Hanchi Conservation Project Volunteer

Are you looking to expand your field skills and work with wildlife in southern Africa? Perhaps you are studying conservation management or equine science and would like to gain some practical experience to further your career? 

Hanchi Conservation Project is looking for volunteers for  Sep - Dec 2010 and throughout 2011 to support the project in its vital studies.

Set on a vast reserve in the rugged and wild bushland of the Limpopo Province of South Africa, the management of the endangered roan antelope is critical to it’s survival in the wild. From horseback, you will monitor the roan antelope, quizzical Tssessebe and stunning sable antelope as part of this successful breeding and relocation project. 

Conservation in the field

Monitoring and management from horseback is vital to the successful breeding and relocation of these endangered and rare species - working with the single largest private sable and roan herds in South Africa. This project gives a unique view of the reality behind conserving predators while your research will contribute to the ongoing effort to help secure a future for these stunning animals.

Hanchi Conservation Project relies purely on volunteers to fund the project, and is looking to recruit several volunteers next year.

The sensitivity of the horse makes them ideal partners in traversing the bush and  reserve management, ensuring game are less stressed and by nature alerting you to young and elusive animals. Predator conservation work on the greater reserve is also a unique inclusion to this project.

Horses in the Bushveld

One of the most ecologically friendly way in which a human can traverse the bush is on horseback and the speed at which a horse walks is perfect for looking for tracks of both animals and man. The sensitivity of horses also make them ideal partners when taking part in activities such as game counts as they alert the rider to the presence of game which would often otherwise be overlooked.

Work with the wildlife

Within the large breeding bomas, roan and sable react much calmer to horses enabling monitoring at a much higher level. With their young hid singly in the bush, rather than in creches, it also assists in monitoring of their precious young. Having successfully relocated over 100 endangered roan antelope, this project is of great conservation importance and your work will include:

• Equine husbandry and care, including disease control
• Equine tack and yard maintenance
• Roan and sable monitoring, studying densities, ages and condition
• Predator monitoring - young antelope are very vulnerable in bush and the bomas require  management to ensure predation levels from cheetah and hyena are minimal
• Fence line patrols of inner sable and roan camps and the greater reserve 
• Disease free buffalo habituation from horseback on the greater reserve
• Joining the Zingela predator conservation project on the greater reserve - use radio telemetry to monitor movements of cheetah, brown hyena and buffalo. Working with cheetah, leopard and brown hyena, you will;

• Observe hunting and feeding behaviour, including kills, and social interactions
• Record GPS positions to determine home ranges and movement patterns

For more information on Hanchi Conservation Project, click here

If you are interested in joining this project as a volunteer, please apply online at www.conservationafrica.net/apply, selecting Hanchi Conservation Project.