This project provides you with a rare and exciting opportunity to work closely with lots of
animals, including a number of African wildlife. You will care for them on a daily basis as
well as helping to develop and maintain the sanctuary.
Feeding and caring for the animals
You will be responsible for preparing the food and feeding the animals. This includes cutting
raw meat for our large carnivores (not for the squeamish!) and throwing meat to the lions,
leopards, semi-tame and wild cheetahs, African wild dogs and hand feeding the meerkats. You may
also get the opportunity to join the carnivore feeding tour when guests from the Lodge visit
the large carnivores.
You will prepare and feed vegetables, fruit and mieiliepap to the baboons and farm animals;
including pigs, sheep, chickens and leopard tortoises.
You will also help to maintain the animal enclosures on the farm, clearing out old food and
mess, cleaning waterholes and removing old bones from feeding.
Animal time
You will get to spend part of each day playing with and looking after some of animals on the
farm.
The orphaned baboons play a large part in out project. We currently have 16 young baboons from
one to two years old and five baby baboons under a year old. Volunteers take the bigger baboons
on a walk at least every other day in the field to allow them to forage naturally and to give
them regular exercise.
Baby baboon walks currently take place everyday to give all our volunteers the chance to bond
with our baby baboons. It's a great opportunity to enjoy the African sun, explore the farm and
play with these cute babies. You will also rotate responsibility for bottle feeding and
sleeping overnight with the five baby baboons which are currently too small to live in the camp
with the young baboons.
You will get to spend time every week with our three semi-tame meerkats who live in the wild,
our three legged cheetah, Lucky and with the semi tame cheetahs as well as walking or spending
time with our four tame caracals.
Please remember that the animals are rescued, taken in, cared for and if possible, released
into natural habitat again, therefore the variety and number of animals at the sanctuary can
change.
Farm work, security & maintenance
Part of your daily routine will include building and maintenance both on the farm and around the
perimeter. Farm work projects vary depending on what is currently needed on the farm. Previous
projects volunteers have helped with include building fencing and trenches for our new vegetable
patch which is now thriving and providing a range of vegetables for the animals, building a
new baboon camp enclosure and play equipment for our bigger baboons to move into. You need to be prepared
for hard work but it's very rewarding to see the results of your efforts.
You will take part in border fence patrol on the golf carts and carnivore enclosure patrol on
foot with a trained farm worker.
As new animals arrive new enclosures may have to be built. You may need to assist the Bushmen
with the preparation of materials, digging foundations and waterholes and the erecting of the
enclosures.
Current long-term projects include:
De-bushing: Black thorn is an invader bush and takes up a lot of nutrients which
means that better vegetation finds it very hard to survive. Volunteers will help to
remove most of the very dense patches of black thorn from areas on the farm in order to
allow other vegetation to grow and for game on the farm to become more visible.
Fence Break down: this is an important project to reach our goal of creating a
large fenceless reserve in central Namibia allowing game and wildlife to roam freely for
the benefit of conservation. Our volunteer workforce will play an important part in
removing the lengths of fencing on our land and that joining our neighbours.
Assisting with the Bushman school
You will spend at least one morning assisting our teacher in the Bushman school on the farm,
started to provide education to the children here, whose parents cannot afford to send them to
school. This is a great fun and very rewarding activity.
During your time at N/a‘an ku sê, you will have the opportunity to enjoy a number of
activities, included in the cost of the program. These may include; a nature walk across the
farm or an eco challenge competing in groups against your fellow volunteers, followed by a braai
(barbecue) and an overnight sleep out in the field, star gazing and waking up to a fantastic
sunrise!
During your free time, there is a small swimming pool available for your use as well as a volley
ball net and a lawn area for you to relax on in the sun
Occasionally the volunteers play football against the local Bushmen.
Additional activities which are not included in the cost of the program include; day trips to
Windhoek to enjoy a Sunday buffet at the famous Jo's Beerhouse and dinner at our beautiful
Charity Guest Lodge.
There may be the opportunity to go on a 4 x 4 Driving Course (N$500 for one and a half to two
hours) or visit the local Arnhem Bat Caves (N$340).
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