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Tembe Elephant Park conservation in South Africa

Situated in Maputaland,  the north-eastern region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and adjoining the Mozambique border, Tembe Elephant National Park is home to over 220 African elephants and a rich diversity of wildlife - including the black rhino, white rhino, buffalo, hippo, leopard, lion and various antelope species.

This project involves working with elephants (for which the Park is famous) and lions - an excellent project.  If you want exciting and rewarding conservation work, you’ll love this placement. Your work will be varied and fascinating and a large part of it is devoted to collecting data.

SPECIAL!  September 9-11, 2008, you can be part of a Rhino Capture and Darting initiative. This is a very rare and exciting opportunity to observe and assist in a Rhino Capture, so if your project time covers these dates, you can be part of this unbelievable experience! More details are given below

On this page:

• About Tembe

• The Importance of Biodiversity
• Accommodation
• Travel & Visas

• Prices

This project mainly involves research on aspects of elephant (for which the Park is famous) and lion ecology and more recently the beautiful very small but highly endangered antelope called Suni. If you want rewarding conservation work, you’ll love this placement. The work can be fascinating and varied and a large part of this work is devoted to collecting data from a vehicle.

As with all Conservation projects, your work will depend on what is required at the time your project takes place. Conservation projects are frequently governed by uncontrollable factors, such as the weather, season habits of species, conservation priorities and logistics in operating research projects in a remote area. From time to time the focus of projects are adjusted depending on the results achieved through the research and small adaptations in program activities may take place. Visiting specialists and researchers often add value to existing programs and your project may interact with other research activities when possible.

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• Collecting information on the number and density of various species.
• Plant growth and phenology monitoring on a seasonal basis.
• Collecting dung of various species.
• Photographing elephants and identifying elephants from an existing identification kit. Photography is used to identify specific animals, which can then be monitored.
• Monitoring and recording the types of feeding done by elephants and/or lions.
• Generally assisting with elephant and lion monitoring.
• Rhino monitoring using motion sensor cameras.
• Butterfly monitoring involving setting and baiting the traps, collecting and photographing the butterflies, gps the locations and identification of the butterfly
• Entering the data collected during each week into a computer. The accurate and complete processing of data is often one of the MOST VALUABLE contributions you make to a placement. Remember, having gathered the information contributes nothing to the successful conservation of a species unless that data has been captured, analysed and applied to inform management practices. Often data sets need to be completed in order for your researcher to move on to the next exciting bit of field work. If you do not complete the data work allocated to you during your placement you will be delaying the fieldwork and research.

A typical day would be getting up fairly early in the morning (around 5.00 a.m. to start about 6.00 a.m.) to go out into the field to do Lion monitoring. You will usually return from Lion monitoring at around 10h30 and refresh, pack lunch and head out elephant monitoring. The best times to see elephants are during the hot midday times, especially at pans and hides.

You’ll probably return to camp mid or late afternoon. After a siesta (or exercise) and afternoon tea/coffee, you’ll input data onto the computers or generally update notes and pictures on what you’ve been doing and the information collected during the morning. Later, you may go out again to do additional monitoring; however, this depends on the movements of animals or other factors. Dinner is usually a social affair where ideas are shared and plans are made.

A typical day, during the month of your stay at Tembe, may not be exactly as described above. Your work will be dictated by what is required at the time and work schedules and content can change from one day to the next. You should therefore be prepared to be adaptable and patient because conservation projects do not always work to time or a date calendar and interesting opportunities often arise which are unique and will add to your lifetime experiences!

SPECIAL: SEPTEMBER 2008 ONLY - RHINO CAPTURE AND DARTING:
This is a very rare and unique opportunity - don't miss it if you can possibly be there!

Phase 1 – (Day -7) Daily foot patrols at first light to determine the habits of certain targeted individuals Rhino.
Phase 2 – (Day -1) Game Capture arrives, set up camp and await helicopter.
Phase 3 – (Day -1) Helicopter arrives.

Day 1 – Field rangers out at first light to find the targeted Rhino. They radio in as soon as contact is made and dart team move in with helicopter, chase rhino towards nearest road and dart. Game Capture units rush to the scene and immediately roll rhino onto chest/stomach position and place earplugs and eye cloth to minimise stress by depriving those senses. Various innoculations injected and samples extracted and microchip inserted. Ears notched if necessary. Transport crate unloaded and placed directly in front of Rhino. Rhino administered antidote and “loaded”. Progress to next rhino while crews keep crate in cool area for evening transport.
Day 2 – Same as day 1 until quota is reached.

A NOT-TO-BE-MISSED OPPORTUNITY!

Rhino Capture & Darting

This untamed African Game Reserve in the Kingdom of the Zulu offers the Big Five (Lion, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Leopard) plus excellent birding with more than 340 bird species recorded in the park

HISTORY AND IMPORTANCE OF TEMBE ELEPHANT PARK
The area now known as Tembe Elephant Park until recently was relatively wild, with very few people and no major fences around it except the northern international border fence. This fence was no obstacle for the elephants and they crossed freely into Mozambique. Very few people lived in the area mainly because of the scarcity of surface water. What water there is, is seasonal and the more permanent waters of the northern sections of the Muzi swamp are saline, and therefore not suitable for cultivation. The soils are poor for cultivation except along the Muzi swamps and the elephants destroyed any crops that did manage to grow.

Accordingly, we have developed a strategy to maximize the potential of meeting the ecotourism objective, and minimize the risks to either the ecology or the surrounding communities. Thus a slow approach to the introduction of lion to Tembe has been embarked on. The four animals introduced in June 2002 (now 15 in 2008), are closely monitored and behaviour assessed.

Southern Mozambique and the northern part of KwaZulu Natal have been recognised as an INTERNATIONAL CENTRE OF PLANT DIVERSITY, namely the Maputaland centre. High levels of endemism and biodiversity (not only in plants) have being highlighted for this region, of which Tembe Elephant Park forms a part.

At least 2 500 species of vascular plants occur in the Maputaland centre; of these at least 225 species are endemic (an endemic is a plant or animal predominately confined to a particular area). Other endemic groups are 14 mammals (mainly of subspecies rank), 23 reptiles, 3 frogs and 8 fresh water fishes. The area also abounds in insect life, on which there is a shortage of information.

The Maputaland centre also corresponds with the southern part of the South-eastern African coast Endemic bird Area (EBA). Of the more than 472 species of birds in the Maputaland Centre (almost 60% of South Africa’s total), 5 species and about 43 subspecies are endemic / near endemic to the centre.

Not only does Tembe Elephant Park lie in the centre of this Maputaland centre and contain many of these interesting and important species, it also contains a unique and very rare habitat nl. dry forest (referred to as Licuati forest in Mozambique and locally as Sand forest). A significant number of endemics (plants and animals) are associated with Licuati (Sand Forest), perhaps the most remarkable plant community in the Maputaland centre.

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You'll live in the Research Camp in the Game Reserve, in a comfortable wood cabin (maybe sharing with one other volunteer). There are communal shower facilities, an equipped kitchen/dining area and a large outside barbecue area. Each wooden cabin has a small balcony as well as air-conditioning.

The camp is electric fenced and has a gate that is closed at night to keep elephants and lions out. The setting is beautiful, as you can imagine in a Game Reserve, and you'll feel very much in tune with the African bush ... elephant and lion sometimes roam around the camp and at night you can often hear them eating and breaking branches off trees nearby or the Lions roaring in the morning mist.

Food will be provided for you and you will be expected to self cater on a rotation basis. You will prepare your own meals in the equipped kitchen and if you need any advice from your project leader on how to cook, he's always there to help you with tips and advice.

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.

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!

You will usually fly into the Airport in Johannesburg where you'll transfer to Ladysmith by bus. Alternatively you can fly into Pietermaritzburg or Durban from where you will be met at the airport and get a private transfer to the project.

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.

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To see the Prices of this project and all our other projects in South Africa, please click here

• 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.

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the list of all our projects in South Africa

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