WILDLIFE VOLUNTEERING: THE RED FLAGS MOST PEOPLE MISS
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My three weeks of volunteering started with one week at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, followed by two weeks on the Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience.
I really appreciated how transparent African Conservation Experience (ACE) was when speaking with me about the projects and what I’d be doing before I booked this experience. I was advised to go with an open mind, which made this experience that much sweeter once I was there.
You have to remember, this is not a safari experience, this is about immersing yourself, learning about the culture and contributing to the hard work that needs to be done.
The ACE consultant I spoke with recommended going to Moholoholo before volunteering at Vikela, and visiting the projects in that order was perfect. It meant we got to see the rehabilitation side of conservation first, which really pulled at my heartstrings because you’re helping animals on an individual basis. I then got to see how the work I was doing impacts an entire ecosystem when I joined the Vikela project. It made me realise that the work being done on both projects is truly a full-time job.
At Moholoholo, the team there were very upfront about what to expect in terms of the work we’d be doing, but I think what surprised me most was learning about the nuances of rehabilitation I hadn’t even considered. The importance of vultures in the ecosystem, the nuances of when an animal should be brought into the centre, how you release an animal ethically, and I hadn’t even thought about the human imprinting component before!
Something else that I learned about during my time at Moholoholo was the education that they encourage within the local communities and how they bring in local school groups.
I had not even considered that the communities beyond the walls of a reserve may never have seen a lion in their entire life. That is, until one escapes, and suddenly their livelihood, their farm, is decimated, as well as all of their money. All of these nuances are so fascinating, and the investment that Moholoholo tries to make by bringing in schools and educating the next generation is really incredible. I love this initiative as it brings excitement and education to kids at such a young age.
I've been so focused on the animals and the conservation component of this experience that I didn't think about the other community elements of it, too. The culture that you learn along the way is so rewarding, and I would never have gotten that if this were just a holiday at a private resort.
My last day at Moholoholo, I was lucky enough to witness a giraffe being released, which was so cool!
Giraffe in a vehicle after completing its rehabilitation journey at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, about to be released back into a natural environment
Coming into this experience, I thought volunteers might be able to milk the animals or the vets would get to pet them, but now I know that’s not beneficial for the animals. So seeing this animal scurry away into the bush when it was released solidified my knowledge that this is a wild giraffe that has not been imprinted on by humans, which is being released back into the wild environment it belongs to, where it will thrive. I got a bit emotional because this incredible team at Moholoholo have invested a lot of time and effort in that giraffe, and because of that hard work, she can now live her life to the fullest in her natural environment. How incredible is that?
What was really refreshing about this experience was feeling the passion from other people around you. The way the teams on these projects talk about conservation is so inspiring in its own right.
Tracking animals through the bush on the Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience
At Vikela, the staff were fully integrated into the group and never felt separate from the volunteers. I was a little intimidated at first because of the skills and knowledge our guide had, but I realised within the first couple of days that he was really just a big softie who wanted to teach us, and I loved his approach.
For example, when we were tracking, our team lead would ask for our thought process, which was a great way to test our instincts. Talking about how to react to each type of behaviour or each type of trail was a great way to learn all the different facets and nuances of what to do. It's one thing to have somebody talk at you, but to have a dialogue of ‘what does my gut say’ first and then testing it, that resonates and lasts so much longer than someone just preaching at you.
One of my favourite memories was on our second day at Vikela, when we were tracking a rhino for 3 hours through the bush, but we didn’t find it, so we took our lunch break instead. Then, when we had our walking session that afternoon, we found it an hour later! The rhino didn't see us at all, and he just walked by while we were all standing in a line, looking at the open field, getting to watch this rhino walk through. Our guide highlighted how we were right in the middle of a purely natural habitat. No human intervention, and we are seeing nature behaving as it should, right in front of us.
This is what conservation is all about. Little human intervention, but you get to watch as that rhino lives its life and know that you're contributing to its protection. That was one of the coolest memories that I have, pure nature.
During my time at Vikela, we spoke about the variety of species in the bush and how dead animals can be really beneficial for the ecosystem. This conversation was sparked because we came across a dead buffalo in the bush, and even though this was very sad to see, our guide explained that this is actually really beneficial for scavenger species such as hyenas or vultures. I’m so grateful our guide gave us exposure to something like that to allow us to fully understand the environment we were there to help.
There were definitely moments when, after we had done a lot of physical work, we’d be feeling a bit tired, but I figured that it’s our choice to be here, so we may as well ask lots of questions to the project staff while we can to maximise our time. Our guide at Vikela was even laughing at the end because I asked so many questions!
I really appreciated the project staff’s patience with all of my questions because even though I know I’m not an expert, I wanted to learn as much as I could!
One of the biggest takeaways I have from this experience is that at both Moholoholo at Vikela, the project staff allowed us to be involved in every experience they had to offer. The number of activities they entrusted us to do made it feel like we were really contributing, and to me, that made this experience second to none.
ACE were incredibly organised. My sister and I lost our luggage, and the ACE in-country team responded immediately, reassuring us not to worry because they had everything under control. Whether it was arranging for our luggage to be sent to us, helping us change our itinerary, or assisting with anything else, the communication from the ACE team always made me feel confident about what was happening. I had never been to South Africa before, but ACE made the whole experience feel seamless. They really tailored the trip to what my sister and I were hoping to get out of it, while still encouraging us to keep an open mind.
You can tell how wonderful the projects are just by the strength of their relationship with ACE. I’m grateful to ACE for helping us understand the gravity of the impact we were making by volunteering on these projects.
I can't believe the experience I’ve had, and that I’ve been able to share with my sister, it’s truly been once in a lifetime. It makes me emotional because there will never be anything like it again.
The expectations of volunteering can vary widely, but ACE do an incredible job at giving folks so many different opportunities, having strong partnerships, being really organised, and making the experience feel seamless, even if the unexpected happens (like losing luggage!)
I would love to do it again. I wish I didn't even have to leave. I came on this trip wanting to take a break from my job, wanting to get some new inspiration, and wow, this trip exceeded that in ways I didn't think were possible.
Thank you to all of the ACE team and project staff!
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