Animal Conservation Volunteer Program
Kariega Game Reserve - South Africa
We spent an incredible seven days at the family-owned Kariega Game Reserve as Assistant Conservation Managers. One week at the Kariega Game Reserve simply put, was not enough time. While working with Kariega we got an intimate, up-close and personal experience with African wildlife and the bush. During the program we lived in a volunteer house within the reserve with eight other people from all over the world.
Kariega is home to one of the only rhino’s to survive a poaching attack. Thandi miraculously survived a brutal attack in 2012. See Thandi’s incredible story and road to recovery below. She still walks the reserve today with her two beautiful calf’s.
Monitoring Animal Health
Who knew monitoring animal’s health would involve so much “poo”? A large part of making sure the wildlife is healthy is sampling and analyzing animal droppings. From the analysis you are able to monitor:
Sick & injured animals
Control and monitor diseases
Quality & amount of food available within the reserve
Kariega Game Reserve focuses on letting the wildlife live as naturally as possible, while still having animal conservation and health in mind. During a drought or while plant growth is low or unhealthy to eat, Kariega will supply animals with a healthy food source. This process is done very cautiously to ensure the animals are living in a wild and natural environment.
Another way Kariega monitors the health of the wildlife is using radio trackers. The animals that carry radio trackers have been sick, injured, re-introduced back into the wild or are at risk of being poached. Also, the reserve simply wants to learn certain animals’ movement patterns throughout the park or their impact on the environment.
Rhino Monitoring
The Rhino horn industry sadly is one of the most highly sought after products in the Asian Black Market. The amount of money these horns are traded for unfortunately make rhino's lives and horns extremely vulnerable.
Many different conservation and rhino monitoring efforts are taken to protect these animals:
Anti poaching units
Drones
24 hour patrol
Bush camp out
Highly advanced fence technology
Perimeter patrol/monitoring
Reporting of all personnel and vehicles entering and leaving the reserve
Some reserves have now resorted to dehorning the rhino's within reserves to preserve rhino's lives. Dehorning will lower the desire for poachers to enter the reserve and hunt rhino's for the mass of their horn. Unfortunately, this does not keep poachers from still making an attempt to get anything possible from the rhino's. Poachers entering the reserve can put any and all animals at risk. If threatened, poachers are willing and able to harm or kill any animals that might threaten or cross their paths.
Rescued Animals - Illegal Pet Trade
Kariega is home to four Serval Cats rescued from the illegal pet trade industry. Animals that have been bought, sold, mistreated, or illegally captured are saved from the industry and brought back into a "wild habitat". Once Serval Cats are rescued they cannot be completely released back into the wild and survive. Kariega feeds and nurture's these animals, eventually giving their offspring the chance to adapt and live in the wild.
Helping Hands Food Kitchen
Gladys has been operating the Ekuphumleni Township Food Kitchen for 20 years (as of 2018). Support from the Food Kitchen not only feeds the underprivileged children, but also encourages them to attend school, socializes with them and looks after neglected children within the community. The Helping Hands Food Kitchen has created a large network of supporters throughout the community to aid the program:
Kariega Game Reserve
Local grocery stores
Local donors
Government grants
Child welfare program
With assistance from a few additional hands within the township, Gladys takes care of about 20-30 kids on a daily basis.