South Africa: Big Five & Game Reserve Volunteer Program
South Africa Big Five – Leopard
Working as a volunteer on Big Five Conservation, you will hel protecting lions, leopards, elephants, buffolos and rhinoceroses in the African Bush.
Volunteering at the Big Five Game Reserve in South Africa
At the game reserve in South Africa you will carry out a spectrum of important tasks, including caring for the animals and monitoring in the African Bush. The nature of the volunteer work will vary according to the weather and season.
Tasks on the Schedule for an Animal Volunteer
Tasks may include, but are not limited to:
- lion tracking
- game counts & capture,
- environmental work
- planting trees
- managing vegetation
- patrolling fences
There will also be tasks in the petting farm and stables, caring for the horses.
Big Five Conservation – Game Drives & Wilderness Walks
You will get to go out on game drives & wilderness walks, and work hands on helping with the care of animals in the rehabilitation and education centre. The volunteers on Big Five Conservation visit and work in different parts of the reserve. You will be given the opportunity to try a hand at all the different tasks and activities whilst you are staying in South Africa.
Qualifications and Requirements for South Africa Big Five Conservation:
- You must be over 18 years old. There is no maximum age limit.
- A good state of good physical and mental health is pre-requisite.
South African Big Five: Origins of the Name
Even though you know that Africa and South Africa are so much more than the Big Five, the familiar images soon begin playing in your mind: lions roaring; elephants trumpeting; buffalos lurking in long grass; rhinos standing stately under a thorn tree; leopards prowling in the gathering darkness.
How did these five animals – the lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros and leopard – come to be called the Big Five?
It was originally a hunting term used by the so-called ‘great white hunters’ in the hunting heyday of the 19th and early 20thcenturies, when professional hunters bagged as many trophies as possible in as short a time as possible.
Want to volunteer on Big Five Conservation in South Africa?
Find the complete information about volunteering in South Africa here.
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