Volunteers with a good level of physical fitness who are passionate about animals, interested in conservation and like working outdoors away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. You do not have to have any previous training or experience as volunteers work closely with reserve staff on the project.

Project details

Love animals, the outdoors and want to be a Wildlife Conservation volunteer at Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa? International Volunteer HQ’s Wildlife Conservation project is an exciting opportunity for volunteers to assist at Kruger - a reserve home diverse wildlife and scores of lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo. Volunteers will gain conservation experience and knowledge while being immersed in life on the reserve, enjoying the spectacular natural environment and making a meaningful contribution to its long-term sustainability and success.

What to expect and how you'll make an impact

Kruger National Park is home to an abundance of wildlife, including the famous Big 5 - lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo. Originally established in 1898, Kruger became South Africa’s first official national park in 1926, and at nearly 2 million hectares it is one of Africa’s largest game reserves.

As a Wildlife Conservation volunteer you’ll have the opportunity to get involved in a variety of conservation work while being immersed in life on the reserve. You’ll be making a difference towards wildlife conservation and enjoying the spectacular environment that Greater Kruger National Park offers.

You shouldn’t expect to be involved in hands-on research or touching the animals on this project, but you’ll have an important support role carrying out vital conservation work at the reserve.

Before you begin volunteer work you will first complete an introductory period where you will learn more about the work taking place on the reserve, reserve management practices, basic bush ecology training and about how your volunteer contribution is making a difference to the ongoing work on the reserve. Once work on the reserve begins, you may find yourself involved in:

Orientation and bush craft training - covering animal identification and behavior, dealing with potentially dangerous game, orientation and navigation as well as basic bush skills
Game drives
Game transects including monitoring of rare and endangered species
Camera trapping
Tree Protection from Elephant Damage particularly the Marula trees
Habitat surveys
Bird Point Counts
Dietary Partitioning in Large Herbivores
Location and mapping of injured animals by vehicle patrols
Assisting with bush and alien plant clearing
Assisting with long term biodiversity surveys through data collection
Road maintenance
Erosion control measures
Disaster Management – drought, flooding, storms and wildfires
Any other tasks that may arise including manual labour and general chores

Conservation work is very diverse and dependent on many uncontrollable influences such as climate changes, environmental factors, animal behaviour and external human intervention. Many activities listed above are seasonal and therefore all activities cannot be guaranteed during your stay.

Contributes to United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal #15: Life on Land

Human activity has altered almost 75% of the earth’s surface and around 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. Nature is critical to our survival. We must promote kindness to animals and use regenerative techniques to combat deforestation, conserve biodiversity and protect wildlife.

Why do Wildlife Conservation volunteering in South Africa with IVHQ?

As a Wildlife Conservation volunteer in Kruger National Park you’ll be adding value to the local community, while also developing personally and professionally by:

Contributing to conservation efforts and wildlife protection
Learning about game reserve management and practices
Developing your communication skills
Gaining wildlife conservation experience
Immersing yourself in South African culture
Exploring one of Africa’s biggest game reserves

Volunteer requirements

Volunteers between the ages of 16-18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to participate in this program
All volunteers aged 16+ are required to provide a criminal background check to IVHQ prior to departure. Those aged 16-17, if unable to obtain a criminal background check, can provide two character reference letters instead
All volunteers are required to have adequate volunteer travel insurance
All volunteers must speak fluent English.

Are you eligible to volunteer?

Submit a free application so we can confirm your eligibility and check availability for your preferred dates.

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Who is going?

Group video calls

Once you have secured your place, join regular video calls to meet your Program Manager and other volunteers before your trip.