Project summary

An amazing opportunity to work hands on with cheetahs and help save this incredible species from the possibility of extinction. The project is designed to introduce you to the fascinating wildlife Africa has to offer as well as the incredible cheetah and to work closely in all aspects of reserve management.

The project allows you to work closely with cheetahs on a daily basis. As the project is set on a 350 hectare reserve it provides the chance to learn about wildlife and conservation in Africa.

A 3 day trip to Kruger National Park is included for all volunteers staying for 4 weeks or longer, the home to the Big 5 which allows you to see the best of Africa’s wildlife in its natural habitat.  If you are staying less than 4 weeks you can still join the trip (for an additional fee) as long as it's scheduled within your stay.

A typical day

While there is a routine in place, the timetable is fairly fluid and things can change. Some activities are seasonal and may depend on a number of factors. However a typical day could look like this:

7.00-8.30am Cleaning the cheetah enclosures and running the cheetahs to exercise them and provide stimulation and enrichment

8.30-9.30am Breakfast

9.30-1pm Morning duties which could be a game count, meat preparation, a boundary patrol or the removal of alien invader plant species

1-2pm Lunch

2-4pm Afternoon duties which could be spending time with the cheetahs, reserve maintenance or creating fire breaks

4-5pm Cheetah feeding (the timing of this can vary depending on time of year)

At the end of each day there is a short meeting to go over the events of the day and inform everyone of the forthcoming day. From 5.30pm onwards is free time, a time to socialise and eat dinner.

The location

You’ll be living on the reserve which is located near Parys, in the Free State, approximately 90 minutes from Johannesburg. The reserve is home to a variety of species of antelope, zebra and giraffe. The project accommodation is based on the reserve and is just a 10 minute walk from the cheetahs.

How you can make a difference

By volunteering with us, you will be contributing to saving the future of the cheetah. Your hard work enables the project to make improvements to the reserve and cheetah enclosures.

Volunteers record data about the cheetahs which allows a profile to be made up for each cheetah and means their health and condition is closely monitored.

Volunteers also allow the project to progress with its reintroduction project, which is the first of its kind. It aims to see cheetahs back in their natural habitat.

By spreading the word about the plight of the cheetah on your return, you act as an ambassador for the project, raising awareness of the problems the cheetah faces and what the project is doing to help them.

What's included

• A comprehensive information booklet
• Travel advice and assistance pre-departure
  
• Being met at Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport
• Accommodation (shared room)
• Self catering budget provided
• Kruger trip for volunteers staying 4 weeks or longer (if staying less than 4 weeks you can pay an additional fee to join the trip if it is scheduled within your stay)
• Ongoing support, help and advice from our local team
  

What else to budget for

The following items are not included and estimates are given as a guide for your budgeting: flights (£500-£600), travel insurance, personal spending / living costs (£20-£50 per week).

Other projects you might also be interested in....

* African wildlife conservation - South Africa

* Horse rehabilitation - South Africa

* Primate rescue - South Africa

* Wildlife rescue - Thailand

* Elephant care - Thailand

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More details

Background information about the project

Work with the captive-bred cheetahs began in 2001, breeding cheetahs in order to discourage other breeding facilities from taking cheetahs from the wild. Cheetahs are very sensitive animals and for every four cheetahs that are taken from the wild, three will die from stress related illnesses. Therefore the project aims to raise cheetahs that are happy and healthy in captivity to supply to other breeding facilities. In this time they have successfully raised over 20 cheetahs.

However in 2008, the managers realised that this wasn’t enough. Although it was discouraging projects from taking cheetahs out of the wild, it was not actually helping to increase the declining number of cheetahs in the wild. Their solution was the re-introduction project which aims to do this with a three-phase project, which will see cheetahs released into managed environments, which are closer to their natural habitat. The re-introduction project is the first of its kind and volunteering here allows you to be a part of this pioneering project.

In your first few days you will be given a full induction to the project, you will be shown around the centre and told about the aims of the project and what jobs you will be involved in. You will be introduced to the staff and of course to the cheetahs!

Volunteer accommodation and food

Volunteers will be staying in a specially designed volunteer house which is very comfortable and cleaned on a regular basis. You will be expected to share a room. The house has areas for socialising in and these contain a TV and DVD player and DStv (cable) television. There is a volunteer computer which volunteers can use and access the internet from for a small additional cost.

The house is located approximately 10 minutes from the cheetahs. Breakfast and lunch is prepared for volunteers and they are provided with ingredients in order to cook the evening meal communally.

Freetime and travel opportunities

You will have one day off per week, you can use this time to relax in the volunteer accommodation or by the nearby river, or you can choose to visit some of the sights the local area has to offer such as visiting curio markets, an elephant sanctuary, shopping at the local mall or visiting a spa. Transport to these attractions will be provided by the project for an additional fee to cover fuel costs.

You will also get Sunday afternoon off, however this time is to be spent at the volunteer accommodation or by the river as no transport is available at this time.

Challenges

As this is a physical project, volunteers should be reasonably fit and healthy and able to carry out all duties required of them.

You should be able to work well within a team and be adaptable to living and working in a group.

Regardless of your dietary preferences, it is important to note that you are expected to be fully involved in the preparation of meat (usually horses and donkeys) for feeding the cheetahs (this involves removing meat from the bone) and preparing the meat before each feed. You will be fully supervised at all times.

Where does your money go

PoD is run as a non-profit organisation and does not receive any external funding. We charge a fee for all our placements to cover the overseas costs of volunteering and the costs of running our organisation in the UK. 

For this project, approximately 75% of the fee you pay is passed directly to the project, an important source of funding for the work.

Volunteer reviews

Click here to read volunteer reviews for our South Africa cheetah re-introduction volunteer project.