Jenna Page

My two weeks at Phinda Wildlife Research Project were amazing. The project staff and other volunteers were incredible and I loved seeing so many animals out in the field. It was fantastic!

A typical day started quite early which can be an adjustment if you are a night owl like me, but it was so worth it. Most days we were carrying out game counts, checking the collars and tags of any animals that Phinda tracks in the reserve, like their Pangolins, and also using telemetry to track animals through the bush. 

One of the most exciting tracking experiences I had whilst at the project was with a male lion. He had recently been relocated to Phinda and they wanted to keep a close eye on him to see how he was adjusting to his new environment. 

We were also involved in some management work during my stay. One of the first things we did on day one was a rhino horn trimming! It was so interesting to learn about the process and being so close to the rhino whilst it was happening was incredible. We also helped with the relocation of one rhino which was another extraordinary experience.

I saw such a variety of animals and ecosystems on the reserve. I was fortunate enough to see rhinos, elephants, lions, and cheetahs, and explore areas like the sand forest (a habitat that is only found in a few places around the world!)

I have participated in a few different conservation projects but this experience gave me a whole new level of education and involvement. I saw and learnt so much which I will be able to use in my future career. For example, telemetry was something I had never done before so it was great to learn about it - I think it’ll be something that I can use in my future field of study or work!

I also met some incredible people on this experience. During our downtime we would be playing card games, and cooking meals together - we even had a few traditional South African braai’s with some of the researchers on the project. It was amazing to chat with them and learn more about South African culture!