Malawi: Zebra and waterbuck are being reintroduced to Kasungu National Park!

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in conjunction with Malawi's Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) has begun translocating zebra and waterbuck from Kuti Wildlife Reserve in Salima in central Malawi to Kasungu National Park in western Malawi. The first seven zebra (four mares and three stallions) arrived at the National Park on 08 July 2020. 
The reintroduction of zebra will bolster the population in Kasungu National Park to 21 animals, while the waterbuck will make up a founder breeding herd. These, together with the elephant population which has grown to more than 100 from the last 50 remaining in 2015, is bringing life back to Kasungu National Park's empty spaces. Leopard, wild dog, and lion have also been sighted back in the National Park after a long absence.

Kasungu National Park is Malawi's second largest National Park (240,000²-hectare). It is located west of Kasungu, about 175 km north of Lilongwe, extending along Malawi's border with Zambia. The National Park used to be home to over 1,000 elephants, herds of waterbuck, at least 500 zebra and quantities of buffalo and many other species. Decades of severe poaching and encroachment into the National Park decimated the once majestic herds to virtual local extinction. In early 2016, IFAW and DNPW started working together on an ambitious project to bring Kasungu National Park back from the brink. IFAW began to rebuild the infrastructure, train an effective and efficient wildlife ranger force and end rampant poaching of wildlife in the National Park. Through this partnership and great transformation, the Kasungu National Park is now a safe space for wildlife.

South Africa: All rhinos in Pilanesberg National Park have been dehorned!

The North West Parks Board, the governmental organisation responsible for the management of protected areas and public nature reserves in South Africa's North West Province, has announced the decision to trim the horns of all black rhinos and all white rhinos in Pilanesberg National Park. The dehorning of the animals has been done with the help of a veterinary services expert who arrived in Pilanesberg on 12 May 2020. According to a regarding press release, the motivation behind the the drastic measure of interventions was not only to save the species, but also to ensure that the "reward to poachers is reduced" and that "the risks to the poacher are increased". In addition the dehorning of Pilanesberg's rhinos, the North West Parks Board will also significantly increase the security efforts in the protected areas and public nature reserves under its management.
Pilanesberg National Park is home to one of the most important white rhino populations in South Africa and even the world. Both white and black rhino are adapting extemely well in the National Park and have been used to establish new populations across South Africa and neighboring Botswana. The rhino population of Pilanesberg National Park has been hit hard by illegal poaching for at least the past seven years. Over this period, the National Park lost at least 120 rhinos to poaching activities.

The Pilanesberg Nature Reserve (or Game Reserve, National Park) is situated 50km north of Rustenburg in the North West Province of South Africa and borders on the famous Sun City entertainment complex. The wildlife sanctuary has an area of 572 km² and accommodates virtually every mammal of southern Africa, including the Big Five. There are nearly 200 km of excellent quality roads for either self-drives or guided drives.

South Africa: Volunteer with endangered species during April 2012 and get 50% off

Country: South Africa
Location: KwaZulu Natal, South Africa wildlife reserves
Departures: Departures throughout the year, please enquire for details
Price: From €950 (GB £791) - €1,700 (GB £1,416) (14 days) excluding flights
Duration: 2 - 12 weeks

Get 50% off any time spent in the project during the month of April 2012!

click here to enquire or book >>

Price includes accommodation at the camp, all meals and training. Longer stays can be arranged from €750 (GB £625) per 2 weeks spent after the first 2 weeks.

Getting to the project is easy! You simply book an international flight through any airline you choose, arriving in Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo International Airport), and then book a connecting domestic flight (takes just over an hour) from Johannesburg to Richards Bay (our closest airport) where you can get picked up from. Other options include a flight to Durban and then by bus to Richards Bay or straight from Johannesburg to Richards Bay by bus.

The Endangered Species Monitoring Programme:

• We personally initiate, implement and manage the Endangered Species Monitoring programmes on reserves that don’t have the means to do so themselves. Our projects are located across 4 different and unique Game Reserves in Zululand, South Africa.
• Joining our project means that you can actively help endangered and priority wildlife species conservation by contributing towards some of the most exciting monitoring projects in Southern Africa. The reserves on which we work mainly focus on research into African Wild Dog, Cheetah, Black Rhino and Vultures; however Elephant, Lion, Leopard and White Rhino are also monitored.

Why volunteers join our team:

• We are the only conservation volunteer organisation in South Africa who are supported by and working with high profile organisations including the WWF and Wildlands Conservation Trust.
• We are also the only volunteer supported organisation to work on National Game Reserves, allowing you to experience the real African bush (other volunteer organisations work only on private Game Reserves).
• Because we are the only volunteer supported organisation to work across 4 different game reserves, you have the opportunity to work on multiple Reserves, depending on the length of your stay. If you stay for only 2 weeks, you will work on 1 Reserve, but for every additional 2 weeks you stay, the better your chance of experiencing another Reserve.

We only accept a maximum of 5 volunteers at a time one each of the reserves on which we work. (Unlike other projects that allow up to 15 on one reserve). We find this keeps the team small and efficient providing you with insights into real conservation work, and keeps you involved in all day-to-day aspects of monitoring, including where necessary:

• 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 when necessary for reintroduced/relocated animals.
• Periodically setting up camera traps at watering holes and game trails.
• Assisting with ongoing game counts.

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:

• Radio collaring of animals.
• Notching (identity marking) of animals such as Rhino.
• Night tracking excursions – for example Hyaenas.
• Relocation or re-introduction of endangered species.
• Vulture counts and nest surveys.
• Bird ringing & alien plant control.

At least once a week you will have a day set aside for administrative work (data capture and analysis), which is a vital part of the monitoring process, as this valuable information, which Wildlife ACT and our volunteers 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.

We are looking for people who want their contribution to be directly and effectively utilised in genuine conservation efforts. If you wish to be a part of a professional conservation team, and experience some of the most exciting conservation work in Africa, then you are the kind of volunteer we are looking for!

click here to enquire or book >> 

Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa - 25% off during March and April 2012

Country: South Africa
Location: KwaZulu Natal, South Africa wildlife reserves
Departures: Departures throughout the year, please enquire for details
Price: From €950 (GB £791) - €1,700 (GB £1,416) (14 days) excluding flights
Duration: 2 - 12 weeks

25% off during March and April 2012: They still have a few spaces open to join our Conservation team here in the heartbeat of Africa.

click here to enquire or book >>

Price includes accommodation at the camp, all meals and training. Longer stays can be arranged from €750 (GB £625) per 2 weeks spent after the first 2 weeks.
Getting to the project is easy! You simply book an international flight through any airline you choose, arriving in Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo International Airport), and then book a connecting domestic flight (takes just over an hour) from Johannesburg to Richards Bay (our closest airport) where you can get picked up from. Other options include a flight to Durban and then by bus to Richards Bay or straight from Johannesburg to Richards Bay by bus.

The Endangered Species Monitoring Programme:

• We personally initiate, implement and manage the Endangered Species Monitoring programmes on reserves that don’t have the means to do so themselves. Our projects are located across 4 different and unique Game Reserves in Zululand, South Africa.
• Joining our project means that you can actively help endangered and priority wildlife species conservation by contributing towards some of the most exciting monitoring projects in Southern Africa. The reserves on which we work mainly focus on research into African Wild Dog, Cheetah, Black Rhino and Vultures; however Elephant, Lion, Leopard and White Rhino are also monitored.

Why volunteers join our team:

• We are the only conservation volunteer organisation in South Africa who are supported by and working with high profile organisations including the WWF and Wildlands Conservation Trust.
• We are also the only volunteer supported organisation to work on National Game Reserves, allowing you to experience the real African bush (other volunteer organisations work only on private Game Reserves).
• Because we are the only volunteer supported organisation to work across 4 different game reserves, you have the opportunity to work on multiple Reserves, depending on the length of your stay. If you stay for only 2 weeks, you will work on 1 Reserve, but for every additional 2 weeks you stay, the better your chance of experiencing another Reserve.

We only accept a maximum of 5 volunteers at a time one each of the reserves on which we work. (Unlike other projects that allow up to 15 on one reserve). We find this keeps the team small and efficient providing you with insights into real conservation work, and keeps you involved in all day-to-day aspects of monitoring, including where necessary:

• 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 when necessary for reintroduced/relocated animals.
• Periodically setting up camera traps at watering holes and game trails.
• Assisting with ongoing game counts.

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:

• Radio collaring of animals.
• Notching (identity marking) of animals such as Rhino.
• Night tracking excursions – for example Hyaenas.
• Relocation or re-introduction of endangered species.
• Vulture counts and nest surveys.
• Bird ringing & alien plant control.

At least once a week you will have a day set aside for administrative work (data capture and analysis), which is a vital part of the monitoring process, as this valuable information, which Wildlife ACT and our volunteers 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.

We are looking for people who want their contribution to be directly and effectively utilised in genuine conservation efforts. If you wish to be a part of a professional conservation team, and experience some of the most exciting conservation work in Africa, then you are the kind of volunteer we are looking for!

click here to enquire or book >> 

Kenya: International Vulture Awareness Day (03 Sept 2011)

Kenya celebrates the International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) on 03 September 2011 by showing the diversity of species, illustrating their critical role in the environment and focusing on their main cause for their widespread decline, poisoning with pesticides. Dr Richard Leakey makes a personal statement regarding his own experience in witnessing the decline of vultures and highlights the need for governments to tackle poisoning issues seriously, otherwise the future of vultures is certain.



International Vulture Awareness Day is a global event with awareness campaigns in the America's, throughout Africa, Europe, Asia and the far East. Vultures have declined as much as 95% over South Asia and India because of the side-effect of diclophenac a pharmaceutical drug meant to relieve pain in livestock. Wind turbines and electricity lines are proving to be another serious hazard for vultures all over the world. Habitat removal and disturbance also play major roles in their declines. Vultures are one of the most beneficial animals due to their "clean-up" work and removing carcasses that would otherwise rot and encourage disease. In Kenya vultures play a vital role in not only wildlife health but in the pastoral livestock rearing lands and in community public health. Join us in celebrating the vulture! [via wildlife sentinels / wildlifedirect]

Okavango Delta: at least 11 wildlife species are in serious decline

According to an article published in the online edition of the South African Mail & Guardian, the wildlife population in the Okavango Delta in Botswana is under serious thread.
The Botswana Department for Wildlife and National Parks and Michael Chase and Kelly Landen of Elephants Without Borders found out that at least 11 species in the Delta are in serious decline. The scientists of Elephants Without Borders compared aerial surveys dating back to 1993 with recent surveys undertaken by them and found out that:

• wildebeest numbers have shrunk by 90%
• giraffe numbers have shrunk by 65%
• tsessebe numbers have shrunk by 83%
• lechwe numbers have shrunk by 58%
• zebra numbers have shrunk by 53%.
• warthog numbers have shrunk by about 80%
• roan antelope numbers have shrunk by about 80%
• ostrich numbers have shrunk by about 80%

Michael Chase and Kelly Landen also found out that from 1999 to the present the running average for total species decline is about 61%.
It appears unclear what exactly is causing the catastrophic decline, but it seems that the shrinking numbers of wildlife in the Okavango Delta is a result of "a complex mixture of local causes", including human encroachment, game fences and poaching. Another factor could be fire. Much of the area surveyed in the late dry season of 2010 was burning.

Why traditional wildlife conservation seems failing and what we can do to fix it!

Traditional wildlife conservation seems to be failing (eg see: Africa: National parks hit by mammal declines), biodiversity loss is continuing, the species we've set out to protect are more endangered than ever etc.. To sum it up - it has to be done something!
Dr Alan Rabinowitz is one the few conservationists who keeps on addressing the problems and who is giving actual solutions on how to get back on the course of successfull wildlife conservation at the same time. Rabinowitz is the CEO of Panthera – a nonprofit conservation organization devoted to protecting the world's 36 wild cat species, and one of the world's leading (and most charismatic) wildlife conservationists.

• In Myanmar, his work led to the creation of five new protected wildlife areas; 
• in South America he opened up the the world’s first jaguar sanctuary – the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve (Belize); 
• in Thailand, he conducted the first ever radio telemetry research on Asiatic leopards, Asian leopard cats, and civets, leading to the designation of the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. 
• There are way more projects he started that led to new protected areas, National Parks, preserves etc. Have a look on wikipedia for more.

Anyway, Treehugger.com's Brian Merchant met Dr Alan Rabinowitz for an interview recently and filmed it. In the interview (see videos below) Rabinowitz explains why he thinks that the traditional model of wildlife conservation is failing and what his ideas are to fix it!

Volunteering: Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa - 25% off for late availability in October

Endangered wildlife conservation in South Africa >>
country: South Africa
location: South Africa wildlife reserves
price: from €950 (GB £788) - €1,700 (GB £1,410) (2-4 weeks) excluding flights
Price includes accommodation at the camp, all meals and training. Longer stays can be arranged from €700 (GB £580) per 2 weeks spent after 4 weeks.
The organisation has got a few spots that still need to be filled in October - join them any time before November and get 25% off the usual price for the wildlife experience of a lifetime. Click here for more info/booking about the project!

Volunteer projects in Southern & Eastern Africa >>

accommodation in South Africa >>

travel insurance >>

Sabi Sands & Kruger Safari Holiday in South Africa

country: South Africa
location: Kruger National Park, Sabi Sand Game Reserve
departures: Available throughout the year. Standard departures on the first and third Wednesday of every month. This trip can also be tailormade usually at no extra cost.
price: From R 25,900 (GB £2,222) (14 days) excluding flights
[currency converter]

more info & booking >>

offers: Discounted 14 day African Wildlife Safari. ZAR 23,200. Start dates for this special offer 2nd or 16th of November 2009!

Experience the difference with a wildlife conservation safari. We are seasoned professionals, bringing you a balanced African safari. Enjoy an authentic game viewing and birding experience beyond that which is available elsewhere. Become involved in conservation projects at the exclusive Paperbark Bush Retreat (home of the Ingwe Leopard Project). The bush retreat lies in a non malaria zone at the heart of a lush hidden valley with waterfalls, mountain streams and an abundance of birdlife and indigenous game.

Accommodation comprises a main lodge and spacious bungalows designed with a mixture of African and colonial styles, dominated by an ancient Paperbark tree. For over 25 years the our staff have been associated with wildlife conservation projects. We founded the Ingwe Leopard Project and are regularly engaged in large predator research. Our guests are afforded the opportunity of becoming involved in monitoring leopard and other wildlife behaviour via GPS tracking and camera trapping (motion activated digital cameras placed along game trails). These activities give a wonderful insight into the world of real life conservation.
We've designed this 14 day safari package to enable our guests to become involved, and experience African wildlife rather than just view animals. We balance game viewing with time for some R&R, to create a unique and authentic African experience. The schedule can be tailored to suit your requirements (normally at no extra charge) and extra days can be added on a pro-rata basis.

more info & booking >>
volunteer projects in Southern Africa >>
Kruger National Park safaris >>