Wildlife Capture And Relocation Experience

Relocate large or rare animals

Help to capture and relocate iconic species such as giraffes, buffalo, roan antelope, zebra and wildebeest. As animals are darted from a helicopter or vehicle, you’ll be on the ground assisting the vet where necessary.

A challenge like no other

You’ll be involved in high-pressure situations where calm focus and teamwork are essential, such as monitoring a tranquilised animal’s breathing and heart rate, or helping lift the animal onto a transport vehicle.

Gain exposure to practical veterinary techniques

Alongside wildlife capture, you could experience various field clinical techniques. These could include observing or assisting with injections, testing for pregnancy, diagnosing diseases and assisting with rhino horn trimming.

Maintain genetic diversity in wildlife populations

Capturing and relocating animals is vital to prevent genetic bottlenecks, especially in fenced reserves and areas surrounding farms where wild animals can’t migrate easily. By joining the Wildlife Capture Team, you’ll support the long-term conservation of many species.

Help prevent disease outbreaks

Vets are the first line of defence against wildlife disease management. You’ll assist the vets with testing for disease and administering veterinary drugs to keep wildlife populations, especially buffalo, disease-free.

Learn from the best

The Wildlife Capture Team are world-class experts in the capture and relocation of wildlife. As part of the team, you’ll pick up unique skills and gain insights into the behaviour of wild animals.

Gain expert knowledge and insights

You’ll receive informal lectures in the field covering topics such as physiology, pharmacology, stress and capture-related animal death, chemical and physical restraint of wild animals, capture and transport of large animals, and endemic wildlife diseases.

You’ll support the project team with real wildlife capture operations. Depending on the priorities of the veterinary and wildlife team at the time, this will include a range of the following activities.

Mass capture

You will get to observe or assist:

• Setting up bomas, the canvas enclosures used in the field to catch large herds of animals such as antelope and zebra.

You could also observe or assist:

• Administering mild sedatives to reduce stress among captured wild animals.

Specialist darting

You could observe or assist:

• Handling darted animals on the ground by removing the dart, monitoring vital signs and administering prophylactic antibiotics and vitamins.

Field clinical work

You will get to experience veterinary procedures in the field. You could observe or assist:

• Positioning immobilised animals for necessary procedures.
• Drawing blood, taking DNA samples, preparing and administering injections of non-scheduled medications.
• Wound care.
• Autopsying deceased production wildlife to determine cause of death.

Practical conservation work

You will get to experience practical conservation in the field during veterinary field clinical procedures. You could observe or assist:

• Different aspects of capture operations and relocating animals.
• Setting up camps in the bush during extended capture operations.

You’ll learn about wildlife behaviour and biology as well as broader conservation issues. Depending on the animals being immobilised, treated or relocated, this will include a range of the following topics.

Behaviour

• How to monitor the health and behaviour of different species.
• How animals react to the stress of being captured.

Biology

• The effects of sedative drugs on different wildlife species.
• The impact of diseases on different species.
• The processes involved in wildlife care after treatment.
• Basic physiology of different wildlife species.

Conservation

• Disease management and the importance of maintaining healthy and genetically viable populations.
• Threats to animals such as human-wildlife conflict and rhino poaching.
• The capture and transport of different species.

This project contributes to a variety of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. As part of the team, so will you.

No Poverty End poverty in all its forms everywhere

By offering paid volunteering opportunities, the Wildlife Capture Team attracts predictable international funding that provides a means for the vets connected to the project to capture, treat and relocate a variety of species.

Quality Education Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

All volunteers on the Wildlife Capture Team acquire knowledge of best practice within game capture procedures, how human actions can affect wildlife and how they can minimise this effect - and have access to the same standard of education regardless of sex and background.

Gender Equality Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

The Wildlife Capture Team provides equal employment opportunities for local women and men and equal volunteering opportunities for women and men outside the local community.

Decent Work and Economic Growth Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

The Wildlife Capture Team routinely employs young people between 15 and 24 and provides equal employment opportunities for local men and women. Volunteers provide both economic and physical support, facilitating important conservation work and education within the local community.

Sustainable Cities and Communities Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

The materials used in the game capture process are locally sourced from within South Africa. Meanwhile, the Wildlife Capture Team protects natural heritage through the conservation of iconic African species.

Responsible Consumption and Production Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

The Wildlife Capture Team promotes responsible tourism in a variety of ways: through the creation of local jobs; by educating international visitors how to live in harmony with nature; and in their vital conservation work.

Life on Land Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

The Wildlife Capture Team takes significant action to halt the loss of biodiversity and prevent the extinction of threatened species. By helping to maintain genetic diversity in wildlife populations, they play a powerful role in preventing the degradation of South Africa’s natural ecosystems.

By offering paid volunteering opportunities, the project increases its financial resources, enabling it to conduct wildlife relocation work, which is key for the conservation of threatened species.

Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

The Wildlife Capture Team employs local people who are involved in the decisions taken to effectively run and manage the project.

Partnerships for the goals Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

Through the Wildlife Capture Team’s partnership with us, they draw in financial resources that are used to fund conservation and provide support to their community partners in South Africa.