Big cat conservation holiday, Namibia & Botswana

On these wildlife volunteering vacations you will start at Victoria Falls in Zambia and then travel to the Caprivi delta of Namibia and Botswana to study lions, cheetahs and leopards and their interactions with the local human population. The Caprivi delta boasts the same amazing array of African megafauna as the Okavango or Chobe National Park, but without the crowds. In fact, it is virtually unexplored and unmapped, and your job on the expedition will be to track, capture and relocate (if necessary) lions, cheetahs and leopards in order to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. You will also help our scientists to map the area properly and talk to local people about how predators and people can live side by side. These wildlife volunteering vacations will conduct a survey of five of Africa’s large carnivore species (lion, leopard, spotted hyaena, cheetah and wild dog) their dominant prey species (cape buffalo, giraffe, red lechwe, puku, sitatunga, roan antelope, kudu, Burchell’s zebra, blue wildebeest, warthog, bushpig, impala, common duiker, steenbok, numerous small mammal, primate and bird species) and domesticated species such as cattle, goats, pigs, cats and dogs. We will capture, collar and monitor key study animals and respond to incidents of livestock depredation in neighboring communities.

The expedition will also survey human populations in the area, conduct investigations into the ecology of human-predator conflict (HPC) and contribute to the development of rural livelihood strategies that will promote coexistence between people and predators and be implemented on a national scale. The area is of very significant conservation importance but also experiences the highest number of HPC incidents in Namibia and some of the highest in Africa. Data collected by this expedition will be crucial in our mission to combat the top threat to carnivore conservation in Africa today, namely human-predator conflict. Your typical day begins early in the morning. Whilst the expedition team gets ready for the day, one expedition team member downloads via a satellite link the locations of all collared study animals. If any of these carnivores are reported to be in conflict zones, a decision will be made then whether to respond or not. If a response is necessary, one group will investigate the situation and if relocation or capture is necessary, all team members will usually be required to assist. If no response is necessary, we will split into small groups and travel cross-country in our Land Rovers or on foot to our morning research activities.

During the hottest period of the day, most of us return to base for some rest before continuing activities in the afternoon. Please note that every team member will be rotated through all activities and that most research groups will return to base for the night where food is prepared by the expedition cook. There will also be rest and admin days as required.

Our base is a rustic bush camp style research base with rooms of reed and thatch with beds, mosquito nets and furniture. There are hot water showers, toilets, a communal lounge, rest areas with hammocks and a kitchen. Expedition team members will have their own rooms and double rooms are also available on prior arrangement.