Content Filed Under "phinda"
Phinda Wildlife Research Project
Phinda is one of the success stories of large mammal reintroduction. Volunteers at Phinda become research assistants, and are actively involved in studying the wonderful biodiversity of this stunning game reserve.
Behind the scenes as a researcher in Africa
"I had always wanted to visit Africa for as long as I could remember so when the opportunity arose, I grabbed it. Visiting Africa as a volunteer instead of a tourist was much more rewarding than I ...
Elephant Emotions - A Family Affair
Tuesday 1st November 2011 - My last day at Phinda "After a late night due to a rangers leaving party JR and I had to wake up at 3:30am for a hectic day of elephant capture! We had spent the past ...
Phinda was pure heaven...
Volunteer returns to Africa...Christina Cooper shares her conservation diary... "Choosing a conservation project was the hardest obstacle to overcome All of us who work in some of the finest zool...
Rhino Rebellion
South Africa is classified as one of the most important countries in terms of rhino conservation, specifically the white rhino. At the end of 2007, South Africa was responsible for conserving 35 pe...
Interfering with Nature or Vital Conservation?
Should humans interfere with nature? A complex question that has speculated debate across the globe. Surely the answer depends on the circumstances, is the interference necessary because of negati...
Shimongwe volunteers Amy and Allison get up close to cheetah!
"Two weeks into our trip, we once again found ourselves on the plains of Phinda. With Wildebeest and Zebra being the main animals in our line of sight, we were all surprised when Chap called out "c...
White and Black Rhino Success at Phinda!
The black rhino declined drastically in the 1970s and 1980s due to poaching. To prevent extinction, many rhinos were translocated to fenced sanctuaries in the early 1990s. This effort appears to be...
I'm watching you
The cheetah hunts by vision rather than by scent. Prey is stalked to within 10-30 m, then chased.
Black rhino
The rhino is prized for its horn. Not a true horn, it is made of thickly matted hair that grows from the skull without skeletal support. The major demand for horn is in Asia, where it is used in traditional medicine and ornamental carvings. On Phinda Wildlife Research Project you can help monitor these magnificent creatures.
Wild Cheetah
The cheetah is a vulnerable species. Out of all the big cats, it is the least able to adapt to new environments.
Two warthogs stop for a drink
They are the only pigs able to live in areas without water for several months of the year. By tolerating a higher than normal body temperature, the warthog is able to conserve moisture inside its body that might otherwise be used for cooling. When water is available warthogs drink regularly and enjoy wallowing in muddy places.
Moving lions is a skilful task
By law only a registered vet can use high scheduled drugs to immobilise animals. Volunteers learn about the drugs involved, darting techniques, and will administer low schedule drugs. Here volunteers are preparing these lions to be moved.
Leopard at a kill
Both lions and hyenas will take away a leopard's kill if they can. To prevent this leopards store their larger kills in trees where they can feed on them in relative safety.
Volunteers assist vets with lion work
At Phinda volunteers assist with hormonal contraception methods on lions to help manage populations and maintain the balance
The White Rhino
Under the hot African sun, rhinos find a suitable water hole and roll in its mud, coating their skin with a natural bug repellent and sun bloc
Walking with mum
Unlike the calves of the black rhino, white rhino calves walk in front of the mother
The White Rhino (Ceratotherium simum)
The word rhinoceros is derived from Greek, meaning nose horn which is their most distinctive feature. The white rhinoceros derives its scientific name, Ceratotherium simum from the Greek cerato, meaning horn; thorium, meaning wild beast and simum meaning flat nosed.
Phinda Wildlife Research Project
Video of volunteers at the Phinda Wildlife Research Project in South Africa
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