Lion project zambia work with lions in africa lion breeding and rehabilitaion project livingstone zambia south africa volunteer gap year career break mature volunteer placements

Dinner at 7.00 pm at the volunteer base. Volunteers may venture off to Livingstone Town to sample the night life of this tourist mecca. Or perhaps camp out at a water

ZAMBIA LION REHABILITATION AND CONSERVATION EDUCATION PROJECT
LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA

This project offers a fantastic opportunity for volunteers to work on the world’s leading programme for the release of lions back into the wild. It is based on the outskirts of Livingstone town in Zambia, just a stone’s throw from the magnificent Victoria Falls themselves, and aims to provide a solution to the rapidly decreasing lion population by releasing the wild born offspring of rehabilitated captive bred lions into appropriate National Parks and Reserves throughout Africa. Volunteers will walk alongside the young lions in the beautiful African bush and will also join the conservation team working in local schools to educate the local Zambian children on how to protect the environment in the future. It will also be possible to take part in a research project aimed at improving the understanding of the ecology of elephants in the Park. A real once-in-a-lifetime experience in this wonderful part of the African continent.

Location:

LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA

Dates:

Volunteers should arrive on the 1st or 3rd Monday of each month

Fees:

£1,095 - 2 weeks

£1,525 - 3 weeks

£1,885 - 4 weeks

£2,475 - 6 weeks

£3,045 - 8 weeks

Payment:

£180 deposit at time of booking – balance of project fee due 8 weeks before departure

Reference:

AV029

Highlights

Walk with the lions and the beautiful African bush
Work on the world’s leading programme for the release of lions back into the wild
Experience the African Bush in a very special way in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
Join the conservation education team in local schools – helping to save the future of the Zambian environment by educating the children of the community
Become immersed in the local Zambian culture
Enjoy some of the many optional adventure activities available in the “adventure capital of the world”
Take advantage of optional excursions to see more of Zambia, Zimbabwe or Botswana
Make friends for life with other international volunteers on the programme

General Information

In 1975 over 200,000 lions roamed the African continent. There has been a drastic decline in this number over the past thirty years and this project, in partnership with local and national authorities, aims to find a solution to the problem using a unique four stage programme.

The involvement of volunteers on this project is essential to achieving the aims on all fronts. Days will be long but at the end of the day volunteers will know that they have given something back to Africa and made a difference to the animals and people with whom they have come into contact.

The daily work is varied but may include:

Lion Walks – where volunteers will spend time each day in the wild with the lions in their natural environment. This is an essential part of their upbringing if their ultimate release is to be successful. A marked increase in the lions’ awareness of their natural surroundings has been observed, as well as improvements in their hunting skills. As well as walking with the lions volunteers will be involved in their care – including feeding and cleaning and observing any veterinary care needed to ensure they are kept in the best of health.
Research – this is undertaken to improve better understanding of lion behaviour and ecology. Lion walks offer fantastic opportunities to observe the lions close up in their natural environment and volunteers will be involved in data collection and analysis. The research projects being undertaken will vary according to the needs of the project at any time but may include looking at, character traits, spoor sizes or mane growth. Training will be provided to ensure volunteers can provide a useful input to this programme regardless of previous experience.
Elephant Monitoring - conflict with humans is a manor issue for elephants in the region and in order to mitigate the conflict it is first necessary to undertand the ecology of the species. Volunteers will work with the research team to identify individual elephants, track seasonal changes, record locations and group sizes - and then this data can be linked to crop raiding incidents. The programme hopes to find patterns in elephant use in the Park to better understand why the conflicts arise and then be able to provide solutions to reduce them.

Conservation Education - volunteers will have the opportunity to visit local schools to gain support for conservation through education. The syllabus was originally devised under the WWF "We Care!" project and lesson plans are designed to give the children a good understanding of their environment and the need to conserve the remaining wild areas of Zambia. There will be classroom-based discussion and small group practical activities such as visits to the Lion Programme or the Victoria Falls themselves. Volunteers will work with the team to prepare lesson plans in advance as well as training in the best way to teach the children they will meet.

Community Development - volunteers will have the opportunity to get involved in several community programmes which may include health education, sustainable use of natural resources or reading classes. Details will be given on arrival.

Volunteers will expect to spend 75% of their time on the Lion Rehabilitation and Release Programme, 20% on conservation work within the National Parks and 5% on Conservation Education. They will have one official stand-by day each week – which is a day off unless urgent need for assistance is needed.

A Typical Day in the Life of a Volunteer …

Animal needs rarely fall into any schedule but below is an example of a typical day on the project:

6.30am	Volunteers will meet their guide and their clients and join them for a lion walk, taking cubs from 4 months to 18 months out into the bush. They will watch and record data as the cubs practice their hunting skills on the many game species they encounter.
9.00 am	Breakfast.
10.00 am	Perhaps head off to a local school to take the day's Conservation Education classes - there could be as many as 60 kids the class! Great fun! Or perhaps help with cleaning or feeding the cubs or going out into the National Park to conduct elephant research.
12.30 pm	Lunch and a chance to relax during the hottest part of the day.
2.30pm	Afternoon duties could include a snare sweep before another lion walk
6.45pm	Briefing from Project Manager re next day’s activities
Evening	Dinner at 7.00 at the volunteer base. Volunteers may venture off to Livingstone Town to sample the night life of this tourist mecca. Or just sit out under the beautiful southern skies and listen to the sounds of the African Bush as it comes alive at night.

"The whole walking with lions experience was truly amazing, and unforgettable. It is great how confident you can feel after only 2 weeks with the lions - we only wish we'd had more time. The days are varied including working in local schools, elephant research and the numerous lion walks (both with and without clients), where you begin to feel like a member of the pride more and more each day. It is the best thing we've ever done, and we are still talking about it now to friends and families. We fell in love with one lion in particular each and have chosen to sponsor them! We look forward to receiving the newsletter to see how they're getting on. It's surprising how you can bond with them so quickly! We're considering going back to volunteer at the next stage already and we're not even home from our round the world trip! The project and experience was amazing".
Russell and Helen UK, 2009

Optional Weekend Activities

There is a huge number of optional activities and trips available at an additional cost, including:

Helicoptor or microlight flights over the Victoria Falls
Bungee jumping
White water rafting
Horse or elephant rides
Game drives
Gorge jumps
Skydiving
Canoeing
There are also day trips available to the neighbouring countries of Zimbabwe or Botswana.

Age Limit: Minimum 17 years, maximum decided on potential participants’ health
Project Requirements: Due to health and safety requirements, all volunteers must be 155cm or 5ft minimum in height to work with the lion cubs.

Support

Support and advice is available from your Project Managers whilst on the project and from the UK Amanzi travel Team.

Orientation

A comprehensive information pack will be sent to all volunteers upon booking their placement and further advice and information will be provided by telephone and email before departure. A full orientation programme will be provided on arrival by the project manager and will include:

A volunteer’s manual to help with integration into the project
Introduction to all senior project staff
Familiarisation with the work areas – rivers, internal roads and tracks
Introduction to the lion cubs and their enclosures
Briefing on how to complete data capture forms and entering of data into computer systems
Information on the lion breeding programme and daily duties

Accommodation and Meals

Volunteers will stay in simple but comfortable accommodation in the volunteer house in Livingstone Town (10 minutes drive from Thorn Tree Lodge) where they will join volunteers on the nearby Livingstone Community Project. Rooms will be shared by three or four volunteers and arrangements can be made for couples or groups of friends to share.

Three meals a day will be provided. Breakfast will be taken at the guides’ quarters at Thorn Tree Lodge, with lunch and dinner being at the volunteer base and are prepared by the resident cook.

Getting There

Volunteers should fly into Livingstone Airport in Zambia where they will be met by a member of staff and taken to the volunteer house.

Fees

What is included

Financing that goes directly back into the project to fund items such as food for lions, management of park infrastructure, and further development of the lion breeding and rehabilitation programme
All transfers to and from Livingstone Airport on arrival and departure
Assistance in the projects from trained guides, ecologists and field staff as required
Any wildlife education talks taking place during the placement
Full board and lodging including three meals a day
Unlimited tea, coffee and juice throughout the day
Laundry service
Daily room cleaning service