South Africa Volunteer Experiences

Wildlife Sanctuary - Hartebeespoort

The Wildlife Sanctuary is home to a variety of orphaned, unwanted and ill‐fortuned animals. Almost 25 years ago the farm received their first needy animal in the form of a baby elephant named ‘Three’, whose parents were culled in the early elephant population control programs in Kruger National Park.

Through hard work, dedication, and an undying passion to the animals, the Wildlife Sanctuary has created a reputation for honest and caring conservation and animal activism. A variety of animals have been rescued and brought to the farm, including 2 tigers that would had ended up in a concrete zoo, a cheetah named ‘Bailey’ who was saved from unethical breeders, a leopard named ‘Selati’ who was raised by a golden retriever dog, and a variety of animals including lions, a hyena, 3 happy hippos, giraffe, zebra and of course a tame warthog named, ‘Pumba’.

The Wildlife Sanctuary is a hands‐on organization that believes that the animals’ rights and way of life is of paramount importance. We are not afraid to get our hands dirty to protect them and treat
them the way they deserve. The Wildlife Sanctuary currently focuses on a variety of different areas related to working with or working for animals. We have a strong filming department, game
department, and a conservation department. All three work hand‐in‐hand with one another and overlap considerably. We are constantly striving to improve and maintain all aspects of farm life for
both the animals and the staff.

Project highlights

Work hands on with the big cats such as lions, cheetahs and tigers
Walk with elephants
Assist animals that once had no hope
Learn about conservation and Africa’s wild animals
Live on a wild life reserve
Have your say on the animal life improvement projects
Most animals are tame so you can really have a true animal encounter

Project details

Project starts: every Monday
Location: Hartebeespoort , Johannesburg
Minimum duration: 2 weeks

Extra information

Most of the animals on the farm are tame and kept in separate enclosures as they are not able to be released into the wild.
The farm acts as a sanctuary for many abused and neglected animals, as well as raising young animals that their parents reject.
The farm helps sustain itself and creates further awareness for the animals by using the farm for filming.
The farm is unique in its design and activities.
There is a passion for all the animals and care is taken to ensure the health and safety of all the fauna and flora within.
The current aims include reviving areas of damaged natural plant life, establishing viable populations of indigenous animals that were once poached, and restoring the general area to its original pristine condition.
The area is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site and has a history dating back over 200 million years.
It is our duty to protect and preserve this history and all volunteer help would be greatly appreciated and targeted towards this cause.

Volunteer tasks

Volunteers will be involved in daily tasks related to ongoing projects that include:

The establishment of a safe feeding site for vultures and the building of a hide to monitor and study the activity of these birds
Anti-poaching fence patrols involving guided walks around the perimeter of the property to check for snares and mark areas of the fence which require fixing
Bush clearing and alien plant control. This involves the removal of plants that pose a threat to the natural fauna and flora found within the reserve
Road maintenance and erosion control
Animal welfare projects ranging from painting the elephant houses to building new enclosures for the lions and swimming pools for the tigers
Elephant walks and animal feeding

Working days

Volunteers will work 5 – 6 days a week.
Planning and reporting meetings are held every afternoon after work.

Volunteer requirements

CV/Resumé
Basic level of competency in English
Copy of return flight itinerary
Availability of position
Medium level of fitness

Accommodation

Volunteer house

The house is within walking distance to the main lodge in a 3 bedroom log cabin.
There is airconditioning, a fully functional kitchen, lounge and recreational area
2 – 4 volunteers in a room

Meals

Volunteers will receive 3 meals a day. These include:

Breakfast: self help breakfast of cereals, fruit, yogurt, toast & spreads
Lunch: self help lunch of breads, fruit, cold meats & spreads
Dinner: a hot meal will be served every night. These range from a traditional BBQ, stews, casseroles, fresh vegetable etc.
Tea and coffee will be available all day

Also note:

All dinners will include a meat, starch and vegetable
A generous amount of food will always be given so no one will go hungry
All other drinks will be at own expense
A refrigerator is available for volunteer’s personal food

Important reminder: Participants must advise SAVE of their dietary needs

Transport

Volunteers will be met at Johannesburg International airport and taken to the project
On project days the volunteers will be transported by safari vehicles. The vehicles are roadworthy and have all relevant licenses and liability insurance

Supervision / Co‐ordination

As the nature of the work varies we will place volunteers under the supervision of various staff members as explained in the itinerary.
We will have one member of our team assigned as “team leader” to facilitate the smooth operation of the volunteers stay and provide guidance where necessary.

Emergency & safety

All guides on the property are qualified in First Aid and are within 150m of the volunteer accommodation.
Each volunteer will have the emergency contact details of the nearest staff members and will be equipped with a house radio.
The nearest hospital is within 20 minutes drive of the lodge.