The Wildlife ACT alleviates the strains on landowners, by initiating and providing free monitoring services to these reserves. Wildlife ACT currently runs 4 monitoring projects, encompassing a monitoring area of over 250 000 hectares. The focal species being monitored include Wild Dog, Cheetah, Black Rhino, White Rhino, Elephant and Vultures, with the teams also assisting in with monitoring of Lion, Hyena, Leopard and Buffalo. These monitoring projects are funded and enhanced through student researchers and volunteers who pay for the training and experience gained through spending time on a dedicated monitoring project. Contact simon@widllifeact.com for more information or visit our website.

Jeep Apparel support the Wildlife Act by provision of clothing for their volunteers.

“THIS IS ZULULAND. NOT DISNEYLAND”
Tales from a Wildlife ACT volunteer.

Every so often, the average person gets to do something extraordinary. Most of the time this does not involve collaring hyenas, tracking cheetahs, chasing after African wild dogs or having your arm up a black rhinoceros‘ bum. You will have to ask nicely to hear the story about the last one - I‘m still seeking therapy…

I wanted more than a traditional safari, so I signed up as a volunteer for four weeks with Wildlife ACT, a hands-on conservation organisation that aims to conserve endangered and threatened animals. I was to assist the team as they track animal movement patterns, population demographics, disease outbreaks and poaching incidents on various game reserves in Zululand, South Africa. I could not wait!

On Day One, I was handed a t-shirt that read: “This is Zululand Not Disneyland.” I was taught the basics for survival in the bush and before long found myself amongst the drama of trapping, darting and collaring an adult male hyena. My previous interactions with hyenas involved a bowl of popcorn and the DVD The Lion King.

Using branches, we camouflaged a cage and left a fresh piece of impala meat in the center. A few hours later a hyena was caught, and the veterinarian was called in to dart the hyena with a special tranquilizer. We watched as the hyena fought the effects of the drug before slowly lying down and passing out. Then we quickly removed the hyena from the trap, blindfolded it and plugged its ears, both to reduce outside stimulation and stress. The vet administered antibiotics on the dart wound, as Dave, the Wildlife ACT monitor fitted a collar around the hyenas’ neck.

It was amazing to experience. Best off all was the knowledge that my small contribution - hours of nighttime tracking over the following months - would assist the monitors form a clear picture of the hyena population's demographics, movement patterns and frequency of hunting on the reserve, and its corollary ecological impact on the wild dog and cheetah populations.

The following week, on our daily rounds monitoring cheetah, hyena, buffalo, lion and black rhino, we picked up a faint signal of a pack of African wild dogs. This particular pack had evaded the Wildlife ACT monitors for a number of weeks, and had crossed in and out of at least four game reserves and numerous farms clocking an astonishing amount of kilometers. This packs efforts was all due to the pursuit of females with whom they would form a new pack. We tracked the animals at a furious speed and finally laid eyes on them at sunset, feeding on a fresh female impala alongside a shimmering pan. The farm owner met us to issue a warning: we had 24-hours to get the wild dogs off the property, or else!

African wild dogs are the King Kongs of the bush: grossly misunderstood yet highly intelligent animals. Sadly the bold and vicious behavior of jackals and hyenas are often attributed to wild dogs by those who can‘t tell them apart. And because of their great efficiency in hunting – they have the highest kill-rate of all African predators – there is a misconception that wild dogs are killing machines that destroy anything in their paths. Farmers shoot first and check their animal stock later.

More often than not, wild dogs are slowly picked off, one by one, by farmers, poachers and vehicles. Because of this, it was a great relief to see that all six dogs had survived the journey. The next 24 hours were out of an action movie, albeit a conservation-themed one! My seat was atop a dart gun box, equipped with a VHF tracking device and next to bait in the form of a half-eaten nyala. I saw helicopters pirouetting and nose diving in the air, I saw men sacrifice their bodies to reinforce a makeshift holding pen, I saw dogs darted from trucks and on foot, and I came face to face with one of the most endangered species on the planet. I had one of life‘s extraordinary moments – one I would never forget.

This was all made possible by Wildlife ACT, who aside from rescuing endangered animals when the need arises, provides a free wildlife monitoring services to game reserves that lack the resources to do so themselves. As a volunteer, you are thrown into the deep end, given the responsibility of important conservation work, not just because of the amazing experience volunteers have, but because without their help and contribution, Wildlife ACT would not be able to do the amazing conservation work they do. For me this was exactly what they promised: Real Africa, Real Conservation.