Rhino Conservation Experience

• Combined experience
• 2 weeks
• 2 projects

Support efforts to establish a new wild rhino population

Golola aims to establish a viable breeding rhino population on the reserve. The project’s research into how they’re making this a reality is being shared with other conservationists, helping secure a future for rhinos across Africa.

Experience the rhino rehabilitation journey

From bottle-feeding orphaned calves to helping monitor adult rhinos after they’re released back into their natural habitat, Golola gives you the chance to see and learn about vital stages of rhino rehabilitation.

Support rhino anti-poaching efforts

The Kruger is home to the largest wild rhino population in Africa – and plays a vital role in the future of the species. You will actively help protect these giants from poachers by monitoring white and black rhinos and passing live information to the anti-poaching team.

Work with world-class rhino specialists

You’ll live and work alongside two incredibly passionate and knowledgeable teams. Golola’s qualified specialists are led by a world-leading rhino researcher. Meanwhile, Vikela gives you access to a seasoned rhino anti-poaching expert who tracks wildlife on foot alongside his trained anti-poaching dog.

Nurture your conservation knowledge

This is a unique learning experience. Through hands-on work, educational bushwalks and informal talks, you’ll learn about rhino rehabilitation, the ecology of the region, broader conservation topics - and even local bushcraft skills.

Carry out practical conservation on foot

Walking through the African bush, exploring remote areas that can’t be accessed by vehicles and immersing yourself in the smells and sounds of nature is a life-changing experience. You’ll be one of the lucky people who can say "I did that" and know what it means.

You can book this experience as it is. Or, you can customise it to be just right for you.

The Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience

Week 1

Explore the Greater Kruger Park in a way few others ever do… on foot. Alongside an expert guide, you’ll step into one of the few remaining ecosystems large enough to host a mega population of lions, growing numbers of elephants, plus wild dogs, black and white rhino and other threatened species. Together, you’ll carry out vital practical conservation, monitor iconic species and immerse yourself in the untamed beauty of this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

• Meals Provided

Golola Rhino Orphanage And Rehabilitation Centre

Week 2

Gain invaluable hands-on experience caring for orphaned rhinos at a dedicated sanctuary, under the close guidance of expert zoologists, conservationists, and researchers. Beyond the sanctuary, you’ll help monitor these remarkable animals after their release into a wildlife reserve, set against the breathtaking backdrop of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

• Self-Catered

You’ll support the project teams in real hands-on rhino monitoring, management and care work. Depending on the priorities at the time, this will include a range of the following activities.

Rehabilitation, care and husbandry

Many rhinos arrive at the centre injured or emotionally distressed. As part of a dedicated team, you’ll help care for and rehabilitate these animals so they can eventually be released back into the wild.

You will get to assist:

• Packing bags of hay and measuring out pellet feeds for rhinos that no longer require milk.
• Cleaning enclosures by mucking out, replacing hay, and scrubbing feeding and water troughs.
• Preparing browse for black rhinos (fresh leafy branches) and grass for white rhinos.

You could also observe or assist:

• Animal enrichment activities, such as creating mud wallows.
• Vet nursing if an animal requires care.

Care for orphaned baby rhinos

If there are milk-dependent baby rhinos during your stay, you will get to observe or assist:

• Preparing milk formula.
• Bottle-feeding young rhinos.
• Observing the hand-rearing process and the developmental stages of rhino calves.

Monitoring and protection

Monitoring wild rhino herds and following the progress of rehabilitated rhinos after their release back into the wild is vital for conservation.

You will get to observe or assist:

• Tracking animals on foot during bush walks.
• Monitoring population numbers, movement, and behaviour of key species.
• Identifying individual rhinos and providing data to anti-poaching teams.
• Monitoring for behaviours that may indicate injury or illness.
• Recording animals’ age, gender, feeding and breeding behaviours.
• Managing and maintaining camera traps to monitor elusive species.

You could also observe or assist:

• Analysing camera trap data as part of ongoing species monitoring.
• Practical conservation tasks such as removing invasive species, bush clearing, and repairing fences.
• Other wildlife in the area such as giraffes, wildebeest, zebras, warthogs, and more.

Veterinary nursing work

If veterinary work is required, specialist wildlife veterinarians or vet nurses will visit the centre and perform procedures in the ICU rooms or out in the field. Depending on your skill level and the needs of the project, you could observe or assist:

• Veterinary work carried out at the centre.
• Providing physical assistance where needed, e.g. carrying an immobilised animal.
• Monitoring vital signs of tranquilised animals.

Educational activities

Education is a core part of this experience. You’ll gain a deeper understanding through:

• Informal and formal talks on topics such as the rhino poaching crisis and the rehabilitation process.
• Educational bush walks, where you’ll learn about the region’s geology, birds, plants, and animal behaviour.
• Bushcraft skills, including identifying animal tracks and understanding the medicinal uses of trees.

Get a 360-degree view of conservation

In addition to rehabilitation and monitoring work, you’ll also get to experience:

• A boat trip along the Blyde River Canyon to observe wildlife from the water.
• Night drives through the Greater Kruger, where you’ll learn about nocturnal species such as leopards, hyenas, bushbabies, and porcupines.

You’ll learn about rhino behaviour, biology, ecology, and conservation issues. Depending on the projects’ work at the time, this will include a range of the following topics.

Animal husbandry

• Individual dietary requirements for captive rhinos, including food preparation, water provision, and feeding routines.
• Best hygiene practices, including enclosure cleaning, disinfection of areas, and waste removal.
• How to monitor the health and behaviour of captive rhinos.

Behaviour

• How to create a stimulating environment for orphaned rhinos prior to release.
• Rhino communication and interaction patterns.
• How orphaned rhinos reintegrate into the wild, including their breeding behaviour and social structures.
• Signs of illness and injury in rhinos.
• The hunting, breeding, and social behaviour of key monitored species such as rhinos and wild dogs.
• The use of habitats and the movement patterns of elusive species like leopards.

Biology

• The differences between white and black rhinos.
• Rhino physiology.
• The diet of white and black rhinos in both wild and rehabilitation settings.
• The physiology and natural diets of the Big 5 and other African species.
• Native African plants, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.

Ecology

• Ecological factors affecting rhinos.
• The role of rhinos as an umbrella species within the ecosystem.
• The unique environment of two UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• The natural environment of the Big 5 and other African species.
• Why large, continuous protected wilderness areas are more effective for wildlife conservation than fragmented reserves.
• Current threats facing African ecosystems.

Conservation

• The reasons behind rhino poaching in southern Africa.
• The role and impact of animal rehabilitation centres in species protection.
• The process of rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned rhino calves.
• How to provide optimal care for orphaned baby rhinos.
• The role of rangers and anti-poaching dogs.
• The importance of the Greater Kruger Park in conservation efforts.
• How wildlife conservation initiatives in Africa are funded.

Research

• Various research techniques such as camera traps and GPS devices.
• When applicable, observing veterinary procedures performed on rhinos.
• When applicable, observing the analysis of rhino faecal samples under a microscope to explore rhino parasitology.

Bush skills

• How to track animals on foot.
• How to approach animals safely while on foot.
• How to identify a variety of insects, reptiles, and birds.
• How to use a spotlight during night drives to minimise disruption to nocturnal animals.
• The medicinal uses of various plants and trees.

Educational talks

• The basic astronomy of the southern sky.
• The role of hunting in African wildlife conservation.
• Wildlife poisoning and the traditional ‘muti’ trade.
• The impact of drought in the Greater Kruger region.