Me, my motivation & the project
Hi, I am Kira, a 19 year old German student at the Cairns College of English.
I decided to write about my experience volunteering with wild animals in South Africa, since a lot of friends showed a tremendous interest as soon as I began talking about my time there.
After I had finished High School in 2017, I opted to take a gap year including a large amount of travelling before entering university. As the African continent has always been on my bucket list, I chose to use the money saved up in the last couple of years for making this dream come true.
Besides visiting a lot of amazing places like the capital city Cape Town, I volunteered in a zoological facility in Oudtshoorn called The ‘Cango Wildlife Ranch’ which aims to ensure the survival of endangered animals such as cheetahs, tigers, hippos, rhinos and lemurs. Their most important objective is to create a place where care and love of domestic animals is at the highest level.
Tasks of a volunteer, weekends and living
It’s actually very hard to give an example of a typical day, because every day was different. But you can basically say volunteers are helping ‘here and there’, just wherever an extra pair of hands is needed. However, every volunteer gets allocated to a number at a roster showing your particular assignments for the day, varying from assisting with photographs, supporting animal handlers, working in the kitchen, feeding the animals, cleaning the enclosures, operating with tourists, and the so-called ‘enrichment’ which is about creating toys that encourage the natural behaviour of the animals.
Volunteers work 8,5 hours a day, including breaks, in which you can get lunch served by the zoo restaurant. At the weekends, you are completely free whilst always being capable of strolling around the Ranch as a visitor. Plus, it is a great chance to enjoy the local and surrounding attractions and to go on unforgettable adventures. Just to give you examples of some of the things I did: I have seen white sharks in the ocean, walked through the bush with elephants, jumped from the Bloukrans Bridge and went on a safari in the desert.
Also enjoyable was just joking and relaxing with the other volunteers in the WAV (wild animal volunteer) house, which is your accommodation. It is a great building with a big chill out area and a pool and – yes – with tigers as your neighbours.
How did I experience it?
All in all, this was definitely an experience of a lifetime! Interacting and being up-close and personal with wildlife was mesmerizing, truly special and absolutely amazing. Anybody who is passionate about those beautiful species would enjoy this volunteer work to the fullest. I mean, can you imagine you cuddle a cheetah as if it was your pet and you walk it just like you would walk your dog? Have you ever seen tigers, lions and leopards incredibly nearby or has anyone of you ever gotten the possibility to experience a crocodile swimming around you? Most probably not, but if yes, I have to admit – Lucky you!
Of course other than the mentioned benefits and rewards, it is part of volunteering to get down and dirty as well. Obviously running a zoo business, protecting endangered animals and proper nurturing care necessitates a huge effort. But if you face the serious issue of animals threatened with extinction and you are aware of the fact that you can make differences in animal’s lives, even tasks which seem undesirable at first sight develop into a time filled with pleasure and fun.
Additionally, you will be given the unique opportunity of gaining friends from all over the world and enhancing your English skills without actual study. So, anyone wanting to leave CCEB to fly to South Africa now?
Feel free to comment below if you have any questions or you would even like to get further details. I’m very happy to share this with you.
Kira, IELTS Class
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