Mpumelelo Wildlife Orphanage & Research Project
Wildlife care, conservation research and community education.
Mpumelelo, the ndebele name meaning a place of upliftment and moving forward, defines the ethos of this wildlife orphanage - a haven for wild animals who had little hope to survive in the wild. Abandoned, injured and animals born in captivity or raised unsuccessfully are welcomed into a safe rehabilitation and care centre, run by a passionate team who devote their time to ensure this facility is the leading centre for rehabilitation and release in Zimbabwe.
- Animal care, feeding and husbandry
- Wildlife rehabilitation and release
- Hand rearing infant animals
- Assisting with routine health and dietary requirements, including worming and vaccinations
- Animal enrichment at the orphanage
- Support wildlife research at the centre including data collection of zoological records including physiology and behaviour of species
- Assist with leopard, cheetah and brown hyena population studies and biodiversity studies at the nearby Matopos National Park
- Join the Environmental Programmes Involving Children (EPIC) project to assist in educating local communities, specifically school groups, about their natural heritage and wildlife conservation
Conservation Value
As a registered welfare organisation in Zimbabwe, the centre’s roots were based on the founder’s career in the Zambia government as a tsetse fly operator. Today, the centre provides a dedicated rescue and care service for injured, sick, orphaned, confiscated and abandoned wildlife in Zimbabwe.
The educational team dedicate time to teach children about nature conservation and inspire them to appreciate the wonder and variety of Zimbabwe's indigenous wildlife.
Leopard care and husbandry
Volunteers care for a number of carnivores at the centre, including leopards Lundi and Roslyn.
primate feeding and care
volunteers feed and hand rear young vervet and samango monkeys, who like to make themselves at home at the base accommodation!
volunteer hand rearing lion cubs
lion cubs require 24 hour care and support to develop in a wildlife orphanage. Nutritional development and social needs are closely monitored.
research at Matobo National Par
In collaboration with other conservation bodies, volunteers can assist with leopard behavioural and ecological studies.
individual recordings on leopard
Volunteers assist with fitting radio collars and recording key measurements including paw diameter and tooth length.
releasing individuals into the wild
wherever possible, rescued animals and birds are rehabilitated and released back into a wild environment.
ecological surveys and behavioural studies
volunteers learn wildlife research skills while working on the leopard and brown hyena research project
dante the lion keeps a watchful eye on volunteers
if safe release of animals back into their natural habitat is not possible, due to the nature of their injuries or previous habituations, animals are cared for at the centre by volunteers, including the larger carnivores.
socialistaion for young cubs
hand rearing can be very demanding and tiring work, but of course it is also very rewarding, ensuring lion cubs are socialised and enjoy interaction and stimulation in their environment.
feeding time
meat is weighed out and recorded at feeding times to ensure the nutritional needs of each animal at the centre is met
community education programmes
The Environmental Programmes Involving Children (EPIC ) project at the centre provides an educational resource in Zimbabwe for wildlife conservation education and to inspire children to care for and protect their natural heritage
community environmental education
in 2011, the projects environmental education team reached over 42,000 children with personalised trips to 60 primary schools
volunteers assist the EPIC programme
allowing local children to learn about animals through direct contact builds a sustainable future for the conservation of these species
young genet
Volunteers are currently hand rearing a baby genet at the centre, which requires 24 care and support.
Work with the Wildlife
By joining this dedicated team, you will be trained to work with carnivores, primates, birds of prey, snakes and domestic farm animals.The centre is currently home to lions, leopard, spotted hyena, serval, jackal, mongoose, kudu, steenbok, warthog, mongoose, terrapins, crocodiles, vervet and samango monkeys, baboons, various owl species and two lions cubs and a young genet.
The centre is a registered welfare organisation and famed as one of Africa’s largest and most successful rehabilitation and release centres. Due to the nature of the centre, work is responsive to animal’s needs and as such no two days are ever the same!
Wildlife Orphanage and Animal rehabilitation Centre
As a volunteer, your main duties will include:
- Food preparation and instruction on specialised diets.
- Feeding animals. Please note some animals such as the crocodiles are fed only by staff for safety reasons.
- Cleaning out enclosures, including large carnivore enclosures.
- Assisting with educational tours at the centre for public and local schoolchildren.
- Hand rearing infant animals, including feeding, socialising and husbandry of enclosures. This is an incredibly rewarding aspect of the placement, but can also require 24 hour care and support.
- Enrichment for animals.
- Health and routine vaccinations such as worming programmes are assisted with.
The centre provides a link between local and governmental authorities thus being able to offer assistance to local communities and organisations including the SPCA, National Parks and Nature Conservation, to support and develop the correct management and husbandry of Zimbabwe’s native wildlife.
Wildlife Conservation Research
Wildlife research and studies are carried out to assist in providing observational zoological records on development, nutrition and physiology of captive animals to assist in breeding programmes.
The research unit currently study species behaviour, lactation periods, milk composition and dental development of many antelope and carnivore species including cheetah and brown hyena. Such studies are vital for rare populations to apply directly to wild population conservation. The project also supports field studies in National Parks and protected areas to ensure sustainable protection of local heritage and wildlife.
Leopard and Brown Hyena Research Project
In collaboration with the National Parks and Wildlife Authority and international partner The Oregon Zoo Conservation Projects, a detailed study of the ecology and behaviour of the leopard and biodiversity survey of the Matobo National Park is currently taking place. The movements and home ranges of radio collared leopard, cheetah and brown hyena are also being studied in several habitats. If you are joining the project for 4 weeks or longer as a volunteer, you will be involved in these studies and enjoy a few days camping in the bush at Matopos National Park as part of your placement.
Community Education
The program also involves extensive community environmental education through its Environmental Programmes Involving Children (EPIC ) project. In 2011, the projects educational team reached out to more than 42,000 children through personalised visits to over 60 primary schools. As a volunteer you are given the opportunity to be involved in the EPIC project, in outreach trips to schools in the Bulawayo region and western suburbs, to inspire future generations to protect and care for these vulnerable species and their habitat.
