Volunteer Project
Wildlife Conservation Project, Kenya
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 Ever Wanted To Spend Time With The Wild Animals Of Africa? This is the opportunity of a lifetime for many people. Together with one of Kenya's most famous game reserves we are offering volunteers the chance to carry out research not only of the park but also of the wild animals that live within it. The conservancy offers monitoring programs where volunteers will be able to spend a few hours a day monitoring Africa's wildlife which is an extraordinary opportunity. Why The Needs Of Volunteers? With the help of people like you, we have been working to provide financial assistance to projects that will better the lives of our neighbours. All projects are assessed on a case by case basis, and must contain some element of community contribution. There is more that could be done and we need your help to make a real difference in the lives of our neighbours. This is why we urgently need your generous donations to support this and all of the Conservancy’s important work. Volunteers Activities There is a wide, diverse range of activities volunteers assist in; -Biodiversity surveys, to determine the wildlife dynamics within the Conservancy. This will entail carrying out a routine census of various animal species (herbivores, big predators and primates) through animal tracking, road counts, water holes counts and placement of transects across various habitats within the sanctuary. This will help determine the type, and number of wildlife species that utilize different sectors of the Conservancy all the year round and, which ones move out on seasonal basis. -Carrying out regular vegetation monitoring in the Conservancy to determine trends or changes in vegetation cover over time. This will entail determining annual rates of regeneration, destruction and resilience of certain key species of vegetation (such as Acacia drepanalobium, Acacia Xanthophlea) that form the bulk of biomass production for herbivores. - Monitor how various animal species interact within the habitat and with each other. This shall entail determining habitat preference by herbivores and how they respond to seasonal changes within the conservancy, natural recruitment and predator prey relationships. The herbivores in question shall include: rhino monitoring, hartebeest monitoring, giraffe monitoring and zebra (burchel’s and grevy’s) monitoring, lions, spotted hyenas, and cheetahs. - Monitor on regular basis the situation of human / wildlife conflict in the areas. This shall focus mainly on identification of problem elephants that are habitual fence beakers. Look at mitigation measures put in place and monitor the arising challenges and efficacy of such measures. - Work with Chimpanzee programs as prescribed by the conservancy to enhance the welfare of the chimpanzee and promote awareness on the plight of the chimpanzee in the wild. This may include monitoring behaviour, feeding, cleaning of cages etc. - Carry out community and environmental education awareness among communities living adjacent to the Conservancy. The Required Skills You will need to be hard working and have a love for animals. You need to be committed to your placement and embrace the local community. You will require patience and good entrepreneurial skills along with good initiative. You are sometimes required to work long days so you must prepare for this. Local Facilities You will be located on site within the reserve, everything you need as your day to day requirements will be available to you on site. The conservancy is located near Nanyuki town where you will be able to travel when you are not working. Nanyuki has most of the service you will need such as supermarkets and banks Trip Highlights You will gain the unique opportunity to work with wild animals including the Big 5 & the chance to experience Kenya's wild side. Volunteers are situated in Kenya's Great Rift Valley and not too far from the second highest peak in Africa, Mt Kenya!  Accommodation In The Great Rift Valley Your accommodation will vary from time to time, but you will most likely live within the compounds of the National Park in volunteer accommodation. This gives you the best opportunity to experience the true African way of life from the inside and not as a ''tourist'' which only allows you to see the country on the surface. We always try to accommodate you as close to your project as possible, so you are able to walk to work. This is not possible all of the time but there is a great alternative at hand, the ''Matatu'' or as we know it the mini bus. They are all over Kenya so you will have no problem getting around Living In Kenya Kenya shares borders with Tanzania in the south, Uganda in the west, Ethiopia in the north, Sudan in the northwest & Somalia in the north east.This is an area of Kenya which is bordering Uganda. The Rift Valley Province is the largest and is one of the most economically profiting within the country. The Great Rift Valley passes straight through the middle of this province trekking all the way from Jordan in the Middle East. The Rift Valley Province covers an area of 173,854 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 6,987,036 inhabitants, making it the largest and most populous province in the country. The capital of the Rift Valley province is Nakuru. Kenya has a mostly tropical climate; the coastal region is hot and humid year round whereas inland it tends to be temperate with very dry areas in the north and the northeast. The heavy rainy seasons usually occur between March and May and the short rains arriving between October and November. The rain is often heavy and falls in thunderstorms in the afternoon. The hottest period is from February to March and the coldest from June to August. There are a wide variety of tribes within the Rift Valley Province, the Kalenjin and the Maasai are probably two of the best known ethnic groups. Most of Kenya’s best athletes come from the Kalejin tribe training on the slopes of the Rift Valley. The Maasai tribe are the most famous and recognisable and act as an international symbol of representation for Kenya. Climate The Great Rift Valley generally has excellent all year climate, with warm sunny days and cool evenings. There are 2 rainy seasons, between late March to May and October to November - in the past few years weather patterns have changed in that the rainy seasons may not be as distinct any more. Importantly, even during the rainy season,it is not uncommon to receive several hours of sunshine and blue skies - it should be noted that weather conditions do vary significantly within Kenya as well, with some places naturally receiving more sunshine hours per year than other parts of Kenya. Climate Chart For The Rift Valley, Kenya 
 *For further information about this project click the download button below or contact us |
