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If you are passionate about wildlife conservation, learn more about this field and gain practical experience through GVI’s African animal volunteer program.
Why volunteer in Africa? One great reason is to learn more and help protect some of the most fascinating wildlife on the planet.
From the mighty elephants of the savannah to the stealthy spotted hyenas and brightly feathered birds, Africa is home to a fascinating variety of wildlife. Sadly, habitat loss, wildlife trade and illegal hunting are driving the decline of many animal populations.
Join the ranks of people working for the conservation of African wildlife. Take a look at this African animal volunteer program and find out how your actions can help protect the species.
Volunteering in South Africa with animals is especially alluring when your focus is on some of the most impressive creatures of all — the big cats.
At GVI’s big cat research internship in South Africa, you’ll see African big cats, including lions, leopards and cheetahs, in their natural environment.
Your duties as a volunteer include conducting biological surveys, and tracking and recording the movements of the big cats. The practical conservation skills you will learn during this project make it a great starting point for a career in this field.
The GVI sicklefin lemon shark and sea turtle conservation program in the Seychelles aims to conserve wildlife on the island of Curieuse, including the hawksbill and green sea turtles, as well as the sicklefin lemon shark.
Participate in GVI’s sicklefin lemon shark catch and release program, and monitor baby sharks to keep an eye on populations around the island. You can also observe turtle laying habits and collect hatching success rate data.
The research station where the project is located is located on a remote island location. As well as learning more about the biodiversity of the Seychelles, you’ll get to explore pristine beaches, warm tropical waters with coral reefs, and dense forests.
The cheetah is classified as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They face human-related threats such as hunting and habitat loss, as well as competition from more ferocious predators of the savannah, including hyenas and lions.
The world’s fastest land animal is also an elusive creature with a wide home range and a nomadic nature. This can make it hard to learn. As a result, there are large gaps in our knowledge of their behavior.
African animal volunteers can help bridge that gap by contributing to research efforts investigating their killing behavior. This can help inform cheetah conservation efforts.
The first time you see a wild elephant in Africa is a real experience.
Volunteer in elephant research in South Africa, and you’ll be able to recapture that awe every day of your project. Helping protect the world’s largest land mammal is no small task, but there are big rewards.
You will learn how to track animals and record data on the age, sex and behavior of individuals, while enjoying the best wildlife safari adventure in South Africa.
The program is in partnership with Elephant’s Alive, an organization that has played an important role in elephant conservation for the last 20 years.
When volunteering in Africa with animals, you are bound to encounter poaching problems. Volunteering to raise awareness of rhino poaching in South Africa will give you the opportunity to learn more about the complexities of this problem, and the different tactics organizations use to prevent poaching.
The focus of this program is the hunting of the endangered black rhino, and the endangered white rhino. Your day-to-day volunteering activities could include attending lectures on the impact of hunting on ecosystems, or giving environmental education workshops to local people.
Animal volunteer programs that help collect data and research are vital to conservation. With a clear understanding of the behavior and environment of African wildlife, conservation organizations are better able to implement measures to protect vulnerable animals.
As a volunteer in the GVI camera trapping and data collection engineering project in South Africa, you will have the opportunity to observe African animals and develop knowledge that will benefit a career in conservation.
As well as trying to detect endangered species, you will assist with species inventories and biodiversity assessments. Learn how to identify individual elephants, cheetahs, lions and other animals, and use this data to help monitor populations and guide conservation efforts.
With their big bushy tails and cute facial expressions, there’s a lot to like about lemurs. Join us at Nosy Be, home to these beasts, and take part in conservation efforts to help protect this endangered species.
While at the base, you will go into the forest to collect data needed for a census of the lemur population, survey the forest for the tiniest frogs and chameleons, and help restore their natural habitat by engaging in re-growing native tree species.
Train to become a safari field guide for the best African animal volunteer opportunities. FGASA field guides and conservation internships in South Africa will equip you with in-depth knowledge of African wildlife and conservation threats.
You will learn about aspects of environmental education, animal rehabilitation, luxury ecotourism, wildlife research, and anti-poaching efforts.
This course is focused on practical skills you can apply to a conservation career, so this internship can give you a head start in the safari tourism industry.
GVI’s animal volunteer program will provide you with a unique insight into African wildlife. Help protect the future of Africa’s species and explore our animal volunteer getaways today.
