White Rhino Conservation Project

Participate in conservation efforts designed to help save the dwindling white rhino population in Zimbabwe.

 18 - 25 May 2010

Project Location: Lake Chivero National Park, 50km from Harare city centre.

Project Age Limit: Minimum 18 years, Maximum age dependent on participant’s health. This is physical work and a certain degree of fitness is required.

Project Highlights:

• Be one of the privileged few in the world to not only see white rhino, but have the thrill of working with them.
• Work with wildlife vets dehorning, ear notching or trans-locating rhino.
• Help track the rhino in a helicopter or micro-light, or on horseback. The rhino are in a game park with a good variety of other wildlife species to enjoy.
• Help National Park rangers with continued monitoring of the rhino population and anti-poaching operations.

Further Information on AWARE’s White Rhino Conservation Project:

Zimbabwe’s rhino population is currently under enormous threat from poaching. It is estimated to be about 700 animals which includes roughly 300 white rhino and 400 black rhino. The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (PWMA) are struggling to contain this scourge under challenging economic circumstances, because inadequate resources are available for anti-poaching and rhino monitoring activities.

 A small population of up to 21 white rhino exists in Lake Chivero Recreational Park close to Harare. There is an urgent need to verify the number of animals in this population as very few of the rhino have been ear notched for identification purposes up till now. The population structure in this park needs to be studied to address whether conditions are optimal for breeding and augmenting the population. If necessary bulls may be trans-located out and females brought in if it is felt that this will benefit the population.

 In addition, the long-term, scientifically-based and sustainable rhino monitoring programme for this park needs to be strengthened. AWARE Trust, in affiliation with the Wildlife Veterinary Unit, Marwell Zimbabwe Trust and PWMA, is setting up a programme to dehorn, ear notch and help with monitoring of these animals. This will include rehabilitation of game fences, cleaning up litter, anti-poaching patrols and snare sweeps within the park.

Project Typical Schedule:

Orientation Day: An intensive introduction to rhino conservation will be given in Harare, including familiarisation with all equipment, protocols and safety procedures and lectures on rhino identification for monitoring purposes.

Immobilisation days: (For logistical reasons these will be clustered over a period of a week to ten days.)

• Rise before dawn in order to get to the Park just after dawn.
• Check and double check all equipment. This will include telemetry equipment, radios, pulse oximeters, chainsaws, oxygen cylinders, water sprayers, marker paint and kit bags.
• Light breakfast.
• Wait for individual rhino sightings to be reported by rangers.
• This is followed by (usually helicopter) darting of the rhino by the vet.
• Help with positioning and monitoring of the immobilised rhino whilst the vet dehorns, ear notches, microchips and samples the animal. Keep the rhino cool by spraying him/her with a fine water spray. Selected animals will be implanted with a telemetry device. Photograph the rhinos’ notches for identification. Then retreat to safety whilst the vet administers the reversal drug.
• Repeat the same process throughout the day if other animals become available.
• A packed lunch will be provided on these days.
• In the evening, help to compile data collected on the animals.
• Help with processing of blood and tissue samples back in Harare.

Monitoring days: (These will occur once a week throughout the year.)

• Rise at dawn.
• Light breakfast.
• Proceed to the park for morning and evening patrols to be conducted over several hours each. Patrols are on foot, horseback or in a vehicle. Photograph and try to identify any rhinos that are seen.
• Help track the selected implanted rhinos by telemetry.
• Remove any snares that are found (foot patrols).
• Help with fence repair.
• A packed lunch will be provided.

Trans-location days: (NB. This will be a relatively rare occurrence.)

• Rise at dawn and help with rhino immobilisation as above.
• Help load the rhino into a crate.
• Travel with the white rhino and vet to ensure the rhino arrives safely at its destination.
• Offload the rhino into new bomas.
• Help monitor the animal for the first few days in its new environment.

What the Price includes:

• Project Fee: this entails financing that goes directly back into the project that you are involved with. This is a very costly project to run. Your project fee facilitates funding for all veterinary drugs, hire or purchase of all veterinary and telemetry equipment, helicopter costs and fuel for the helicopter, vehicle costs, and any other contingencies.
• All transfers from and to Harare International Airports upon your arrival and departure.
• Full board and lodgings (home style cooking whilst in Harare) and packed lunches on project days.
• Email access whilst in Harare.
• Laundry and servicing of rooms in Harare.
• All transfers to project locations.
• Assistance in your projects and supervision by trained staff and vets during your stay.
• Orientation by the vets and any wildlife, veterinary or conservation education talks that take place during your stay.
• Unlimited tea, coffee and juice throughout the day.

What the Price does not include:

• All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing (work and other).
• Return flights to Harare International Airports.
• Telephone calls made during your placement (charged out at cost).
• Any excursions over and above your planned itinerary in Zimbabwe.
• National Parks fees.
• Personal insurance cover for the duration of your placement, which is expected to include cover for repatriation.
• Cokes, beers, alcohol, chocolate and other food items not included in your meals.
• Bottled water (filtered drinking water provided).
• Mosquito repellent.

Project Orientation:

Volunteers’ introduction to white rhino conservation and orientation upon arrival will include:

• Introduction to all staff including vets.
• Familiarisation with the objectives of AWARE Trust by vets.
• Introduction to white rhino conservation in Zimbabwe.
• Safety briefing including all dangers you are likely to be faced with during rhino immobilisations and monitoring.
• Familiarisation with the equipment, including dart gun.
• Familiarisation of duties you will be involved in and our expectations of you.
• Detailed talk of the rhino immobilisation protocols.
• Detailed talk of the rhino monitoring procedures.

Project Support:

Throughout your placement you will have the support and guidance of AWARE staff. The vets will also provide you with competent field supervision and assistance during immobilisations.   

Project Accommodation:

Your accommodation in Harare is a 5 bed-roomed house in Harare’s ‘golden triangle’ of real estate. The house is on 3 acres and has a swimming pool. You can book a single or twin room with a communal bathroom or an en-suite double room (please inform us if you are traveling with a partner beforehand). There is also a comfortable central living area. The house is fully serviced and you can arrange to have your laundry done at no extra cost. Internet services can be erratic as they rely on mobile phone signal, which in turn relies on electricity, but we will do our best to provide you with some email communication to the outside world within reasonable hours.

On monitoring days you may stay closer to the Park in a house with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms at a nearby Lion Park, where you may also get involved behind the scenes.

Project Meals:

• Breakfast will consist of porridge, cereal and fruit. Bacon, eggs and toast may be provided if requested.
• Mid morning snacks of rusks or muesli buns and fruit will be available.
• A packed lunch of fruit, sandwiches, and boiled eggs will be offered.
• Dinner will consist of a 2 course meal of a main (a protein, a carbohydrate and vegetables, or a pasta dish), followed by a light dessert.
• Please let us know in advance if there is anything you do not eat, or would prefer not to eat. Specialist diets can be difficult to cater for in Zimbabwe and we may require you to bring certain food items with you.

Project Travel Highlights: 

Since this Project is based close to Harare you can take advantage of anything else Harare has to offer at your own expense. You may also visit two wildlife sanctuaries close to Harare to get a behind-the-scenes look at caring for the animals at no extra charge. If domestic animal work interests you, you may also watch practice at the busiest small animal veterinary practice in Harare. Note that Harare and Lake Chivero are not considered to be malaria areas.

Project Getting There: We will meet you at the airport!

• Fly in to Harare (Zimbabwe’s capital), where you will be met by AWARE staff, and spend one or two nights at our volunteer house. You must arrive with at least 18 hours to spare before the project start date so that you can take full advantage of our orientation and safety briefings.

Volunteer comments:

‘I can definitely say that this is the most exciting wildlife veterinary work to be involved in.’   Anton Newall.