African Nature Surveillance

  South Africa

Hoedspruit

Dates: 4 August - 1 September 2008; 1 September - 29 September 2008; 29 September - 27 October 2008; 27 October - 24 November 2008; 24 November - 15 December 2008

Description: Balule Nature Reserve starts 10km North-east of Hoedspruit, a unique little town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. African Nature Surveillance's operation area falls within the York region of the nearly 40 000ha Balule Nature Reserve.

York is the southern region of Balule Nature Reserve and consists of several huge farms that is privately owned by families and businesses who have a huge amount of passion for nature and the preservation there of for future generations.

Balule Nature Reserve in turn forms part of the Greater Kruger National Park. African Nature Surveillance is leasing Camp George which is centrally situated within the York region (southern section) of Balule Nature Reserve specifically for the project.

Volunteers will be tasked to contribute photographs taken by them within Balule Nature Reservce. Fauna that will be photographed will include mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, spiders and scorpions while on game drives and walks in the big 5 nature reserve. They will always be in the company of an experienced and qualified field guide. These photographs will then be uploaded and sorted into their related categories on the African Nature Surveillance computers at the camp by the volunteers themselves.
Fauna that is unidentified or volunteers are unsure about, will have to be researched by the volunteers in order to identify the species.

Volunteers' other responsibility will be to help our field guides service the camera traps, changing batteries and downloading the photographs. As with photographs that volunteers have taken the camera trap images will also be sorted into their related categories and researched if unidentified. These images will be sorted in order: location, date, time, species and number, so that the data can be used in the future. The photographs taken by both the volunteers and camera traps will be uploaded onto African Nature Surveillance web site on a weekly basis. All photographs on the website will be available to any interested party free of charge.

Using images from both the camera traps and those taken by volunteers, identification kits for the larger predators and rhino will be made; this will help section management keep track of population increases and decreases.

Highlights: Typical Day:
- Wake up at 06h00 to be ready for 06h30
- Coffee, tea or fruit juice is served, before heading out on game drive or nature walk to service the camera traps.
- While going to and from the camera traps more photographs will be taken by the volunteers and guide of any thing from a tropical tent web spider to elephants. The drive or walk will last 3-4 hours, depending on what is found during the specific morning.
- Breakfast is served at about 10h00 either outside or inside depending on the weather.
- At 11h00 volunteers and the guide start to sort through and organise the photographic material taken by both the volunteers and the camera traps.
- Lunch is at 13h00 after which everyone can relax, take a swim or have a midday siesta till 16h00.
- At 16h00 we will finish sorting and organizing the day's collected photographic material.
- 17h00 we head out for another short game drive before dinner at 19h00.

After dinner every one is free to do what they want, be it watching a DVD, reading or just relaxing around the fire.

On some nights we will go on late night drives to get more material of the nocturnal animals.

- Every Monday or Tuesday we will all go into town to do our weekly shopping.
- Every Saturday the volunteers will be taken on an excursion, we will cover the transportation costs but volunteers will have to pay for the excursion themselves.
- Sunday every one has the day off and is free to do as they please.
- During the first week we will have a proper orientation with a few lectures on what is expected of the volunteers, the fauna in the area, servicing the camera traps, basics on photography, how to use the ID kits for predators and nature conservation.

Cost in US$: 1900

Rates exclude transport to and from Hoedspruit at start and end of project, personal camera, excursions, and meals outside the reserve, beverages and laundry services.

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to South Africa Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 4 to 8

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Year Founded: 2008