Lion And Wildlife Manager Shadowing Detail

African Impact has partnered with ALERT, the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of the African lion.  ALERT supports the Rehabilitation & Release into the Wild Program, founded at Antelope Park, which is seeking to provide solutions to the problem of rapidly decreasing lion populations by releasing into appropriate National Parks and reserves the wild borne offspring from rehabilitated captive bred lions, using a unique four stage program.

The program is a multi-faceted one as ALERT believes that for the lion to survive in viable numbers then its programs must also consider the environment within which it can thrive as well as the communities that live alongside it.  As such the program incorporates the Conservation Centre for Wild Africa (CCWA) and the ALERT Communities Trust (ACT) to ensure that habitat is protected, that research is conducted to provide a basis for sound conservation management plans to be developed and that those communities bordering the conservation area are involved every step of the way to foster support for wildlife conservation.

All elements of the project are carried out in partnership with appropriate national and local authorities and we work alongside partner organizations to ensure that cross program cooperation is maximized.

Commercial enterprises are encouraged to develop around all programs to provide long-term financial security to the projects, and here at Antelope Park we work very closely with the “Walk with Lions” which operates stage one of the rehabilitation program.  Tourists are given the opportunity to join the lions on their daily walks through the wild and experience our program first-hand. The additional funding raised by these walks goes back into the project to further our conservation and community development aims.

The highest standard of care for the lions whilst in captivity is paramount, and as such the program is linked to PAAZAB, which provides an ethical code for us to abide by in good animal husbandry techniques.

Further detailed information regarding ALERT and the lion release program can be found by visiting www.lionalert.org where a number of pdf documents are available to download providing a step by step guide to the project in full.

The involvement of students and volunteers on the project is paramount to achieving our aims on all fronts.  You can expect days to be long, but you will also be able to end each day knowing that you have given something back to Africa; having made a difference to the animals and people that you come into contact with.   

With over seventy lions, four elephants, over 25 horses, mules and donkeys and more than 30 other mammal species in the 3000 acre private game reserve there is plenty of work to be done. 

Your primary task whilst on placement will be to assist the wildlife managers and their team of handlers, cage attendants, elephant guides and stables staff in all aspects of care for the animals in their charge.  

You will also have the opportunity to assist the chief vet in his clinic located in the nearby city of Gweru.  This busy practice handles all kinds of veterinary work including domestic pets and farm animals.

Please note that the list of tasks provided that you may be involved in offers a range of tasks that the wildlife managers undertake over a period of a year. You may not have the opportunity to take part in some of these tasks if that event does not happen to take place during the time you are at the project site. Your role will be varied.

Spending time with the lions in the wild each day is an essential part of the cubs’ upbringing. If the cubs are to be successfully released it is important that they spend time out in a natural environment. They need to adapt to it, learn from it, understand, observe, feel and smell the wild.

Since the start of this intensive lion walking programme, we have noted a marked increase in the lions’ awareness of their natural surroundings, as well as an improvement in their hunting skills. The larger cubs are now able to take down smaller game species whilst out on walks, and these abilities are being enhanced each day whilst under the supervision of staff, students and volunteers. 

Alongside the walks you will be involved in the care of the animals which overnight in enclosures.  They need feeding, cleaning, and occasionally will need veterinary care to ensure that they are kept in the best of health.

 

Antelope Park operates a working stable with over 25 horses, mules and donkeys.  Each day the animals need to be groomed and fed.  The horses are allowed to feed within the Park each night, returning to stables every morning.  You will assist our stables staff in ensuring that all of the animals are well looked after, checking on and treating any injuries that the horses sustain during the night or in their working day.

The Park is also home to four elephants, orphaned during the severe droughts of the 1990s.  They take regular guest rides as well as taking part in a guest swimming program in one of dams.  Each morning the elephants undergo a training session which gives us a vital opportunity to check on their condition and apply any care that is needed.

There are a large number of species living free within the reserve.  Game counts need to be conducted to review the Parks game management plans and anti-poaching operations are vital to ensure the viability of the Parks species.

Throughout your placement you will meet regularly with the management to review your progress and discuss any issues you may have personally or with regards the implementation of improved welfare standards and animal management protocols.