WHAT DOES THE PROJECT DO?
One of the sad consequences of population growth and industrial development in Africa is that animals have increasingly been under threat from habitat destruction and hunting. As a result many orphaned or injured animals can no longer live in the wild and need care and support. The demand for bush meat is the most significant threat to wildlife populations in South Africa, comprising an unsustainable over utilisation of the wildlife resources of this part of the world, as a result of which natural habitats are being denuded of their indigenous wildlife. Primates in particular are hunted for their meat, as pets and for medicine, and their habitats are being destroyed at an alarming rate.
Wildlife refuges and rehabilitation centres are a crucial means of providing the necessary support and, wherever possible, reintroducing animals into the wild. They’re also an important means of educating the public about human wildlife conflict.
You will be helping with all activities at the centre – maintaining the animal's living quarters, helping with game reserve maintenance, caring for the orphaned animals and helping maintain the reserve in general. The work will be hard but extremely rewarding and being so close to some of the world's most fascinating primates is sure to be an experience that you'll never forget.
WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
Whilst working in the primate reserve you will be indispensable to the park rangers, helping them with all the daily tasks necessary to keep the monkeys healthy and happy. You will carry out tasks which may include feeding the primates, helping clean the facilities, giving tours to visitors and educating visitors on the problems facing primates in South Africa, such as the bush meat trade and other conservation issues. You may also be helping out at reception and in the gift shop. As you can see there are a great variety of activities to enjoy and get involved in and, in addition to this, you will be able to see a multitude of different types of monkeys interacting and living in their natural surroundings. These include common marmosets, black lemurs, white-handed gibbons, brown howlers and grey necked owl monkeys amongst many more.