Monkey rehabilitation volunteering, South Africa

Since its inception in 1992, the rehabilitation centre has played a vital role in primate rehabilitation in South Africa. The focus of the volunteer project is to educate and empower people to raise awareness to these monkeys. The vervet monky is classified as a vermin species, and it is therefore up to centres such as ours to ensure the safety, and future, of these monkeys.

We normally have 5 - 15 volunteers at the centre and although we do accept volunteers for one week, we would recommend you stay at least 4 weeks. The maximum stay is 12 weeks, due to visa requirements. Volunteers are accommodated at the centre, and the accommodation is either dorms, or small units. There is a swimming pool, internet, telephone and laundry facilities, and the best home cooked meals south of the north pole!!! Volunteer activities include:

• Caring for injured sick/ animals. Assisting with medical procedures eg. Stitching wounds, wound dressing, administering medicines and parasital treatment to various species. Assisting with measurements and filling in report forms on admission, personal caring to traumatized monkeys and other animals admitted to the centre.
• Preparing meals for animals. Assist with 'building' of new cages and enclosures, general maintenance work at centre.
• Talk to visitors and school groups, visit community projects.
• Assist with assessment of monkeys for release, assess release sites, erecting release enclosures, capture & processing monkeys for release transporting monkeys/ animals to release site, monitoring pre & post release.

In addition to all the activities, there are numerous additional tours that the volunteers may do. The tours include, micro-light flights, largest baobab tree in the world, excursions into Kruger national Park, biological pest control (insect breeding), centre, citrus and tree farms etc. (see more details under “A day in the life of a volunteer”) Most days are routine, cleaning, feeding, monitoring the monkeys. We are busy with releases of rehabilitated monkeys into the wild at present (hope to do at least another 2-3 this year) that involves a lot of work both at the centre and at the release site - and after the release we monitor the released monkeys for a period of up to 6 months to be 100% sure that it was successful, we need enthusiastic and ‘willing to work’ volunteers for this! But... anything can happen, and then the day’s plan will change to accommodate any unforeseen events, such as emergencies, capture programmes etc.