It’s update time and today we are going to bring you information about what has been going on at the Shamwari Conservation Experience over in South Africa. This is one of our projects which often slips under people's radars, but it is also one with some incredible activities so it is well worth a look if you are thinking of volunteering in the country! The project does a lot of good work in the local area, so let’s see what they have been getting up to over the last couple of months!
February
Tortoise Mark and Recapture Project Continues – The height of the South African summer is the best time to capitalize on tortoise activity in the area so the project has been capturing and marking the animals to help keep track of numbers. They haven’t quite reached their quota of 100 from each species just yet, but they are getting there!
Cultural Evening – One of the highlights of the volunteers month was an evening of dancing and drumming which was put on by a local traditional dance group. Volunteers had the chance to play the drums too and some even managed to learn some African rhythms!
March
Elephant Management – One of the breeding bull elephants at the project site, affectionately known as Wonka, had been causing some trouble at a few lodges as he was in musth. The volunteers were involved in helping to dart and administer treatment in an attempt to keep Wonka’s testosterone levels down and curb his aggression!
Managing the Rain – Recently there were heavy rains at the Shamwari site and as a result some of the roads in the area couldn’t cope! Volunteers have been helping to dig out extra drainage on some of the routes to make them all accessible again!
New Cubs in the Northern Pride – There had been rumours flying around the site that there were some new lion cubs in the Northern pride, and last month a project coordinator was lucky enough to spot them during predator monitoring! Fingers crossed these adorable babies will make more of an appearance in the coming months!
This is just a brief update of what has been happening at Shamwari over recent months, but if it has tempted you into researching the project further then why not take a look here!
