BIG 5 GAME RESERVE WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PROJECT
Jonquil, Alice and Vicky 2008/2009

Jonquil 2008

A month of volunteering at the Big 5 Game Reserve Wildlife Conservation Project was an eye-opening and rewarding experience. Based within the province of Eastern Cape in South Africa, the game reserve I was at offered a diverse array of opportunities in the aspect of environmental conservation as well as humanitarianism.

A typical weekday would involve the dietary and behavioural monitoring of the lions. Because these lions had just been recently introduced to the game reserve, it was an important monitoring time for them to become adjusted to the local environment. I was fortunate enough to be there while the lioness was going on her night hunt.

As for the reserve condition upkeep, the volunteers participated in some electric fence maintenance, meter reading, and weeding. Species identification, game drives throughout the safari, animal tracking, anti-poaching patrol, and bush survival/camping were just a few other highlights. You may also get the chance to partake in the annual game count, target shooting, and orienteering. What I loved about going into the reserve at night was seeing the vast difference in the nocturnal species compared to the daytime.

One of my favourite parts of this trip was servicing the local children’s orphanage. The look of their excited faces when volunteers visited was incredible, and learning to communicate with them in a different language was even more rewarding! A day at the orphanage usually included play time on the yard, and planting in their veggie garden (where the children were ever so eager to lend a helping hand).

I took advantage of my free weekends to do a bit of touring along the coast of Eastern Cape, and met many other backpackers from around the world. Shark-diving, zip-lining, and sky diving are just a few of the many activities you may like to try out of town.

Overall, I would recommend this trip to anyone who is looking to contribute and experience something different. There was never a dull moment spending time with these animals, as you’ll soon learn that each of them has its own special character. I enjoyed the variety of work that was involved, and would definitely like to revisit Africa for my next journey.

Alice 2009

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the game reserve. The work was a good combination of manual labour and animal monitoring, with plently of fun activities thrown in, such as 4x4 driving, game drives, nature walks and target shooting. The manual labour was never for very long and it was clear how it was necessary for maintaining the reserve. The reserve is beautiful and it was fascinating to observe the animals in their natural habitat. We had very early starts to see the lions but we soon got used to them and they are worth it! Visiting the Born Free centre was another highlight for me. The accommodation was basic but clean and comfortable, with internet access, satelite TV and laundry service. The local pub was very handy for socialising and we frequented it nearly every night! I also really enjoyed our visits to the orphanage, and thinking up creative ways to teach them numbers and letters. Due to the language barrier it was often tricky to communicate with them but the children seemed to benefit most from our attentions and cuddles.  There was plenty of activities to do at the weekend in the surrounding area, including bungee jumping, skydiving, horse riding and the essential trip to Addo Elephant National Park.

It was a very rewarding trip and I would recommend it. I met some great people there and had a lot of fun, while feeling like I made a difference and learnt a lot about conservation.

Vicki 2008

We arrived at the reserve four weeks ago not knowing what to expect.  Some of us had travelled alone and were quite nervous about meeting the rest of the group.

After meeting for 5 minutes we set off to track the lions and were all blown away by seeing Mufasa, Scar and the three 5 month old cubs.  We noticed our facilitator was using what looked like a television ariel to find the lions but we soon learned that this was called telemetry.

Every day we used the telemetry kit to track down and monitor the lions.  By the end of the four weeks we were experts in using telemetry and competed every day to get the quickest time.  The record currently stands at 9 min 30 sec- beat that!  Monitoring the lions was a key activity which we did every day.  Doing this is critical for the future success of the game reserve and its sustainability. 

Other animal activities which we were involved in included elephant monitoring, jackal count, game counts, crocodile capture and animal relocation.

One of the main highlights was coming eye to eye with Norman, the 36 year old elephant bull.  He was so close that if we reached out of the land rover we could have touched him. It was a breath taking experience!

We were also involved in community based projects which included giving a life science lecture to the children at the local school and undertaking some maintenance on the school building.

Twice a week we visited the local orphanage.  This was one of the most rewarding experiences during our time here as we got the opportunity to bond with the underprivileged children there.

Every time we went we played different games with them and also did some arts and crafts which they really enjoyed.

Other activities we took part in included camping under the stars in the Reserve; a survival challenge where we had to construct our own shelters and had minimal provisions;

canoeing on the bushman’s river; rifle handling; alien tree removal; fence and road maintenance.  Another opportunity we were lucky to have was a behind the scenes tour of the Born Free Foundation.

During our time off we socialised with the locals and the rangers at the nearby pub or at the volunteer house.  The house we lived in is situated in the small town of Paterson, a short drive from the Reserve and has a resident dog called Odie who likes to join in the fun. At the weekend there was lots to do in the surrounding area -  from sky diving to horse riding in Addo National Park.  We even took on the worlds highest bungee jumping at Storms River.

Last but not least we had Ettiene, our facilitator, to thank for all the amazing experiences we had and the knowledge he gave to us.  His enthusiasm made our stay interesting, fun and memorable and we all left with fond and happy memories of our time spent at the Game Reserve.

It has been an experience of a lifetime and we all plan to return in the near future.