Description

Come to Namibia and work with biologists at the forefront of their field, help with cutting edge research into the behaviour of cheetahs, leopards and hyenas, and aid in the protection of these fascinating big cats from poaching and other threats. This project offers a hands-on scientific experience as well as helping to conserve habitats and wildlife. You could be involved in setting and checking of box traps and capture of large carnivores, undertaking wildlife census and game counts, identifying, counting and tracking carnivore spoors and identifying cheetah marking trees and locating the collared cheetahs and leopards on the study site through telemetry tracking.

* What Will I Be Doing?

This project will offer you a unique opportunity to play a hands-on role in the tracking, monitoring and conservation of wild cheetah and leopard as well as caring for other African wildlife. You will be involved first hand in all aspects of the conservation programme, including data collection and processing and carnivore tracking in the field. The project is based both at the wildlife sanctuary in central Namibia and in a stunning nature reserve in the south.

While based at the wildlife sanctuary you may be involved in the feeding and care of animals including lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, caracals and meerkats and become surrogate parents to orphaned baby baboons, bottle feeding and sleeping overnight with them. The aim is to enable you to experience African wilderness and track big cats in the wild as well as contribute to the conservation of these large carnivores.

At the sanctuary your work programme may include the following:

* an introduction to carnivore management, research and conservation
* spoor tracking and counts
* box trap checking
* game counts
* carnivore tracking
* marking tree search
* carnivore capture and immobilisation
* feeding, camp maintenance and building
* road kill surveys
* footprint and scat method projects
* data entry and analysis

Whilst in the field your work programme may involve the following:

* VHF and GPS tracking of released cheetah and leopard
* sightings database project work
* scat collection project work
* night observations
* bird (raptor) monitoring
* road kill surveys
* data entry and analysis

Highlights

* Visit unique & beautiful Namibia.
* Work with biologists at the forefront of their field.
* Aid in the protection of the fascinating big cats.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

2,700

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

Before you go:
* Pre-departure support
* Travel & medical advice & documentation
* Equipment advice
* Discounted medical kit
* Free Frontier t-shirt

In-country:
* Food
* Accommodation
* Airport pick-up
* Ground transfers
* Local orientation
* Project training
* In-country emergency support
* 24-hour international HQ back-up

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

• Animal Welfare
• Conservation
• Research
• Veterinary
• Volunteering
• Wildlife Surveying

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living

Participants Travel

Independently

Application Process Involves

• Phone/Video Interview

Frontier's Mission Statement

To conserve the world's most endangered wildlife and threatened habitats and to build sustainable livelihoods for marginalized and under resourced communities in the world's poorest countries. To create solutions that are apolitical, forward-thinking, community-driven, and innovative and which take into consideration the long-term needs of low income communities.

Year Founded

1989