Zimbabwe - African Wildlife Orphanage

Working with the Wilson was the most rewarding experience of my life. We worked with a leopard that had been trapped so that it was all healthy enough to be released back. After working on the leopard and putting a gps collar on him we released him back into the wild far away from human activity to keep him safe. The love for animals this family has was so amazing and they made everyone feel like family.

We had so many wonderful moments, so. it is hard to choose. Working with the staff, talking to the international inters and local ones, being so close with animals, all were great snd precious moments

It was all incredible, an experience of a lifetime. One of my most memorable experiences while being at the camp was when Cindy, the samango monkey, kindly groomed my hair before I had to go home. Another memorable experience was seeing the kids face light up when I handed out stickers, at the local primary school. Spending time with Apollo, the spotted hyena, is something I will never forget. The animals are absolutely beautiful and the people are equally as lovely to spend time with. I’m hoping to go back in the next couple of years.

These three weeks in Chipangali have been one experience that i will stay with me forever. The morals, the ethic with the animals cannot be better. I felt welcome from the first minute. People are so lovely and kind that it will make your departure very hard

The most memorable experience during my time in Zimbabwe, was prepare food for lion and fed the lion. I love them seem so happy and I learned about circle of life. It was good experience to think about life.

Releasing Dumpling the pangolin was my most memorable experience at Chipangali, Zimbabwe with GoEco. Pangolins are such rare and special creatures, I just felt really lucky to be able to see one in real life.

Was just amazing - the staff ! All volunteers- plus all the critters big and small ! Wonderful experience will be back . And bring more people! Well done to all the team . Appreciate all . Cheers ⛄️ Paul

The best memories I had were taking care of a baby hiena for 3 weeks and definitely the friends I made because of volunteering. These friendships are for life. The trip to Zimbabwe was the most amazing thing ever and chipangali is amazing, the connection with the animals and how close we are with them

Have a fantastic time at Chipnagali for 2 weeks, the families love and dedication to the animals is amazing! An experience I will never forget hope to do again soon!! Your communication throughout the 2 weeks was great. Thank you .

Getting to know the animals at the orphanage was a special treat. Having 3 weeks to observe and interact with them was something that will always remember. All of the other volunteers were fantastic and made our stay better than I could have imagined❤️

Difficult to choose just one because there were 3 distinct experiences: 1-the other volunteers, especially from the first two weeks I was there. That group made everything so much more memorable and enjoyable. Those who came later were also fun, but there were distinct little groups which created a divide. 2-Bonding with the animals, especially a baboon named Kassie for me. I could just speak to her, read, listen to music. She became a friend who was excited to see me and had no judgement. 3-the staff was so welcoming and inspiring, they do so much with so little, especially those who work directly with the animals. that is why I decided I needed to do more for them and for Chipangali and I organized two fundraisers to get them new uniforms, safety equipment, tools, personal hygiene items, and school supplies for their kids. I hope Chipangali continues with that. Once a month or a quarter put together a "wish list" of all of these items, and take the volunteers interested shopping. Spending that time with Kevin, the owner, shopping around was so fun and I got to know more about the community and the work they do. It was rewarding in more ways than one and I know the volunteers who came with me during the first fundraiser loved going shopping and giving the supplies out. It was special for everyone involved and 100% voluntary but when I was able to involve everyone, 100% participated vs when it was just me, participation was significantly lower. Either way, I really appreciate everything the whole team did and does for the volunteers and animals. I'm glad I was able to do something more for them and Chipangali that had long lasting impact.

There were so many great experiences it’s hard to choose! The one thing I became super lucky to see was multiple releases of multiple different species of animals! First a leopard, then a jackal, two baboons as well as hedgehogs and chameleons. This just begins to scratch the surface of all the amazing experiences. The Wilson’s were wonderful, the trips were wonderful, the whole staff was wonderful. I definitely plan on coming back in the future!

I really enjoyed seeing the impact I was making on the animals first hand in Zimbabwe with GoEco. It was also wonderful to working with the other volunteers and getting to know about the workers lives.

We have had a marvellous time - on one our our game drives we stopped and were surrounded by lots of giraffes - such elegant and gentle creatures. We were very close to a rhino mum and her baby - superb. Lots of wonderful experiences. Chipangali is an excellent place who really care for their animals.

Being with the Wilson family and the staff at the orphanage living and working and on day and over night trips has been a great privilege.<br><br>The orphanage animals and their stories has greatly increased my understanding and love of the wilderness and fuelled my want to support wildlife further.<br><br>The experiences beyond the orphanage have been dreams come true and stories I will tell for a long time to come.

Everything is memorable for me starting from handling babies to chopping cow and sheep for carnivores. I have not done these things before. My two weeks ended very fast, so i have to come back again next year. Stay was very comfortable I felt like home.

Working with the crew at Chipangali was like being adopted into a giant family who were all united in their love for animals and travel. From the very first night, conversation flowed, inside jokes were established and bonds began to form. By the time my placement was up, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. <br><br>I especially loved how much hands on time we got with the African animals. There were so many memorable experiences, from hand feeding monkeys to petting a lion to darting and performing vet work on a wild hyena. There’s even time built into every work day to spend bonding with the animals. Working at the Wildlife Orphanage was such a unique and incredible experience, I am so glad I decided to volunteer here!

I have met incredible people, and I loved the Rhino walk ! Taking care of the animals was so much fun especially with animal time. I learned so much about each and every one of them, I d love to come back as soon as I can.

Most memorable part was definitely helping the orphanage dart and re locate and wild Kudu that had gone into the town. It was great to see this work being done and to be part of it was incredible special

The Wilson family are amazing, the work they do is so important and I was glad I could be a part of that. I learned a lot from the volunteering and got to experience some of Zimbabwe also through the trips we had organized for us. I am already dreaming of when I'll be back