The information below has been provided for you by the supported placement organisation running the placement. You can contact the company for more information using the links at the bottom of this page.
This placement would suit... This is the ultimate experience for anyone who loves nature and CHEETAHS! Kapama Private Game Reserve is one of the most exciting reserves in South Africa , situated in the Limpopo Province and was proclaimed a private nature reserve in December 1993. Covering approximately 13 000 hectares of prime big game territory, Kapama Private Game Reserve has succeeded in combining the wilderness of the bush experience with working in the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre.The name comes from Kapama, a Swazi king, whose tribe inhabited and hunted the northern Drakensberg mountain region around Mariepskop back in the 1880s.
A game relocation programme was introduced and the reserve now supports a wide variety of game including elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros, and large populations of giraffe, impala, blue wildebeest and kudu. Predators include lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena and many smaller species. The volunteer program is flexible. Kapama is a working reserve and volunteers are included in the operations of Kapama Game Reserve, either with the vet or conservationists. Some of the more common activities where students will be involved in, are as follows:
The Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre is situated on over 100 hectares within the Kapama. Established in the late 1980s by Lente Roode as part of a breeding programme for the endangered cheetah, the centre has expanded to breed and conserve other African species for reintroduction into the wild. The centre has cheetah and wild dog, both on the endangered species list, and are presently under the expert supervision of Lente Roode, veterinary surgeon, Dr Peter Rogers and a dedicated team of young conservationists. Extreme care is taken in creating the most suitable environment for cheetah to breed, for example the carefully constructed breeding enclosures which are diligently maintained to suit the behavioural habits of the cheetah as well as provision of the most nourishing diets.
The cheetah are also maintained free of external and internal parasites. The nutritional status and dietary supplements of the animals are monitored carefully to ensure an optimal and balanced nutritional state. By advising clients on the feeding of cheetah, the Hoedspruit Research and Breeding Centre endeavours to ensure that the high standard of the nutritional state of the animals is maintained. Volunteers accommodation is in thatched huts shared by two people in Nungu Camp, within the Big 5 reserve boundaries of Kapama Game Reserve. Share bathroom facilities (men and ladies separately) Laundry facilities provided in Nungu Camp. Three meals per day provided in camp or tea garden at the Hoedspruit Research and Breeding Centre for Endangered species . BBQ every Monday night in camp
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