Location
250 kilometres east of Windhoek (close to the Botswana border) in the remote and stunning Omaheke Region
About the project
This wildlife sanctuary gives volunteers the opportunity to care for and handle African wildlife in the beautiful desert landscape of Namibia. Over the past 30 years, the family-run sanctuary has been involved in the care, rehabilitation and housing of orphaned, injured, neglected, abused and abandoned wild animals, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, meerkats, baboons, various antelope species and other animals.
Wild animals are often regarded as "problematic animals" in Namibia due to the considerable damage that they cause to livestock and agriculture. Local farmers often resort to shooting and trapping to reduce the problem. The sanctuary works to educate local farmers, provide positive solutions to the incessant problems between farmers and wild animals, and give a safe haven to vulnerable wildlife. Furthermore, the sanctuary has established a trusting bond with the indigenous bushmen in the surrounding areas (including the aptitude to speak their native language) and draws upon this understanding of their customs and needs to help promote conservation goals.
This volunteer project offers the opportunity to get some real hands-on experience assisting many different species of Namibia's wildlife. The sanctuary operates a guiding principle of never turning an animal away so if you want to contribute during your stay in Namibia, this is an ideal project with which to get involved. Not a week passes without a new occupant arriving, thus you will have many opportunities for hands-on work with animals.
Induction
All volunteers are required to undertake a full and comprehensive induction covering all aspects of working on the sanctuary. On completion of this, you will be allocated a supervisor and will be issued with a volunteer Programme Manual, returnable upon leaving. This includes details of the responsibilities on both sides, the policies and procedures, the organizational structure, a code of conduct and clear guidelines on all aspects of thr working practice. You will be part of a group of volunteers, so this also will give you time to meet with and get to know each other.
Volunteer work and contribution
As a volunteer, you will mainly work with orphaned, injured, neglected, abused and abandoned wild animals and help to create a stable environment for them at the sanctuary. Along with caring for wildlife, you will help with maintenance, assist the local field guides and learn how to guide project tours. Volunteer duties include some of the following:
- Feeding cheetahs and baboons (twice a day)
- Feeding and meal preparation for other wildlife (4-5 times per day)
- Caring for, hand rearing and cleaning baby animals
- Night duty of infant animals (surrogate parenting in bed)
- Cleaning the enclosures
- Assisting with repair and building of structures on the farm
- Building wildlife camps
- Erecting fences around the sanctuary
- Assisting in the clinic with injured animals (qualified veterinary experience required)
- Training to assist as Field Guide for daily tours of the sanctuary
- Assisting at the local bushman clinic
At the end of each day, the volunteers will meet with the supervisor(s) to discuss daily progress, any problems that have occurred and how best they might be resolved and to forward plan.
Accommodation
Your accommodation will be in a wooden deck unit at Kusjua Volunteer Village. The units are wooden cabins with beds sharing 4 volunteers at a time for the same gender. Bathroom facilities and kitchen area are also separate. The units are situated within easy reach of the central volunteer-area and are located approximately 700 m away from the farm house. Towels and bed linen are supplied.
All meals are provided. Please note that Namibia is predominantly a meat-eating country and is not an easy country to be a vegetarian. We will try to cater for any specific dietary needs, but food may become monotonous if you do not eat meat. Please ensure that special requirements are detailed on your application form.
Minimum requirements
- Min age 18 - Max age 40
- Basic English
- Good physical fitness
- Motivation to work with animals
- Full travel & medical insurance
- Immunizations (please consult your doctor)
Additional information
Frequently asked questions
Volunteer logs and vidoes
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