Elephant Conservation - Namibia

only  £1250

Elephant Conservation

Ref:

GYC 1172198

Countries:

Namibia

Duration:

2 weeks

  

or call:

0845 344 7569

more info:

click here

 

This placement would suit:

someone who has an open mind, a willing heart and is prepared to put in some hard work. This is about true adventure with likeminded people that care. This is about teamwork and tolerance. We live close together, close to the ground, and close to the animals. Your project manager is there to make your time in the bush educational and safe, but it is up to you to make a success of the expedition. You need to have an average degree of fitness, as lot of the work is manual, and we could spend a lot of time in high temperatures on foot. A bit of training beforehand would make your time more comfortable. But don’t worry, anyone is capable, the project staff will be there for you every step of the way.

 

Cost details:

Additional multiples of 2 weeks £1000.00.
Volunteers are required to make their way to Swakopmund for the start of the programme. Minibus shuttles between Windhoek and Swakopmund run on a daily basis. The journey takes approximately 3.5 hours and costs N$200. This can be booked in advance for you but paid locally.

 

   

Product Details

This project is real spearhead conservation work. It is not about cuddling baby animals, or being an observer of conservation from the comfort of a game drive vehicle.

Most of the work is concentrated in the North West region of Namibia, known as Damaraland. This is a vast, scarcely populated communal trust land. As it is a transitional zone between the high rainfall area in the east, and the Skeleton coast in the west, it is regarded as un-farmable on a commercial basis. Therefore it has become a natural, unfenced refuge for desert adapted animals such as black rhino, oryx, giraffe, springbuck, kudu, steenbok, baboon, lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, brown hyena, black backed jackal and more.

Due to successful conservation practices and the growth of local herds, elephants have expanded their range to the south and east into territories they have not occupied for many years. Subsistence farmers husbanding mainly cattle, goats and sheep, traditionally occupy these areas. As a result competition for water and grazing has escalated tremendously causing conflict between farmers and elephants.

A willing mind, and a strong back is all you need to join the project. Appropriate training is provided including:

• Camp craft including cooking over a fire, bush camp setup, safety and hygiene.
• Bush craft like tracking, approaching dangerous animals on foot, animal behaviour, bush walking, navigation, map reading, GPS etc.
• Compiling identification kits on elephants.
• Traditional building skills.

The project works in 2-week rotations. Volunteers will first join a team in building protection walls around vitally important water sources for Damaraland homesteads. The walls are built to protect water-pumping facilities: a borehole, solar panel and pump or windmill. The elephants are given access to the water at certain points, thus preventing them from damaging the pumping mechanics and allowing the farmers use of the clean, fresh water.

The weekend is spent relaxing at the base camp in the Ugab River.

We then head off on patrol for the next week. Patrols are lead by at least one experienced guide on our very specialised 4x4 vehicles with minimum of equipment, setting up camp at a different site every evening. You will be experiencing areas of Damaraland and surrounding area that no safari or overland tour will ever venture into, tracking and observing our local desert-adapted elephant herds. Volunteers will help with herd identification and data collection projects.

only  £1250

Twin Work Abroad

Want to travel and gain work experience abroad? Whether you want to fruit pick in Queensland, volunteer with kids in South Africa, have a Rio de Janeiro Internship or do farm work in Norway - pre, during or post Uni - we have a vast range of programmes for you!

  

or call:

0845 344 7569