Volunteer programme at Samara

Samara Private Game Reserve has made it its mission to ensure the regeneration of the lands of the Eastern Cape's Great Karoo and has been able to reintroduce many endangered species. Samara is a hub of conservation and animal reintroduction efforts in the Great Karoo. Alongside the SACT Tracker Academy at Samara run by one of only two master trackers in South Africa, is the Volunteer Programme.

The volunteer programme offers you the opportunity to experience the incredible and unique landscape of the Great Karoo and contribute to the conservation of this land and the many plants and animals it supports. Samara's vision is to reintroduce the large diversity of animals that roamed these plains prior to European settlement 200 years ago. By volunteering at Samara you are making a valuable contribution to this ambitious and worthy cause.

Ongoing wildlife research and management projects

As a volunteer you will work on ongoing wildlife research and management projects, as well as assist with community development and environmental education programmes. The volunteer programme is run by South African couple, Alwyn and Hayley, who are passionate about nature and love to share their passion with others. They both hold Honours Degrees in Zoology and Environmental Science from the University of Cape Town.

The programme has been designed with a strong focus on learning and hands-on involvement in the field. At Samara you will learn to respect and admire the wonders of the African bush. All fieldwork and projects are preceded by a background talk so that you have a better understanding of the significance and importance of the work you are doing. There are various ongoing land rehabilitation and wildlife research projects taking place, in collaboration with conservation organisations and universities.

Field techniques

As part of the Samara research team, volunteers will have the opportunity to make valuable contributions to these projects. Volunteers are taught to be competent in all required field techniques, meaning the data collected can be used by management and affiliated organisations. You will learn a wealth of bush knowledge, as well as the skills of tracking animals and interpreting their behaviour.

The projects that volunteers will be involved with at Samara include management and rehabilitation efforts as well as research projects that require data collection and analysis. Samara is currently working on several projects in collaboration with The Centre for African Conservation Ecology (ACE) at The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth (www.nmmu.ac.za), The Endangered Wildlife Trust (www.ewt.org.za) and Lethbridge University in Canada (www.uleth.ca).

Part of the daily activities volunteers will be involved in are:

• Animal movement and population demography research
  
• Reserve maintenance ie fence patrols and building “bomas” (temporary enclosures for reintroduced animals)
  
• Land rehabilitation
  
• Invasive alien vegetation control.
  
• Game capture
  
• Game introduction
  - Cheetah monitoring
  - Vervet monkey research
  - Community outreach
  During volunteers' stay at Samara, they will live at the volunteer camp. The rooms are comfortable and there is a communal kitchen where the volunteers and co-ordinators cook in teams. It is a homely atmosphere giving volunteers a chance to relax and socialise after a day in the field.

  For more information, go to www.samara.co.za, email or telephone +27 (0)49 891 0558.