Phola African Veterinary Experience
An exciting and inspiring opportunity to combine veterinary work with an integrated approach to predator conservation.
Working with a permanent wildlife veterinarian based at the Zingela Predator Conservation Project, you will join the veterinary team at a number of conservation projects, two large game reserves and within the local communities, providing a much awaited free mobile veterinary service. The veterinary experience provides exciting hands on work with a diverse range of species, and the opportunity to work with Africa’s most majestic wildlife.
- Game reserve veterinary team working closely with cheetah, leopard , hyena and rhino
- Veterinary disease control and management at two extensive Roan and Sable antelope breeding projects
- Disease free Buffalo breeding project
- Veterinary assistance with local wildlife charities
- Free domestic and livestock mobile veterinary clinics in local villages
- Provide resident veterinary base for three wildlife conservation projects
- Game capture and immobilisation
Conservation Value
This project enables a permanent veterinary base for several game reserves and wildlife charities, in an area where one of southern Africa's last free ranging lion population still roam. Through working with domestic animals in the villages, the project aims to improve relationships with the local communities, and to build trust and empowerment in controlling and conserving the predator populations which live among them - an area of great conflict due to the devastating impact predators such as lion and cheetah have on their land. Volunteers directly fund the ability to provide free mobile community clinics.
Disease free buffalo breeding
To ensure disease free buffalo remain a viable breeding population, volunteers will be involved in routine blood testing for TB.
Lion darting
To ensure safety within local communities and build relationships with local landowners and farmers, predators in the area will be darted and relocated to safer areas. Eyes and ears are covered during sedation to reduce stimuli.
Big 5 reserve work
Volunteers work with the resident vet responsible for all wildlife work across two game reserves.
Poaching dogs
Volunteers will sterilise any dogs brought into the free mobile veterinary clinic to reduce the number of stray dogs used by wildlife poachers. Local communities will also be offered free inoculations for their dogs and treatment.
Roan and sable antelope breeding projects
The Phola veterinary team will support two extensive roan and sable antelope breeding projects, the largest private breeding collections in South Africa.
Snare removal from hyena
Working on a conservation project studying brown hyena, a bait was used to trap a hyena seen caught in a snare. Volunteers assisted in darting the animal to remove the wire from the hyena's neck.
Sable antelope breeding programmes
Working closely with sable often requires veterinary sedation due to their nature of confronting predators using their shaped horns. Female sable may be darted for pregnancy testing in breeding programmes.
Rehabilitation veterinary work
Eli, a young eland, was found in a nearby reserve, abandoned and in great distress. Caught between two fence lines, he has damaged one eye severely. Volunteers are currently hand rearing the young calf with regular milk supplement and treating his damaged eye to minimise loss of sight in later life.
Fitting transmitter to rhino and elephant
Elephant and specifically rhino are darted and fitted with transmitters and micro chips to reduce poaching of the species and enable them to be tracked more successfully. Having a continuous presence of trackers with rhino has shown to reduce the incidence of poaching on reserves.
Rustic bush camp
Veterinary volunteers at Phola will live in a rustic bush camp within a beautiful game reserve in the Limpopo Province of South Africa, home to populations of leopard, cheetah, hyena and rhino.
Phola, from the Zulu meaning to heal, reflects the essence of the veterinary focus of this project, but also the partnerships and relationships between local communities and wildlife that will develop as a result.
Veterinary Work
Working with a permanent wildlife veterinarian based at Zingela Predator Conservation Project, you will join the veterinary team at a number of conservation projects, two large game reserves and within the local communities, providing a much awaited free mobile veterinary service.
The veterinary experience provides exciting hands on work with a diverse range of species, and the opportunity to work with Africa’s most majestic wildlife. Veterinary volunteers can be involved in the following projects:
- Two extensive Roan and Sable antelope breeding projects
- Game reserve veterinary work, covering over 25,000ha. Work on a Big 5 game reserve and a second game reserve working closely with cheetah, leopard , hyena and rhino.
- Buffalo breeding project.
- Rehabilitation centre work, focussed on the hand rearing and care of injured and orphaned species, and rehabilitation of larger wildlife.
- Veterinary assistance with local wildlife charities.
- Free veterinary clinic for local communities.
- General veterinary practice work in the surrounding area of reserves, farms and breeding stations.
- Veterinary work on three wildlife conservation projects; Zingela Predator Conservation Project, Hanchi Conservation Project and a Mofemedi Rhino Recovery Initiative.
- Chemical immobilisation and game capture of over 500 animals annually in the winter months.
Wildlife and the Community
An exciting new development, this project will provide a service free of charge in the local area assisting with all wildlife emergencies.
There are a number of farms and reserves in the area which have been handed over to previously disadvantaged communities, who struggle to fund veterinary assistance when required. This project will provide this veterinary care wherever possible.
The vet and volunteers will also work in the the local villages, working with domestic animals and livestock, providing a free veterinary service. Through this service, the project aims to improve relations with the communities and be able to carry out much needed work with the local dog population. Any procedures will be offered free of charge, however the project will sterilise any dogs that come to the clinic as part of the agreement. By sterilisation of dogs that come into the mobile clinic, the project will aim to reduce the excessive amount of stray dogs within these communities. These dogs are used by poachers and this project will directly reduce the number of dogs freely available to the poachers. This focus of Phola works alongside the Zingela Predator Conservation Project, conserving Africa’s most elusive and persecuted predators.
The veterinary team will also provide a permanent vet based in the local town for local wildlife charities. Such charities often are required to work with injured or captured predators in the area and cannot always afford the veterinary services currently available. We are excited to be able to provide this service through the Phola project.
The basis of the project allows for a free veterinary service to be established within two local communities - a much needed service, and a focus which is vital to ensure longevity of sustainable conservation initiatives in the area. The veterinary team will be based at the veterinary clinic in the local town, where X ray facilities and an operating theatre are available for use.
