overview

Joining an international team of volunteers you will collaborate with GVI on critical conservation research and witness some of South Africa’s most amazing wildlife such as the leopard, hyena, lion, cheetah and elephant.

Your role as a hands on memeber of this expedition will be to collect behavioral patterns of the reintroduced predators and larger herbivores located on a private game reserve. To properly train you on this work you will be taught to use modern research equipment to aid in locating predators, as well as large animal tracking and identification techniques, and behavioral studies.

Each day you will reflect on your work while watching vibrantly colorful sunsets, and sleep on the reserve blanketed with the stars of the African sky. During the days you will work with qualified Field Guides and take some time to explore the surrounding areas.

Scholarships

We are always looking for enthusiastic and dedicated people to join our team. This expedition offers qualifying and high-performing volunteers the chance to stay on the expedition for a longer duration on a GVI Scholarship free of charge and as part of the staff team in the field. If you would like to work towards a field career and make the very most of your time abroad, you might want to work towards a place on a GVI Scholarship. Successful scholars may find themselves offered full time employment with GVI, and many of our current staff have come through this route. Contact us for more information!

Please note, the awarding of scholarships is at the sole discretion of GVI and may be offered immediately after the completion of your program or at a later date.

Life on the Program

Responsibilities will vary, but a typical day will involve tracking the wildlife out on the reserve, conducting research from your vehicle. You will generally venture out during the cooler times of the day such as at dawn and dusk when wildlife is more active. Your research focus will primarly be on leopards, lions, hyena and cheetas but you will also have the chance to monitor other wildlife such as elephants.

If you are not out on a game drive you will refer to the daily schedule for your assigned duty. This can be data entry or helping with duties around camp such as cooking.

Accommodation is basic but comfortable, situated deep within the game reserves, which contain dormitory-style sleeping arrangements, bathrooms, a kitchen and an outside social area.

On this Expedition you will

Learn new skills, including mammal and bird identification, tracking, ecology and bush first aid
Live on a game reserve in the heart of the African bush, where you can be woken by a dawn chorus and sent to sleep by the roar of lions
Witness nature in its simplest form, having the opportunities to watch a lion kill, a newborn cheetah cub play or a stand-off between two elephants. In the African bush you can never tell what you will find just around the corner!
Participate in community outreach days teaching schoolchildren the importance of conservation
Have a chance to enjoy the surrounding areas and activities, including visits to local reptile parks and animal sanctuaries,
Increase your knowledge of the South African environment, its importance and the threats to it, and help to increase both local and global knowledge and awareness
Develop a baseline and holistic understanding of all aspects of the bush
Undergo training to carry out extensive radio tracking and monitoring of all the collared predators on the reserve
Get to know animals on the reserve individually and following their progress
Meet with our partners, the reserve managers and other members of the broader conservation and research community

Project Details

The details of this program are subject to change due to weather conditions, time of year and wildlife movements but a typical expedition will include:

Detailed monitoring of predators (lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena).

Analyzing herbivore sex/age ratio data to see how it effects predator movement.

Vegetation monitoring is completed by surveys covering Elephant impact on area vegetation are also carried out, to note their impact on sensitive areas of the reserve.

Other activities and ecological studies include darting/fitting radio collars to predators, invasive vegetation and species eradication.

Community projects are available when visits to the reserve are organized for local school children and we plan fun and interactive lessons to teach them about the importantance of conservation.

How this program makes a difference:

GVI spends up to 12 hours a day collecting data on large predators such as lions, leopards and cheetah. The information gathered is used to give an accurate picture of the predators impact on prey populations, determine social structure, genetics, and spatial movement. This vital information helps maintain a healthy balance of these natural resources and ultimately conserve some of Africa’s important ecosystems.

Volunteer Testimonials

A few of my favourite encounters include a visual of Zero, the male lion, with his zebra kill. One evening we spotted a hippo making her way into the water and grunting at another hippo to keep it...

Tess Hill, USA

A few of my favourite encounters include a visual of Zero, the male lion, with his zebra kill. One evening we spotted a hippo making her way into the water and grunting at another hippo to keep it away from her baby. Also saw a herd of elephants playing together in a huge mud bath.

Community days are incredible! It’s very gratifying to spend time with the local school children. The kids were so excited and had a blast. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to participate in this wonderful adventure. GVI is a phenomenal organisation.

My highlights? Taking part in wildlife conservation and the feeling that your work had a part to play in the aim of the expedition. The close experiences with the amazing wildlife was incredible. The...

Craig Daly, Ireland

My highlights? Taking part in wildlife conservation and the feeling that your work had a part to play in the aim of the expedition. The close experiences with the amazing wildlife was incredible.

The program was everything I imagined it to be and more, meeting new people from all over the world is another incredibly influential factor in choosing another GVI expedition, just an amazing, life changing, all round experience.