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Cheetah Reintroduction Project
South Africa Volunteer Placement
Options
- Full-time volunteer
- Internship
- Part-time volunteer
- Volunteer Only
The cheetah breeding and reintroduction center is based near Parys in South Africa (100 km south of Johannesburg). It is situated in a nature reserve, bordering the Vaal River. It is home to a large number of antelope species as well as giraffe and zebra. Work with the captive-bred cheetahs began in 2001 and over the past t years 20 cheetahs have been raised with 100% success rate. Due to the rapidly declining numbers of cheetah in the wild, we have realized that further action needs to be taken to address this crisis. The center aims to do this with a three-phase project, which will see cheetahs released into managed environments, which are closer to their natural habitat.
From July 2008 to December 2009 volunteers contributed over 5,500 hours to the development of the Cheetah Re-introduction Center. In that time we've maintained and improved the cheetah camps by the building of shelters and the construction and erection of panels which provide shade and protection. We have also implemented behavior enrichment projects to ensure the cheetahs are as happy and enriched as possible. We have created a database for each cheetah, recording their health, behavior and feeding patterns, which allows us to build up clear profiles on each one.
We have also maintained the roads and fences around the reserve, and regularly complete game counts to monitor the health and activity of the game on the reserve as well as starting an education project to educate disadvantaged school pupils in the local community. In time we hope to make this accessible to the entire nation.
Volunteers will be playing a vital role in monitoring and teaching our cheetahs (from the age of three months) to prepare them to hunt for themselves, so that we can realize our goal of seeing free-roaming cheetahs again. The aim of the program is to give you a deeper understanding of conservation and its importance in the 21st century, as well as giving you the incredible experience of interacting with our cheetahs on a daily basis. The volunteer aspect of the program has been running for nearly two years now and we have a maximum of 6 spaces available per month, providing you with the best possible experience by giving you plenty of interaction time with the cheetahs.
Work Schedule: Work about 7:00 am-5:30 pm six days per week, Sunday afternoons off. Closed mid-December to mid-January.
Location of Placements: Parys
Lodging: You will be staying in our specially designed volunteer house, which is very comfortable and cleaned on a regular basis. There are areas to relax and socialize in, and there is a TV and DVD player for watching films on as well as DStv (cable) television. We also have Internet on the volunteer computer, available at a small additional cost. Coffee, tea and juice are available throughout the day and snacks and cool drinks are also sold in our shop. We will provide you with a substantial breakfast as we believe this to be the most important meal of the day. Lunch will be a cold spread and in the evening you will cook communally from ingredients we provide.
Requirements:
- Minimum age: 18 years.
- Minimum commitment: 2 weeks.
- Minimum English level: High-Intermediate
- All participants must be in good health and able to carry out all duties required of them.
- A passion to learn, help, have fun and make a difference. It can be hard work, but it will be incredibly rewarding.
- Regardless of your dietary preferences, please note that you will be fully involved in the meat preparation for feeding (removing meat from the bone)
Important Things to Consider:
- Included in your fee is a wildlife safari experience at the world famous Kruger National Park (additional cost for less than 4 week participants)
- The Kruger trip is available on the following dates: 2/7-10, 3/10-13, 4/21-24, 5/23-26, 6/23-26, 7/23-26, 8/22-25, 9/22-25, 10/20-23, 11/2-24.
- The closest town is Parys, 10 km away. Trips are organized on your days off. The project is very rural, and there is no access to town other days.
- You will get 1 day off a week; there are activities such as river rafting and quad biking, which are available in the area for an additional cost.
Other Comments:
The maximum number of participants that this organization accepts is 6.
(Note: We don't know if positions are available until you apply.)
Pickup is strictly the 1st and 15th of each month, from the Avis desk at Johannesburg airport at 12 noon. If one arrives the day before, s/he will need to make their own arrangements to stay the night in J-burg and return for their pickup the next day.
Program Fees:
click here to return to South Africa Summary page with program fees
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