Namibia Big Cat Release Volunteer project in Africa Gap Year Career Break

NAMIBIA CHEETAH AND LEOPARD RELEASE PROGRAMME
NAMIBRAND, NAMIBIA

This project represents a unique and new opportunity to experience and help in the entire process of caring for and releasing big cats into a conservation environment. Your experience begins at an internationally renowned Wildlife Sanctuary where you will be introduced to the information and skills you will require to understand and work within the programme, you will have hands on experience of the work carried out at the sanctuary. You will then move to the heart of the breathtaking NamibRand, here you will have the opportunity to chart the progress of, and maybe even participate in the release of, Leopard and Cheetah in this spectacular environment. Your work on the project is essential to its success and you will leave with a sense of awe for the majesty of the cats and the environment in which you have been immersed.

OUR NAMIBRAND EXPERIENCE
click here to read Pila, Barbara, Georgie and Steff's story...

Location:

NAMIBRAND, NAMIBIA

Dates:

Project commences during the first week of each month

Fees:

£1,175 - 2 weeks
Namibrand Only

£1,495 - 3 weeks

Payment:

£180 deposit at time of booking – balance payment of project fee due 12 weeks before departure

Reference:

AV035

General Information

Participation in this exciting and unique project will give volunteers first hand experience of the relocation of big cats to a conservation environment to avoid human-wildlife conflict. The Wildlife Sanctuary plays a vital role in the rescue, rehabilitation and subsequent release of cheetah and leopard from around Namibia to one of two release sites. The first is a study site, based near the Wildlife Sanctuary, where vital information is gathered and the released cats are monitored. All released cats are fitted with VHF or GPS tracking collars to allow there movements and progress to be monitored in their new environment. The second site is situated within a huge 172,000 hectare reserve and the cats are free to roam within and outside its borders. Information gathering is an essential part of this project as it allows evidence of the benefits of the programme to be put forward to central authorities and individual farmers. It is only by bringing these people onside that the project can attract the further resources and support it requires in the long term in order to continue its expansion and to provide support and a survival opportunity for these magnificent wild animals.

You will be an integral part of this ambitious project to remove the animals from sites and sources of conflict with the local community and farmers and to transfer them to an environment where they can flourish once more. This is the first project to monitor translocated cats on a sustained and intensive basis. previous research has attempted to extrapolate very short term data to the long term welfare of the animals. The project has already collected and collated new and groundbreaking information on the behaviour of animals subsequent to their release.

A maximum of five volunteers may participate on the Namibrand project at any one time. This allows for the maximisation of each volunteers involvement with the project activities and minimises the impact of the volunteers on the environment of the reserve. The money raised through the volunteering programme is put back into the projects of the release programme and Wildlife Sanctuary. These projects provide employment, education and accommodation to the local Bushman community and help to ensure the rescue, rehabilitation and survival of the animals cared for by the projects.

Windhoek Study Area

This area comprises a total of 17,700 hectares, consisting of 14,500 hectares of commercial farmland and 3,200 hectares of privately owned conservation land. The area contains a large variety of freely roaming wildlife including: leopard, cheetah, brown hyena, kudu, oryx, hartebeest, duiker, warthog, porcupine, aardvark, ostrich, caracal, jackal, wild baboon, African wild cat, honey badger, mongoose, vultures, eagles and a variety of other avian species. The geography is a mixture of lush savannah and riverine vegetation with broad grass plains and bordering magnificent mountain ranges. The study area has a central core area of approximately 250km2 where the majority of the animal capture, mark and release, telemetry, spoor tracking and prey counts takes place.

The work of the project focuses on the collection, collation and dissemination of scientific data on the densities, home ranges and territories of cheetah, leopard and hyena. The programme works with the local farmers and helps to assess their problems and interactions with the carnivores and provides assistance with livestock/carnivore management techniques in order to mitigate human-wildlife and livestock-carnivore conflicts to the benefit of all parties.

A typical day for volunteers on this part of the project starts early with breakfast before the beginning of activities at 8am. Morning activities are led by the project coordinator and a San (bushman) tracker and take place in the study area. Activities include game counts, spoor counts, box trap monitoring, waterhole observations, radio-telemetry tracking of collared animals and checking trees for cheetah marks. Lunch is taken back at the Sanctuary, apart from all day activities such as waterhole observations. Afternoon activities will consist of further chances to participate in the work of the project as outlined above before returning to the accommodation at around 5.30pm for a cooked evening meal.

NamibRand Study Area

The NamibRand is a spectacular and visually stunning nature reserve situated on the border of the Namib Desert and only 80km from the Sossusviel. The 172,000 hectare reserve houses a vast array of desert and semi-desert dwelling wildlife and fauna. The Namib Naukluft National Park and Kulala Wilderness Reserve border the reserve.

The carnivore rehabilitation programme within the NamibRand Reserve was born in 2008 thanks to the coming together of the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary and the NamibRand Reserve. The project was set up with the intention of rehabilitating animals captured in other parts of Namibia and translocated to the reserve or those animals that had been previously confiscated and released by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The goal of the project is to establish whether the capture of animals in conflict with local communities and farmers, translocation and subsequent release of these animals is a sustainable and viable long term solution. The project also aims to identify whether this approach can be applied to so called "problem animals".

The terrain covered by the reserve includes open grassland, riverines, rough mountain chains and inselbergs and soaring red sand dunes. Recent game censuses indicate there are in the region of 3,200 oryx and 12,400 springbok within the reserve.

A typical day on the project includes rising early for a quick breakfast before making an early start, the carnivores are most likely to be active before the sun gets overhead making cover more difficult to come by and limiting the animals activity due to the increasing temperature. The choice to monitor leopard or cheetah will be made on the basis of the specific monitoring needs of the project, the movements of the animals and the prevailing weather conditions. Lunch is either taken out in the field or back at the base depending upon the location of the morning and afternoon activities. The afternoon involves more fieldwork before returning to the base for a cooked evening meal. In the evenings, volunteers may participate in night waterhole observations (with night vision goggles), data entry and processing, stargazing or relaxing in front of a movie.

Volunteer Activities

Carnivore Monitoring

The released cheetah and leopard in the reserve are fitted with either GPS or VHF tracking collars. Volunteers on the project will master the necessary techniques to track the animals using these devices in order to collect the information that is vital to the goals of the project. Each week, volunteers will download the information recorded by the GPS satellite collars and upload this information to Google Earth software in order to pinpoint their locations and plot their movements.

The volunteer coordinator will take the decision as to which animals need monitoring for the day and once out in the field, the volunteers will collect information on the animals' locations, activity, behaviour and environmental impact.

Monitoring the animals in the feild can be strenuous work. The day can involve a lot of walking to minimise the impact of the programme on the environment and animal behaviour, volunteers also have to trek and climb to reach the high ground necessary fro tracking animals via their VHF collars. These observations will afford the volunteers unique and breathtaking views of the magnificent vista of the NamibRand.

Game Counts

Accurate information is the lifeblood of successful wildlife and environmental management programmes. Without reliable baseline and up to date information it is impossible to accurately monitor and adjust for the impact of changes we may make to and introduce into an ecosystem. The research team carries out regular game counts along different transects in order to collect this vital information. Data is collected on animal numbers, age, sex and group composition. The gathered information allows us to understand on which prey base and in which carrying capacity the large carnivores subsist.

We help to maintain a cooperative and effective working relationship with the local farmers by providing them with this information in order to help them adjust their cattle stocking rates in order to make efficient use of the available habitat resources. Volunteers derive great enjoyment from their participation in these "scientific game drives" as they are exposed to the diversity of the environment within the NamibRand as well as collecting crucial information.

Spoor Counts and Tracking

The projects employ expert San trackers to permit us to gather as much information from the evidence left behind by the movements of the carnivores. Often the only evidence we have as to the animals' movements is the footprints they leave behind. The trackers' skills allow us to identify the movements and behaviour of individual animals, "problem animals" can thus be identified and monitored as well as the population structures of the carnivore populations. Volunteers can gain an amazing insight into the skills of the trackers and a unique perspective on the environment in which they walk.

Spoor data is recorded in a database to confirm the population estimates and predictions. Good examples of cheetah tracks are digitally photographed and processed for use in the development of species-specific footprint identification software. Footprints even provide evidence of social interactions around marking trees.

NamibRand Sighting Database

Daily monitoring activities afford us the opportunity to gather a wealth of data on the flora and fauna abundant in the ecosystems we observe. Detailed observations focus on rare species, raptors (birds of prey) and carnivores. Data collected may include mammals, other birds, reptiles, invertebrates, plants and tracks.

Data recorded by volunteers in the field is entered into the central database at the research base. The data is used to adjust distribution maps and for distribution mapping or rare and/or endangered species.

Night Observations

Data collected at night supplements our day-time observations and in the case of elusive nocturnal wildlife species provides our only source of data on the numbers, behaviour and movements of certain species. The animals that are primarily active at night include some of the least understood of those we observe including spotted hyena, leopard, aardwolf and porcupine.

The base for the night-time observations is an old outhouse near the research base. Observation data from the footprints around the base provide us with evidence that a wide variety of species frequent the area during the hours of darkness. With night vision goggles, volunteers will be able to record accurate first hand data of these nocturnal visitors.

Carnivore Scat Collection

The project is working in conjunction with the Cheetah Conservation Fund on a new project launched in early 2009. The project aims to determine whether Namibia's carnivores show genetic evidence of the geographical origin from their scats. The project is contributing to this work by aiding in the collection of carnivore faeces from various study sites across Namibia. The samples are stored in deep freeze before being made available to the Fund for analysis.

Other Research Activities

These may include the identification and cataloguing of bird species, road kill surveys, temperature and rainfall profile recordings. Volunteers will also assist with the general upkeep of the research base and surroundings, the roads of the reserve and cooking. A flexible and adaptable approach is invaluable in guaranteeing the ongoing success of the project and the enjoyment and achievements of individual volunteers.

Volunteer Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at the Wildlife Sanctuary and induction programme

Day 2-8: Wildlife Sanctuary research programme, including:

Introduction to conservation in Namibia, research techniques and large carnivore management
Carnivore tracking
Game counts
Carnivore capture where opportunities permit
Spoor tracking and counts
Box trap patrol
Marking tree search
Camp building and maintenance
Road kill survey
Footprint and scat method projects
Data collection, entry, analysis and interpretation

Day 9: Transfer to NamibRand site

Day 10-19: NamibRand research programme, including:

VHF and GPS tracking of released cheetah and leopard
Night observations
Sightings database project
Scat collection project
Bird (raptor) monitoring
Road kill survey
Data collection, entry, analysis and interpretation

Day 20: Transfer to Wildlife Sanctuary

Day 21: Departure or transfer to other project programme

Participation

The main requirements for participation on the project are motivation, common sense, a hard working nature and a sense of adventure. A basic level of fitness is required in order to ensure you can cope with trekking across uneven ground during the course of the carnivore tracking. We recommend that volunteers are able to trek between 10 and 15km during a day comfortably to allow for temperature variations. Volunteers must be 18 years of age to participate. If you have any queries as to whether this project would be suitable for you, please contact Amanzi Travel

Lightning’s release

It was with very great excitement that we were able to release our leopard Lightning back into the wild this December.

Lightning’s mum was tragically trapped and shot by a farmer who then trapped the six month old cub. Thankfully, before Lightning suffered a similar fate, a neighbouring farm worker told us about the trapped cub and we managed to bring her safely to the Namibia Wildlife Sanctuary in March 2008.

In order to give Lightning the best possible chance of survival she remained with us until December this year, when thanks to our radio collar sponsors we were able to fit her with a GPS collar.

On Wednesday afternoon our vet Dr Ian Baines came out to dart Lightning. About 20 minutes later she was out for the count and our research team of Flo and Cila set to work. They had just a short window of time to take various samples and, of course, to fit her new collar. Once this was all done, she was put into capture cage to wake up ready for her new life starting the following morning. We loaded Lightning onto the back of the vehicle in her capture cage as the sun rose on Thursday morning. She remained feisty and it was a tricky process to load her in with everyone keeping their fingers crossed!

We set off on the four hour trip to little Kulala reserve down in the South of Namibia. We were very happy to reach Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp where we were staying for the next few days. Our leopard cargo was doused down with buckets of water to keep her cool as temperatures were around 40 degrees.

Lars and Christine, the tracking researchers from NamibRand, joined us for the afternoon as we drove down to the nearby river bed to find the best release site. Together with Flo, they identified a good spot for release; in the river bed with good surrounding coverage for her to take refuge under and within the sights of several mountain ranges.

It was an early start to release Lightning close on sun-rise in the cooler hours of the next morning. We drove the 15 minutes to the release site where Flo, Lars, Christine and our very willing volunteers; Katie, Val and Fiona, helped to set up the cage. A length of rope was tied from the sliding front gate and held tightly by Flo in the vehicle. We were all careful to remain silent despite our adrenaline pumping. This was it. Flo carefully pulled on the rope to open the cage door; Lightning was facing the other way watching the people watching her from the vehicle. Slowly she turned her head round and saw the gate was open. Crouched low she edged forward poking her head out of the cage. She turned, looking back once more and after looking to her left when we were parked she slowly jogged off up the river bed and into the bushes on the right.

She was finally free. Back to the wild.
It was an incredible and emotional moment watching this wild animal go free and we returned to camp very excited to have been a part of this experience.
We spent the next few days tracking her movements; she made it easy for us moving directly in front of our camp so we didn’t have to climb any mountains! As a nocturnal animal she remained pretty still during the 40 degree heat of the day, starting to move and explore her new environment just after sunset. We toasted Lighting and her newly found freedom from the top of our mountain that evening, overlooking her stunning new home!

During the course of the next few days she moved down the river bed where she moved near a family of jackals, much to their distress. They spent a lot of the night making angry yapping sounds. She then moved off across the plains in front of us into a nearby mountain range. These were all good signs as she was moving and exploring her territory but not racing off.
We were also lucky enough to visit the neighbouring NamibRand nature reserve and spend a day at our tracking base. The team are currently tracking 14 cheetah, 3 leopard and 1 brown hyena in this most stunning of environments.

Thank you so much to Flo for a brilliant trip!

Support

Support and advice is available from the Project Managers whilst on the placement and from the UK Amanzi Travel Team.
Find out more about Amanzi Travel support

Orientation

A comprehensive information pack will be sent to volunteers upon booking their placement and further advice and information will be provided via telephone and email before departure. Orientation meetings will be provided on arrival at the Sanctuary, and in Namibrand, from the project coordinators including information on the current status of the projects and familiarisation with the local surroundings.

Accommodation and Meals

Wildlife Sanctuary: Comfortable and clean shared accommodation including three meals a day is provided. Rooms are single sex and generally three volunteers per room however it may be possible to accommodate couples together if there is availability on the project on arrival.

Namibrand: Accommodation is provided in a farmhouse situated in the heart of the Namibrand. Volunteers share accommodation with the other volunteers and the project coordinators. The facilities are basic but includ running water and electricity. Occasionally the project work takes us far away from the base camp, in which case volunteers may camp out with the project coordinator, sleeping in a tent or under the stars. Volunteers prepare meals with the help of the project coordinators. Breakfast typically consists of cereals, lunch is usually sandwiches and there is a cooked evening meal of pasta or rice and vegetables. A sleeping bag is required for this part of the programme.

Getting There

Volunteers should fly directly into Windhoek International Airport where they will be met on arrival and transferred to the Wildlife Sanctuary (approximately 45 minutes) for the first part of their volunteer experience. Volunteers will subsequently be transferred to Namibrand and back to the Sanctuary at the end of this part of the placement.

(There may be a number of ways to reach the destination airport - for further information or advice please contact Amanzi Travel)

Fees

What is included

A contribution to the project itself including funding for items such as building materials, food, animal medications, tracking equipment etc
Transfers to and from the airport
Transfers to and from Namibrand
Full orientation and support from the project managers
Accommodation and meals as indicated above