Big 5 Wildlife Research & Youth Empowerment

Education and Support

The unemployment rate in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga are amongst the highest in South Africa and one of the contributing factors is the low education levels. It is not uncommon to have large class sizes of between 50-60 children – all overseen by one teacher. All classes are taught in the local language up until Grade 4 when all classes, assignments and exams change to English. This can mean up to 42% of children in a class will fail English and therefore fail the whole grade.

By assisting in basic education areas we help children to progress in school and to increase opportunities for their future. To improve English reading, speaking and comprehension we host Reading Clubs. Reading clubs encourage students to read and gain confidence speaking in English whilst making literacy fun! We also aim to improve basic literacy and numeracy through Conservation Education lessons. These lessons also promote an interest in the environment, wildlife, local ecosystems and how to protect them.

To further encourage environmentally sustainable practices we support community member’s creation and maintenance of their vegetable gardens. These are beneficial for community members and their families’ self-sufficiency, nutrition and the potential to generate small incomes through selling surplus harvest.

Through these means we can assist local community members from primary school up in supporting basic educational improvement while highlighting the importance of environmental protection.

Conserving the Big 5

The Big 5 (rhino, lion, elephant, leopard and buffalo) are synonymous with Africa, but each is endangered and threatened within reduced wildlife areas. With poaching still on the increase and species’ populations dropping at alarming rates, active conservation methods are vital. Working side-by-side with our guides and project teams, you will help monitor and learn about these animals’ movements, health and habitats.

Rhino are monitored to protect both the threatened white rhino and the critically endangered black rhino. You will learn how to capture data that includes their general condition and help monitor their movement.

Elephants are a migratory species that can cover vast distances and it is therefore essential that we have proper population estimates. The goal of this project is to assist our partner organization, Elephants Alive, by monitoring the movement of the elephant herds throughout the Greater Kruger Area. We create ID kits to add to the growing database of individuals to help better understand population dynamics and herd movements.

Leopards are elusive by nature and, as such, are regarded as one of Africa’s intriguing predators however; they continue to be under increasing threat, mostly through land encroachment and development. Our aim is to understand the densities, movements and risk factors affecting leopards with a focus on human-wildlife conflict working toward supporting mutually beneficial co-existence.

Lions are Africa’s most iconic species. They are disappearing at an alarming rate as more and more of their natural habitat and prey declines. Working closely with our partner ALERT (The African Lion & Environmental Research Trust), we monitor pride dynamics and social structures in order to assess the viability of long-term lion repopulation programs.

Buffalo herds can be enormous and they play a vital part in the food chain.  We track their movements to ensure their populations are stable and also work at aging and sexing each individual to determine the composition of their groups. This important information is shared with ecological teams and reserve management so they can better assess predator and prey relationships

Reading Club

English is an essential skill. Understanding and speaking it will help these children gain future employment. Reading club is a wonderful, fun opportunity to develop the children’s English reading and speaking abilities. You will help them to read through books in the school libraries and in time, progress their basic understanding and comprehension of literature. Reading and storytelling provides a supportive environment that helps promote literacy, build confidence and have fun!

Conservation Club

Through games, crafts and informal lessons you will be working with local youth to highlight the importance of various aspects of conservation inclusive of wildlife and why conserving the environment is vital. The importance of education for local youth is paramount in the efforts to protect and conserve the environment and South Africa’s heritage. Conservation Club is used as a tool, not only to encourage environmental interest, but also helps improve their other academic skills and future career opportunities.

Farming for the Future

In order to support unemployed people in the community we assist in the creation and maintenance of vegetable gardens. This project empowers those involved to feed themselves and their family. The individuals involved in this project also help to sustain the model by producing vegetable garden starter kits and therefore extending these benefits to others. This increases the number of people in the community who can provide sustenance and nutrition for themselves and for their families, but may also help them become the farmers of the future.

Research Drives 

Join our qualified guides and research team on game drives in search of the Big 5 and a variety of Africa’s wildlife. Observe and collect data that ensures our vital records are maintained. Using our detailed ID kits, you will identify individuals in the field and monitor their behaviors and movements. You will be recording data using our comprehensive data sheets, which help build our ongoing research database.

Conservation Work

We need your help to, remove invasive plants, conduct snare sweeps and return the land into a habitat for which the wildlife can flourish.

Don’t worry about your physical ability, we have a role for everyone and many hands are needed.

Devil in the Detail

You will help to compile and analyse the data that has been collected on your research drives. Using whisker patterns, scars and ear notches you will understand how to distinguish individuals. This data will be used not only to create maps and reports but can also be used to provide information and vital statistics for conservation education lessons.