Come and join Kariega Game Reserve as a conservation volunteer. Make a real difference, grow your skills in conservation and have the experience of a lifetime!
Kariega is an extraordinary and exciting conservation project, at the forefront of numerous species reintroductions and conservation drives. If you want more than just a safari … come and get your hands dirty and learn more about conservation management on a Big 5 game reserve.

Kariega’s Conservation Volunteer Programme is the ultimate Big 5 experience, where volunteers from across the world, get the opportunity to get hands-on involved in conservation management on the reserve. During your stay with us, you may see yourselves as “Assistant Conservation Managers”, as all the work done and data collected by you will be utilized by Kariega for conservation on the reserve. A dedicated coordinator will endeavour to ensure that you have a wonderful learning experience and leave with a stronger understanding of conservation issues feeling like you made an important contribution.

Our volunteers also get the opportunity to explore South Africa’s amazing coastline as Kariega is a mere 16 km from the sea... the beautiful Indian Ocean is literally on your doorstep! This coastline has particularly rich marine fauna and flora as well as endless sand dunes and beautiful beaches. To top it all off, we have a brilliant community outreach programme. Our volunteers assist at a local rural farm school by teaching children basic subjects like English. Come and make a real difference and have fun doing so!

Please note that our activities are based on a minimum stay of 4 weeks. Although many of the activities listed below may take place in 2-3 week placements, not all are guaranteed. So the longer your stay, the more in depth your experience. Volunteers will be provided with stimulating practical experience in the following four areas: research, conservation management, education and community development.

Your Experience...

1. Research Projects

Leopards in the Lower Albany Area: population status and the role of Kariega Game Reserve as a key habitat refuge

One of our main research focus areas on Kariega Game Reserve is our new and exciting leopard (Panthera pardus) project. The project is being undertaken in collaboration with the Centre for African Conservation Ecology of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

Leopards have been persecuted in the Eastern Cape for the last three hundred years, resulting in a decline in numbers and fragmentation of populations, placing the local population at risk of extinction. Virtually the entire landscape was hostile to them, and few leopards survived in only the most isolated areas. Recently attitudes towards large predators have shifted, and leopards are now legally protected. There has also been a recent shift in land use, with an increasing number of private nature reserves that complement the state-owned reserves in supporting conservation of biodiversity. Kariega Game Reserve is one of the oldest of these private nature reserves. These shifts suggest that the landscape is now more leopard-friendly, with decreased persecution and increased refuge areas. This project therefore aims to assess the status of leopards in the Lower Albany area and investigate the role of the Kariega Game Reserve as a refugee habitat for leopards, which may move across the Lower Albany area.

Specific questions to be addressed with this project include:

• How many leopards occur on Kariega Game Reserve and in the Lower Albany area?
  This will be addressed by collecting data on sightings, camera trap records and possibly genetic analysis. Our current volunteers are doing great work with our 10 camera traps that are placed in areas on the reserve with high leopard activity.
• Is leopard activity in the Lower Albany area focused on conservation areas such as Kariega Game Reserve?
  This will be addressed by analysing the spatial distribution of leopard sighting records, and if resources are available, through the tracking of collared leopards
• Is there evidence for an increase in leopard numbers and wider distribution within the Lower Albany Area?
  This will be addressed by relating the above-mentioned information to historical records of leopards in the study area.

Elephant Impact Monitoring - Volunteers will help monitor elephant movement patterns, range utilization and vegetation impact with the aid of telemetry (certain individuals are fitted with radio collars). A part of this research project that volunteers are very involved with, is recording the unique ear markings of each elephant for management purposes. Elephant identification sheets are given to each volunteer, who in turn will assist the conservation department in this regard.

Lion prey selection monitoring – One of the volunteer programme’s responsibilities is to record as many lion kills as possible. This data provides the conservation department at Kariega with valuable information regarding prey selection. Certain lions on the reserve are fitted with radio collars, so volunteers will learn how to use telemetry tracking.

Birds in Reserve Project (BIRP) - This project involves preparing a catalogue of the birds, bird numbers and their breeding status in the reserve as part of a project headed by the University of Cape Town’s Avian Demography Unit.

Hyena tracking and monitoring - Movement patterns and breeding rates of these interesting predators are monitored. None of the hyenas are fitted with radio collars, so it can be quite a challenge finding them on the reserve!

2. Conservation Management

Conservation management activities form a large part of the volunteer programme. Some of these activities involve physical work and therefore a certain level of determination from the volunteer’s side is required. Keep in mind that the "reserve needs" are always taken into account and you will help to fulfil those needs as a volunteer. Daily activities are interesting and varied, and could include assistance with some of the following:

• Game Counts
• Sex and age ratios recordings of specific species like eland and giraffe
• Alien Vegetation Control - Volunteers will assist in the eradication and control of alien (non-endemic) plant species. Bush encroachment control through selective clearing is also done in certain areas on the reserve. This aspect involves physical hard work!
• Soil Erosion Control - Previous land utilization practices like cattle ranching has caused erosion gulleys in certain areas on the reserve. These sites need to be rehabilitated.
• Reserve Clean-Up Operations - Volunteers assist in pulling out remaining old cattle fences and water pipes on the reserve.
• Road maintenance and repairing of river crossings
• Parasite control – This involves the making-up and administering of anti-parasite meds to specific species (when required by the reserve)
• And any other conservation management activity that might “pop-up” at the time and the reserve requires your assistance in

Volunteers may also have the opportunity to experience the following additional conservation activities:

• Capturing of Wild Animals – Our recent volunteers had the AMAZING once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to assist with the capture of the following species on the reserve: elephant, lion, rhino, hyena, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra and impala!! Please remember that captures only occur when required by the reserve and not for the sake of the volunteers.
• Game Introduction - There is an ongoing programme for the introduction of additional game, especially as the reserve has acquired more land that will need to be stocked with various different African mammal species.
• Fire Management - An important driving force in savanna ecosystems (depending on the time of year and fire regimes)

3. Education / Theory

• Bush Walks, Game Drives and night drives - identification and discussion of various mammals, plants and birds
• Sleep Outs - Camping out in the bush around a campfire under the African sky (weather dependent)
• Field Skills & Survival - Learn to look after yourself in the wild

4. Community Development

It is our responsibility to take pride in our heritage and accordingly make plans for a healthy, sustainable future founded on equality and fairness - help Kariega to achieve this vision by volunteering as part of our team!

We have identified an under-funded farm school near the reserve where our volunteer programme can make a real difference. The school is small, yet very under-staffed and local kids aged 4 to 15 years attend the school. Kariega volunteers visit the school one day a week (not during school holidays or rainy days (most of the children walk about 10 km to attend school so if it rains, no one goes to school!), and make valuable contributions to the children’s education. Our volunteers take many of the classes themselves and teach 6-12 year olds subjects like English, Maths and Science. You might also help with the maintenance of the school’s facilities or by giving sport lessons to the kids. A recent group of volunteers renovated a classroom (with a completely collapsed ceiling and floorboards!) for the pre-primary school kids. Your contribution here is real, and both the children and the headmistress are very appreciative. Guaranteed to leave you with a feeling of satisfaction!


Field Conditions

You will be accommodated in a fully furnished house on the reserve (shared bedrooms and bathrooms). Volunteers will be divided into teams and will be responsible for the preparation of meals on a rotational basis. There will be plenty of opportunity for braai’s (BBQ’s) under the night skies and socializing around a fire. We have also recently built a lovely plunge-pool for volunteers to cool off in after a hard day’s work.

The working week at Kariega is from Monday to Friday. Working hours depend on the season and may vary from 7 – 9 hours per day. The evenings are at leisure. Saturdays are reserved for a town trip (either to Kenton-On-Sea, Port Alfred or Grahamstown) where volunteers can do their shopping, eat out, visit all the sites of the local towns. Sundays are off time.

Kenton-On-Sea is a beautiful small coastal town only 15 minutes drive from the reserve. The beaches are absolutely breath taking and pristine. Your local "hang-out" is a pub / restaurant overlooking this stunning beach! After their Saturday morning shopping in Kenton (volunteers can stock up on all everyday essentials), volunteers often laze around on the beach, swim in the waves or sit in the beach bar while sipping away on a cold drink and taking in the scenery.

There are also additional activities that can be organised for you on a Saturday (at your own cost and on condition that a few others in the group also want to partake in the activity), including:

• Horseback riding on the beach or in a game reserve
• Sky diving – tandem (that means you are strapped to an instructor!)
• Deep sea fishing
• Two day canoe trail on the Kowie river (this is a hit with many of our volunteer groups)
• Quad bike riding
• Addo Elephant National Park field trip
• And even a weekend trip away with bungee jumping!

Dates

There are no set arrival/departure dates for this project, but please note no arrivals or departures over weekends (Saturdays and Sundays). Arrivals and departures are preferred to be scheduled for a Monday. Volunteers are required to sign an indemnity form acknowledging and accepting the consequences of working in close contact with wild animals. Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 55, healthy and relatively physically fit. The minimum time period for a booking is a 2 weeks placement and maximum time period is 12 weeks.

Enquiries and reservations

Prices include accommodation for the duration of your placement, all work activities on the reserve and three meals per day. Please email us to enquire about our weekly rate. Not included are entertainment expenses over weekends and socializing costs (drinks and meals volunteers choose to have while out in town). Please note we can unfortunately not offer any free placements.

Arrangements will be made by Kariega staff to collect incoming volunteers from Port Elizabeth Airport. Kariega is approximately 140 kms (two hours drive) from Port Elizabeth. Volunteers are to pay for the transfer to and from the airport themselves.

Enquiries

For a personalised answer to all your questions or to enquire about our latest prices, how to book or any enquiries, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and we will email you back with all your questions answered.

Phone enquiries

To speak to our Volunteer Programme’s manager directly, call Helena Warren at +27 76 100 6809.

Ex-volunteer testimonials

“My name is Adam Howson and I joined Kariega Game Reserve’s volunteer programme for a month during 2007. I left the UK and headed to South Africa not knowing what the road ahead had in store. However, I can honestly say that it was the experience of a lifetime.

My reason for joining Kariega’s volunteer programme was to collect data and information for my third year university project. On my arrival, the Kariega team provided me with a wealth of information, time and support in helping me complete my tasks. The team here are so talented and working in the field with such people was awe inspiring!

I was really shocked at how much I was involved in during my short stay. I remember thinking back in the UK – “come on, as if I’ll get to do that”. The next thing you know I’m in the back of a truck with a sedated zebra! I was actually involved in all the research and conservation projects the web site advertised – no joke. However, they always made time for my individual needs – sorry for all the questions guys! The team have great personalities too and play just as hard as they work! They allowed me to explore local towns, visit the beach, party (oh!) and skydive from a plane at 10 000 feet. Yes people, I have video evidence – what a day that was!

This has been so much more than a uni trip for me. The memories I brought back to the UK, I will keep with me for the rest of my life.” – Adam Howson, UK

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“Some places come into our hearts and quickly go, but Kariega stayed leaving footprints in my heart. Being a volunteer on Kariega Game Reserve was an experience that I will never forget. I learned so much in my six weeks out there. My personal favourite work activity was tracking and studying the elephants. The work we did was satisfying and rewarding and I really felt that my contribution helped improved the reserve. This is definitely an experience that I would recommend to anyone.” - Jane Scott, Scotland

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“I cannot say thank you enough to the volunteer programme team at Kariega Game Reserve. I left the UK not sure what to expect on the other side … well, was I in for the surprise of my life! I can truly say that this was an experience of a lifetime. My memories at Kariega will stay with me for the rest of my life. I did things that I have never done in my life before (and probably never will, unless I return to Africa one day!), and learnt about things that I never even knew existed. I enjoyed every single work activity (even the hard, physical ones!), and the sense of satisfaction that we got as a group watching the African sunsets after an exciting day in the bush … well, that is something that I can’t explain. All that I can say is that I will talk about Kariega for the rest of my life and I encourage everyone to go there and to experience it for yourself. I can assure you, it is certainly worth it!” – Fiona Roberts, UK

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