| Wildlife
Research & Conservation Research at Mother Africa is an integral part of the volunteer experience, although the majority of research work will be conducted at Ivory Lodge, just outside the spectacular Hwange National Park. Tracking
the Hwange Lion Pride Hwange National Park is home to several prides of wild roaming lion. Research in this area is focusing on determining territory sizes and pride structure. Volunteers will be working alongside recognised scientists and will be required to help capture data on the pride structure, distribution and movements of individual lions. Ground
Hornbill Research
The aim of this work is to piece together the local life history of the Ground Hornbill, where it lives, where it nests and what it eats. This knowledge can be used to inform developers and policy makers and will be used to safeguard areas where Ground Hornbill can persist. We will be working in conjunction with a number of study groups to locate and map nesting sites, in retrieving eggs to introduce chicks into a breeding program and to release rehabilitated Ground Hornbills. We will also be working in conjunction with local communities in order to educate them about this bird's status in the wild, and to provide solutions to community and wildlife conflicts. Small
Carnivore Census The
African veld comprises a staggering diversity of wildlife, yet most
visitors to the country are only familiar with the more charismatic
species, such as Lion, Elephant and Rhino. This work focuses on
the small carnivore species, such as the Caracal, Genets, Civets
and Serval amongst others. Fascinating animals that science and
most visitors know very little about. They are primarily nocturnal,
and as such work will involve conducting night drives on the Ivory
Lodge property in order to ascertain species composition and distribution
in the area. Coupled with this work will be scouting for tracks
in the early morning to determine species movements. Elephant
Research
Zimbabwe has one of the largest elephant populations of any country in Africa. These magnificent herbivores can bring in much needed foreign currency through tourism but can also wreak havoc on the local ecology. Confrontations between elephant and local farming communities are also common. You
will be working with independent researchers based at Hwange National
Park a well as with Zimbabwe National Park's personnel. Work will
involve tracking the elephants to determine their movements and
to highlight areas they are concentrated in, noting herd structure
and behaviour as well as liaising with local communities to ascertain
damage done by elephants and to try and develop solutions for these
confrontations. Adrenalin
Activities
Included
with every project is a four day stay in the adrenalin capital of
Africa, Victoria Falls. Here you can choose to bungee jump, white-water
raft, party with the locals or simply soak up some sun. There are
activities to suit everyone, including sedate canoe safaris down
the great Zambezi River or sundowner cruises, sipping your favourite
beverage while watching the evening show of setting sun and abundant
wildlife. Amazing falls short of the mark! |
