Cheetah Tracking – Shamwari Conservation Experience

A quick update from last week on the Shamwari Conservation Experience.

Last week Konrad, Myself and our only two volunteers on the Shamwari Conservation Experience, Maizy and Kayla went to Rippons/Bayethe to find two male cheetahs. Anja, our monitoring person on the Reserve has not picked up their signal for 3 weeks and was scared that they are no longer on the Reserve or that the collar battery has gone plat. We set out early to look for them. We scanned with the telemetry all day, had to turn around at a point because the rain flooded a few roads and had lunch in the bush. We finally found them at the end of the day. Only picked up a close signal in the far corner of the reserve but it was too mountainous to get to them. A least we know they are still on the reserve.  This just goes to show that monitoring, even with equipment, is not always that easy!

Read more on the Shamwari Conservation Experience.

Work with Animals in Africa – The Perfect trip for Wildlife Lovers

More and more people are deciding to take extended leave in order to travel the globe and take part in exciting and meaningful projects. Whether it is a gap year between studies or in the form of a career break or sabbatical it is this time that people choose to discover the world beyond the realms of the normal tourist. If you are one of these people that want a little more than the regular beach holiday, then a wildlife conservation experience working with animals is an ideal trip for you.

Contribute to Global Conservation.

Conservation work with animals is a great way to put something back and contribute to wildlife conservation in a positive way. So not only is a conservation trip ideal for those animal lovers among you, it also helps to protect endangered species from extinction and thus maintaining these species for future generations. Although your time spent on a wildlife experience may only be relatively short your individual contribution is still an important cog in the worldwide conservation of wildlife. Not only this, but you will also return home with a new passion and understanding which you can pass on to friends, family and colleagues which helps to spread the word of conservation.

A great addition to you CV.

Taking a gap year or sabbatical used to be viewed as a waste of time, with many peers advising students to get out and get a job or continue with their studies. However in this day and age a Gap Year is often seen in a more positive light and can actually make a great addition to your CV. Now, a Gap Year sitting on the beach for six months may not be the best character building experience, however choosing to work with animals on a conservation project certainly will be. Many universities and possible employers are looking for hands on experience as well as just qualifications. By taking a gap year working with animals you may get the vital experience that will put you ahead of the competition, it will also prove your maturity to make the decision to partake on an ethical and responsible trip.

The Experience of a Lifetime.

This may sound like a cheesy cliché, but in fact it is almost guaranteed that a wildlife conservation trip working with animals will certainly be a truly life changing experience.

Many people who did not take a gap year or do not have the chance to take a sabbatical will often muse that “they wish they had done something like that”. Whilst you have the opportunity to travel the world and partake in some unique experiences you may as well do just that. Conservation work with animals in Africa will certainly introduce you to some incredibly exciting and unique experiences that you cannot find anywhere else in the world.

Not only do you return with many memories of amazing experiences you will also have the satisfaction of knowing you made a genuine contribution to global conservation.

So what are you waiting for, it must be time to start planning your wildlife conservation experience to work with animals in Africa.

Shamwari Conservation Experience – Coordinator Update – Feb ’12

We have definitely hit the ground running to start the year of with lots of animal and community projects on the go at Shamwari Conservation Experience.

It all started off with a family of four White Rhino that had to be relocated from our northern section of the reserve to the southern section of Shamwari Game Reserve, it was for security reasons that this small family had to be moved to an area that our anti poaching team can keep an eye on them and keep them safe from ruthless poachers. Luckily the students were there to assist  in the relocation and capture process because it is no easy task to move 4 Rhino luckily the weather played its part and the capture went very well.  They have settled into their new home nicely and are safe and doing well.

There were also 3 buffalo that had to be moved from our breeding camps to the holding pens where they will be introduced to a new Buffalo Herd for genetic diversity and we were all there to lend a hand in the capturing and transporting  process.

One of our new projects for the Shamwari Conservation Experience is to monitor what type of vegetation our Elephants are feeding, which entails us spending time with the herds and monitoring what they are feeding on and keeping a record of the vegetation types. in the future we will be able to know which is the preferred vegetation types that our Elephants are feeding on and the impact that will have on the vegetation for the future. We are looking forward to the results. There are plenty more exiting projects that we have or will be starting and i will keep you updated in the months to come.

Cindy’s Addo Old Age Home projects are still going very well and just last week  the guys were at the home being taught how to make African bracelets and necklaces which can be sold to make some money for the home. There veggie garden is still feeding the local kids a meal a day which is great to know.

We are looking forward to a fun filled year at Shamwari Conservation Experience with lots of new challenges and projects ahead.

 

Shamwari Conservation Experience – Coordinator Update, March ’12

It’s that time of the month again when I get to tell you all about the interesting and fun things that we and the students have been getting up to at Shamwari Conservation Experience.

We started the month of with the most amazing hike along the Sacremento trail which runs along the most beautiful sea front stretch in Port Elizabeth. Because of the spring high tide allot of rubbish from the ocean had been washed up onto the beach ,so we spent half a day walking along the beach picking up rubbish as we went, the weather was amazing and it gave our volunteers a chance  to appreciate out magnificent coast line.

The wild life centre is in the process of moving one of our breeding herds of buffalo from one breeding camp to another. This is a process that takes a while because the animals start to realise what is going on and tend to hide from us, but luckily we were able to outwit them and managed to dart 3 buffalo from the herd and will continue to try and dart the rest in the weeks to come.

Our big cat monitoring has been a great success this month with all our big cats giving us the most amassing sightings. We have had the privilege of spending time with a coalition of cheetah males and Sandile, our female leopard, has also been showing herself for us to update our monitoring data which has been really exiting

To keep you posted on what’s happening with our community projects at Shamwari Conservation Experience is that we have built a sand pit at the crèche which the kids are going to really enjoy. The paint has been purchased, thanks to a donation from Merist wood, and we will be painting the school soon. The students will each be given a wall and it will be up to them to be creative on there “canvas”. Look out for the pics next month.

There will more game capture in the next month so I will keep you posted on what’s happening. Some exciting times to come on the Shamwari Conservation Experience programme.

To read more on the Shamwari Conservation Experience Click Here

Kariega Volunteer Project – Photo of the Week

Some exciting updates from our Kariega Conservation project as the students have been assisting with game capture and relocation…extremely exciting!!

Kariega Game Reserve conservation volunteer, Ann Katrin, with a tranquillised blue wildebeest. This wildebeest was one of the animals that Kariega volunteers helped catch and load onto trucks to be sold during this weeks game capture.

Excess males are sold periodically and new specimens are bought in to diversify the breeding gene pool. Other species which the Kariega volunteers were lucky enough to have worked with included eland, zebra, waterbuck, kudu and blesbuck. Some of the darting is done from a helicopter, while other species are better suited to darting off of the Kariega volunteer vehicle. Game capture is a hands-on, exciting component of our Kariega Volunteer Programme, and we look forward to taking part in this every year!

Pumba Game Reserve Update – April 2012

A quick update from Pieter Dunn at Pumba Game Reserve, sounds like some nice sightings!

Yet another interesting couple of weeks, only like the bush can offer.

The sun is setting in the west over the ridge and just before it disappears completely the split lioness jumps up with the white male short on her heels. What are they doing? Where are they going? SQUEEEEELLLL!!!!!! Into a warthog burrow they go and before you know it they pull a warthog from under the ground, but what is this, for once the female does not go according to the normal behaviour and dominates the male on the kill. After getting a few hard hitting shots from the lioness the male decided to step aside and let the female go first. Luckily for him she is not as greedy as he is and leaves the carcass with enough for him to also get a bit of a taste.

A bit more of an unusual scenario played of as well when a Black-backed Jackal overpowered a massive Vlei Rat in front of a game viewer. Unlike the general consensus of jackal being mainly scavengers they actually only scavenge about 20% of their meals and will actively hunt the other 80% themselves. Their diet consists of a huge variety including rodents, birds, hares and even fruit.

The fish eagles are also doing us proud, with at least two sub adults already spotted on the reserve. It does seem like the mating pair as moved away from their long time nest across the lake from Pumba Water Lodge to a quieter stretch of lake around the corner, but at least it has not affected their breeding.

Hope you enjoyed the little bush buzz of the last couple of weeks.

Read more on Pumba Game Reserve

Hoedspruit Endangered Species Update – April 2012

The first week in April has was a busy one for all at Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre. Everything from new births, to moving lions, kept us occupied for the first few days of the month.

OUR NEWBORN

Licia, the assistant curator, was in the Centre one morning when she spotted a newborn sable calf. We believe that the calf is already about two weeks old! Sables have a gestation period of eight months, after which one single calf is born. The mother keeps the calf hidden for the first few days before bringing it out into the open.

THE ESCAPE ARTISTS

As many of you know, we have had our four sub-adult lions in quarantine for some time after they escaped from their enclosures. We worked very hard to fix the lions’ enclosure as soon as it was possible, and brought a veterinarian out to ensure that the escapees were safely moved back to their enclosure.

As seen in the photo, our internship student, Simon Mnisi, assisted with the operation. He is indeed learning a lot at the centre thanks to the US Friends of the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre.

MOMS TO BE

Last but not least, we have five of our female Cheetahs in the Maternity Ward at present. We have moved them out of their enclosures into a stress free environment, away from people and vehicles, and only the Curators Christo and Licia are allowed into the area. Cheetahs have a gestation period of three months, after which between two and six cubs are born. Here’s hoping that we have more King Cheetah cubs born.

Kariega Volunteer Update March 2012 – Justine, Volunteer Coordinator

This past month has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. As many of you will already know, on the 2nd of March Kariega Game Reserve was subjected to a vicious rhino poaching attack. One male rhino died on the scene, and the two surviving rhinos sustained horrific injuries. Themba and Thandi, as they were later named, were 3 and 6 years respectively. While Thandi (meaning ‘courage’) has improved with each weeks treatment, Themba (meaning ‘hope’) hovered between good and bad as a borderline case before dying on the 25th March. Themba had more internal damage than Thandi, due to the position in which he was lying during the attack. His face was not the underlying cause in his death, but rather tissue damage and infection in his leg injury. Data gathered both during and after his 22 day fight for survival will be valuable to any future poaching survivors, as we now have a better understanding as to what may be happening under the 2cm thick skin, which makes visible clues difficult to see. The post mortem confirmed that his injuries were in fact a lot worse than even the vet had imagined, but the valuable information gained during his ordeal ensures that his painful daily struggle was not in vain. Thandi’s face continues to heal and her behaviour is returning to normal, showing slow but steady psychological and physical recovery.

The volunteers jobs during rhino treatments varied from setting up drip bags, re-filling antibiotics syringes,  handing the vet surgical equipment, cleaning instruments, keeping track of the animals breathing rate, recording body temperature, and anything else that was helpful and needed.

Between all the bitter-sweetness of treating the rhino’s, there was still work to be done around the reserve. Two porcupines that were causing chaos in a vegetable garden, where trapped in cages and relocated to another part of the reserve. The Kariega volunteers also helped dart and load three sub-adult lions, who were being sold to a near-by breeding program. They were 2 males and 1 female which were being kicked out of the pride, and due to the limited range available to them they were sustaining injuries from the existing adult male lions. Therefore Kariega Game Reserve decided it was best to make alternative arrangements for them. In the wild, male lions of this age would naturally move out of the pride to forge their own territories.

We have also been taking advantage of the rainy weather and soft soil of late to plant some small trees around the reserve. This is in the hope of increasing our carrying capacity, and especially focussing on areas which had previously been alien invaded or suffered from soil erosion. The two species which we have been planting is Common Cabbage trees, which we propagated from seed, and Spekboom (or porkbush) a succulent that we plant cuttings of.

A few of the volunteers took advantage of the exciting weekend activities that are on offer in the surrounding areas. On 9th March three of our more adventurous Kariega Volunteers went sky diving in Grahamstown! We all had fun watching their DVD’s afterwards and seeing all the different expressions on their faces during their drop to earth. Other weekend activities included horse riding on the beach, and an exciting day to the Bathurst Agriculture Show. The Bathurst show takes place annually in one of our neighbouring towns and is a festive event filled with fun rides, flee markets, music, animal shows and the ever popular beer tent. It was nice for the volunteers to see what our local entertainment scene had to offer.

Hopefully during the month ahead we will have many more great animal sightings and exciting adventures, and most importantly that Thandi, the rhino, continues to go from strength to strength.

Read more on Kariega Game Reserve

Work with animals at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre

Do you want to work with animals but have a deeper passion for conservation and helping the more endangered wildlife species. The Hoedspruit Endangered Species centre in South Africa strives to conserve many of Africa’s endangered species, most specifically working with the majestic cheetah. The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre is part of an education facility and breeding centre which helps to sustain the population growth of certain species whilst educating people to the importance of conservation.

History depicts that cheetah once roamed freely through nearly all of Africa and some parts of Asia. Today, the range has reduced considerably to just protected areas of Africa and small pockets of land in Asia. This decline is mainly attributed to the fast expanding human population which has quickly developed to take over the native land of these magnificent creatures. It is this rapid loss of habitat that saw the cheetah being added to the endangered species list in the early 1960’s.

The attempts to ensure the survival of the species have been take since this time to firstly to conserve the free ranging populations and secondly to breed cheetahs in captivity. This is where Hoedspruit Endangered Species work with animals has become so important, and cheetah are now classified as “vulnerable” in Southern Africa.

Part of the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre’s mission is to teach about how man has affected the cheetah’s natural habitat. They do this by actively visiting schools and encouraging the pupils to understand the issues faced by the species through habitat loss and poaching. Life is difficult for the cheetah in the competitive environment of the wild. They have to contend with predators such as lions, leopards and hyenas, as well as the threat of rival cheetahs roaming into their territory. Cheetah’s hunting and eating habits also make it difficult for their survival, feeding only on fresh carcasses that they have killed and having eaten move on. Their co-predators, lion and leopard, will feed on the carcass of an animal they have killed for an extended period seldom leaving much for the benefit of the hungry scavengers that share their domain. Cheetahs must endure the ongoing struggle of hunting for food while protecting vulnerable cubs and the species must also face the narrowing of their territory by human influence.

So the question is how can you get involved and work with animals and assist with the incredible work that the centre does? Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre run a volunteer project for those interested to work with animals. The focus of the programme is on the cheetah, and during the course participants are involved with the everyday care of the animals. This care includes, cleaning, feeding, and where required, assisting with or observing any veterinary activities that may occur during that time. The same activities apply to other species being cared for at the centre. The knowledge gained about the animals and work of the HESC through this kind of participation is both specific and personal. The programme is largely based on the interactive involvement of participants, who in the process gain valuable knowledge of and experience in nature conservation.

Meet the Cheetah at HESC – Max

If you were to ask anyone who has been to Hoedspruit endangered species centre who their favourite cheetah is, the name Max would pop up most frequently. This purring Picasso has definitely captured the hearts of visitors, students and staff alike. At the tender age of three months, Max embarked on his career as a professional artist. His brightly coloured pawprint paintings – available at the Centre’s Curio Shop – now adorn many a living-room and office wall. With green, red, yellow, blue and orange paint all over his paws (and for some strange reason on his back too), this cheetah was clearly destined to become everyone’s blue-eyed boy.

At nine months old he was moved – along with his litter mates – to a much larger camp, where they were free to romp around and hone their hunting skills. Just before cheetahs reach sexual maturity, we separate the males and females in order to prevent them from mating with one another. To this end Max was moved to his very own enclosure.

Max’s new home quickly became a popular stop for guides taking guests on a tour of the Centre, as he is very easygoing and usually takes his naps close to the fence. The minute a vehicle pulls up he immediately starts purring, which is obviously a real treat for the visitors (although the staff never tire of hearing this either).

Max is easily recognisable due to his teddy bear face and dark coat, which is as a result of having a much higher concentration of melanin than usual. He has an extremely laid back personality, and whenever we call him he’ll approach nonchalantly. He is after all Hoedspruit endangered species centre’s VIC (Very Important Cheetah), so it stands to reason that he should not be hurried.

Max is only a year old, which is still very young (even in cheetah years). But while he still has a lot of growing to do, we’re positive that he’s well on his way to becoming a wise and independent adult. Max was adopted by Olivia at the beginning of the year. Click here to read more on Hoedspruit endangered species centre.