HANDS-ON WORK WITH OVER 400 DIFFERENT ANIMALS AND
BIRDS ... AND LOTS OF MONKEYS! This excellent project is based in a beautiful
Rehabilitation Centre
in KwaZulu-Natal.
As a charity organisation there are always more mouths to feed
than hands to feed them, so every helping hand is greatly appreciated by this
project. Volunteer
duties and responsibilities are linked with level of experience so there is
something for everyone, from feeds to assisting nurses in the clinic, to grounds
work and the building of suitable enclosures, to assisting in rescues and
releases.
SPECIALS: Combine 1 month working with poor children at
eMakhosini Zulu
Community with 1 month on this Wildlife Rehabilitation project -
Price: £2,295
NEWS! This project has been featured in
3 episodes of Wildlife SOS on Animal Planet. As one of our
volunteers said,"Thank
you to all of you for the wonderful work you do and for your
dedication – you make such a difference. The story of Shumba and
Savannah had me in tears – I have never managed to understand the
hunting industry in general, but this canned business is disgusting! And
we humans are meant to be civilised – yeah right! But how wonderful the
cubs look now though! Hopefully, through Animal Planet, many more will
now know of your organisation and here’s also hoping, many more will
assist you with your excellent work!"
This project is based in a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in KwaZulu-Natal.
It is a wildlife hospital that cares for injured and orphaned wild animals and
birds, and is the only centre of its kind in the Province. Any wild animal, (not domestic or
agricultural), that has been injured, rescued or abandoned, is admitted free
of charge. Almost 90% of animals admitted to the Centre, have sustained
injuries due to human negligence.
It takes time and dedication to
rehabilitate these animals and to prepare them to be re-introduced in their
natural environment. Some animals' injuries are so severe that they cannot
be rehabilitated and therefore become permanent residents at the Centre. The
Centre also has a public education programme that serves to spread awareness
of these animals' plight.
This is a superb project. Here your work with the animals
has the direct result of improving their quality of life, of "rescuing" them
from death or a life of misery. On this very worthwhile and necessary Project, your work will
assist in hand-rearing, feeding and looking
after the monkeys and the many other species in the Centre
."Adjacent a nursery enclosure teems
with baby vervet monkeys, wide-eyed, chattering and clinging to one another
for comfort. They are all orphans. When they are first brought to here,
volunteers have to act as their surrogate mothers, 24 hours a day, until
they are old enough to go to “creche” and eventually into a troop structure.
One of the baboons next door, having suffered brain damage after being
battered by some insensitive human from its past, sadly stares out at
nothing, scratches its tummy and rocks its head, twitch-like, as a result of
that cranial injury. He may not be that lucky."
.
NEWS! Wildlife Rehabilitation
Centre helps Abused Monkey.
Click here to read
the storyof how the Centre really does make a difference to
animals...
Location: Yellowwood Park, Durban, South Africa
The Rehabilitation Centre was established 26 years ago and is located on the east coast of South Africa, in the
KwaZulu-Natal Province in a suburb of Durban, called Yellowwood Park.
(between The Bluff and Queensburg on the
map.)
The centre lies close to a small protected reserve of 253 hectares, called
Kenneth Stainbank Nature Reserve. The reserve offers
coastal forest and grassland habitats and includes species such as zebra,
bushbuck, reedbuck, impala, blue, red and grey duiker, vervet monkeys, rock
hyrax, slender mongoose, bushbaby, Egyptian mongoose, banded mongoose, water
monitor and genet. The reserve also has an interesting variety of
indigenous flora and over 200 bird species on record. There are 13 km of
nature walks and a pleasant picnic site.
Because of the proximity to the reserve and the fact that food is always
available at the Centre, you will see an abundance of birdlife scavenging food
from the enclosures at the Centre.
The Bluff is a gigantic headland that forms the southeastern 'arm' of
Durban Harbour and enjoys a string of safe and protected beaches. Brighton
Beach, Cave Rock Beach, Anstey's Beach and Garvies Beach are all highly
popular, with interesting walks through coastal bush that end almost at
the water's edge.
Mission Statement
The rescue, rehabilitation and release of orphaned and injured wildlife,
and it believes in action and education with regard to the protection of
all natural resources. The Centre is committed to conservation and
strives to return all rescued and rehabilitated wildlife to their natural
habitat. The Centre has 12 depots in and around the Province and is
considered to be one of the leading rehabilitation Centers in South
Africa.
Animals that are currently being
rehabilitated are placed in enclosures far away from public activity. As
far as possible, animal enclosures are created that are similar to their
natural environment to give them a "feel" of what their world is like.
Orphaned antelope are often only released in Nature Reserves, where there
are no predators, as they don't know what a predator is. These animals are
tended to by staff and volunteers whose love, care and dedication is
unconditional, around the clock.
The Team Leader has extensive experience in the rehabilitation of wildlife
and assists a number of wildlife agencies in drawing up release protocols
for rehabilitated animals.
As the Centre is a non-profit organisation with no financial aid from the
government or any large concern, they are solely reliant on fundraising
initiatives and the generosity and goodwill of the public. As the running
costs are approximately £8,000 ($14,500) or more a month, there is very
little funding that can be applied to appointing full time staff.
Volunteers are the lifeblood of this organization, especially during the
spring and summer months when lots of orphan baby animals are brought to
the centre for care.
“A small reebok that had been raised as a
pet and grown up with dogs, paddles through a pond and comes to stare at
you through the fence….it is being rehabilitated: taught not to think like
a canine, so that it can be returned to it natural habitat in the
Drakensberg.
Nearby a group of baboons are getting up to
monkey business, each of the individuals have carefully been identified
and chosen to fit into and play a role in this “unnatural” troop. They
will be weaned from a “fast food” diet to a natural one and dehumanised –
once they are ready, they too will be released into the wild."
As a charity organisation there are always more mouths to feed
than hands to feed them, so every helping hand is greatly appreciated. Volunteer
duties and responsibilities are linked with level of experience so there is
something for everyone, from feeds to assisting nurses in the clinic, to grounds
work and the building of suitable enclosures, to assisting in rescues and
releases.
There are approximately 300 - 400 animals
under the Centre's care at any given time, all of which are wildlife indigenous
to KwaZulu Natal (called KZN for short). Animals range from birds and mammals to
raptors and reptiles, and many many monkeys.
They also have a very busy Educational Program, so if
education 'is your thing', you will be able to assist with school tours and
edutainment events at the education centre.
Whenever possible, animals who can survive in their natural
habitat are released. This is a particularly satisfying time!
See photos and write-ups of a recent vervet monkey release, a
mongoose release and
a pelican release - events enjoyed by everyone at the Centre!
Baby Monkey Season From
around October to March every year the centre experiences a large influx of baby
monkeys. Due to the climate and vegetation of the Province, many of the cities
and towns still have a small population of wildlife such as monkeys and mongoose
roaming around. During the summer months when monkeys give birth, many newborn
baby monkeys are either abandoned or taken away from their mothers by ignorant
humans who would like them as pets. When people realize they do not have the
skills to care for these animals, they are dropped off at CROW.
These baby monkeys require 24 hour care, regular feeding, cleaning and most
importantly human contact. Due to recent KZN Wildlife legislation only
volunteers who are on the placement for 8 weeks or longer from the day the baby
arrivesmay be asked to become surrogate
mothers and carry monkeys against their chests like the mother monkey would have
done. It is vital that these monkeys get the sense of security and care from
their surrogate moms in order to be able to integrate and socialize within a
troop structure when they are older.
Baby monkeys have to be fed every few hours and volunteers have to take them
with them at night to ensure that their “children” are safe and don’t go hungry.
The centre especially needs the assistance of international “travelling”
volunteers over the Xmas holiday season, as most South African volunteers take
their annual leave over this period to spend with their families and this can be
a very lonely and insecure period for the baby monkeys.
There may be times when we have more volunteers than baby monkeys, and in such
situations please abide by the decision of your supervisor at CROW as to who
gets to "mother" the baby, or whether one baby can have two volunteer "mothers".
If you are not chosen to mother a baby, please accept it gracefully. In
situations like this when we work with orphaned animals, we have to basically
deal with the demand nature throws at us, which neither Travellers nor the
centre can control. What we can say is that you will have some hands-on care of
wild animals that need to be rehabilitated - and your efforts will be of direct
benefit to the animals.
Items you can bring to help:
In the Rehabilitation Centre environment, in-kind donations are just as welcome as financial
contributions. The staff collect food and fresh produce to feed the animals with
from a number of sympathetic businesses and the Centre also has an outreach
education programme that targets schools. School children collect food, medical
supplies and consumables on behalf of the Rehabilitation Centre. If you have any spare space
in your luggage, here are some good ideas of what you can bring with to help
make life a little easier:
old linen and sheets
old baby blankets and towelling nappies;
old towels and facecloths;
heating pads and hotwater bottles to use for baby animals;
cotton wool and bandages
The Rewards of doing this Project:
This placement is definitely for nature loving enthusiasts who are willing to
work hard and aren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty, but the rewards are
well worth it:
You'll get a wonderful and varied experience with many
different species of animals.
You'll get to experience
the headiness of looking after animals that are totally helpless and reliant
on you take care of them.
You'll leave feeling very
proud of yourself for having contributed to the quality of life and well-being
of previously abused and battered animals.
You'll learn much more
than you can imagine, particularly about the importance of conserving
wildlife, and hopefully you'll help to raise awareness by talking to friends
and colleagues on your return home.
This project will be an
excellent entry on your CV, demonstrating your initiative, adaptability, your
unique working experience and your concern for nature.
To give you a feel of the fulfilment that
you can get from the project, here's an excerpt from Mabel, our Volunteer
Liaison at the Project, from her report about what the volunteers have been
doing recently:
"Everyone sad to see
Helen leave. She really did an outstanding job here and was loved by all. Olivia
went with Dr Fitchat to set up the cage for the monkey release on the 7th
January at Pakamisa Private Game farm. She work very hard in the sun all day and
never once complained about the heat. Early on Monday morning all the clinic
staff, assisted by the volunteers, caught and packed the monkeys to be
transported to Pongola. It was very wet but all the volunteers did what they
could to help make this go fast.
Rebecca went with
Estie and Medi to Pongola to release the monkeys. They stayed on the farm for 2
nights and the monkeys were released on the Wednesday morning very early. Olivia
and Rebecca had a wonderful time seeing the monkeys run for freedom. When they
returned, they couldn't stop talking about what they had seen and how happy they
were to see the little ones free and not in a cage.
We had a mother monkey with a baby come in that was bitten by dogs. Baby was
fine but mother had some very bad head and arm injuries. Rachel and Bethan took
it on themselves to make sure the baby got fed and was not too stressed because
the mother was not well at all. The girls really did a good job with the baby.
Mother and baby are doing well now and we hope that we could put them back with
the troop soon.
The girls are looking after the baby buck everyday and do all the bottle feeds.
Rachel and Miranda are going with me today to take a young Blesbuck to a bigger
facility. Rachel, Beth and Miranda went on a tour to Sani Pass in Lesotho. They
said it was the best day ever. They had a lot of fun and enjoyed all the stuff
they did. They're also going on a 2-day safari to Hluhluwe Game Reserve on
Saturday and Sunday. Other than that, the volunteers are kept busy and they
enjoy every day. Mabel "
The Rehabilitation Centre itself is
a lovely and a very safe environment. This is truly a wonderful project that
is
both rewarding and unforgettable.
YOUR ACCOMMODATION
There is a fully furnished volunteer house that accommodates
up to 8 volunteers at a time. It's surrounded by garden and lots of
greenery. There are four bedrooms and two bathrooms and volunteers share
rooms. The house is within the security of the Rehabilitation Centre and surrounded by
an electric fence.
Your food and accommodation are included on this project.
Sufficient food is purchased for the house on a weekly basis to provide 3
meals per day. We will ascertain whether you have any special dietary
requirements, such as if you are a vegetarian, and these will be met by the
volunteer co-ordinator within reason.
Volunteers cook their own meals out of the food provided.
In addition to the stove in the house, there is also a braai (barbeque) area
to cook outdoor meals. There is a Spar (general grocer) within 10 minutes
walk of the house. The shopping complex also has a post office and internet
café.
The house is serviced once a week by a cleaner but you
will be expected to keep your accommodation clean and tidy during the
course of their your stay. A washing machine is available and you can do
your laundry on the premises.
A safe is available at the main office should you wish to lock away your
passport, money or any valuables. Mobile phones do operate with full
reception on-site and it is a requirement that you bring one with you, as
Travellers provide volunteers with a free South African sim card.
TRAVEL:
You have the option to arrange your
own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would
like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights
and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will
be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Ltd., ATOL No. 6856. (Read more about Murray Rogers Travel Ltd.)
Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the
same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other
volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up
before leaving for your placement.
We can also arrange your flight
dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling
around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!
Where possible, all flights we
arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers
choose to extend their stay once they are in their destination country.
Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa
and the level of your air ticket, of course.
If you choose to book your own
flights, you should endeavour to get a changeable ticket. We meet you at the
airport regardless of whether you make your own travel arrangements or not.
To read about the extensiveSupport & Backup we provide in our countries,
please click here.
VISAS:. In countries where visas or
immigration documents are required, we'll send you all the necessary forms and
information and make the process very easy for you.
You'll fly into Johannesburg Airport where
you'll change to a domestic flight to Durban. Johannesburg is a very
modern and interesting airport with an exciting African feel about it. It is
possibly one of the nicest in the world - and a favourite with the Travellers
team.
At your
destination, you will be met
and taken to your placement and accommodation. There you'll be introduced to
everyone, given an orientation and an introduction to the animals.
LATEST NEWS:
Tuli the Bush Baby
Look what Santa Delivered!
Christmas day is one of those days when family and friends spend time together,
everyone has a wonderful meal and exchanges gifts and by nightfall it is time to
‘sleep it all off’!
Not so for us – one day is just like the next,
and this year, on December 25, a call came in from a farmer who had seen a bush
baby falling out of a tree. When he had a closer look he could see that it was
dead, but then he saw movement and discovered a tiny little baby clinging on to
it’s Mum – and it was very much alive, but way too small to survive on its own.
So Operations Director Dr. Helena Fitchat
dropped everything and immediately went to collect the baby.
He was probably about a week old and
absolutely terrified, having spent the first few days of his life where he
should be – in the wild with his Mum. We do not know what happened to her but
think that it was either a snake bite or poisoning.
Christened Tuli, we set up a basket
for him and tried to bottle feed him but he was having none of that – eventually
we discovered that he would rather lap his milk, and that he was happy to take
little pieces of banana.
The first few nights were tiring to
say the least – bush babies sleep all day and play all night!!! And Tuli was no
different – he kept calling in the night and was quite happy to have someone
awake to socialise with!. I thought my days of night feeds were long gone – no
such luck!
After a few days he became very
lethargic and stopped eating which was a huge worry as he was such a
featherweight anyway. We had to put him on a course of antibiotics and just feed
as often as possible in the night and fortunately he recovered
He is now in a big cage outside,
next to another bush baby called Gizmo, and he is growing in ‘leaps and bounds’
– for a bush baby that is! He still fits in the palm of your hand but has now
become quite a handful, hopping all over the place, and he certainly has a mind
of his own and objects loudly if you try and tell him what to do.
He will be with us for a good few
months while he grows up and then he will be released back to the wild to join
all the other bush babies in the area.
Judi Gounaris
PRICES
To see the Prices of this project and all
our other projects in South Africa, please
click here
Prices
include
Food & accommodation while on your project,
unless otherwise stated,
2 T-shirts, if required
for your project
All support and backup
during your programme
Meeting you at the
nearest airport, where appropriate, but exclude international travel.
.
+44 01903 502595
