"I
had the time of my life and would definitely go back!! The hands on with some
of the game was the most exciting especially the experience with the very awake
nyarla."
- Shelley Mildon
"I
couldn’t have imagined spending two months of my gap year anywhere else.
I had such a variety of experiences from carrying a darted cheetah and checking
it’s pulse and feeling for it’s internal transmitter to canoeing 32km
down such a serene river. We went to play with the aid’s orphans in the community
each week who were so happy to see us and cleared the trees after a bushfire had
swept across the north of Shamwari. The staff get us involved in as much as possible
and I even found time to do the world’s highest bungee jump. The people I
met and the experiences I had made this trip fantastic."
-
Rebecca Walker
"My
time at Shamwari was one of the best experiences in my life. I miss it a lot and
look forward to going on another conservation project through Worldwide Experience."
-
Jennifer O’Brien
"I
don’t know where to start with what this placement meant to me. I had a fantastic
time and would definitely go back. I was at Shamwari for 8 weeks and was fortunate
enough to see so much and be involved in so much. There is still no feeling quite
like being face to face with a magnificent lion, watching them in their natural
habitat, being a guest in their domain. I’ve never been as happy as I was
in Africa and will cherish the memories for the rest of my life, as well as some
wonderful friends I made."
-
Stacey Wlodarek
"It
is an amazing experience learning about the animals, the reserve and how to run
a game reserve. it has inspired me for my future prospects"
-
Claire Hutchinson
"I
would not of changed a minutes of my WWE experience. I have made friends for life
and taken back memories that will last a life time. I have now crossed a lot of
things off my to-do list."
-
Chloe Wright
"A
really amazing experience. Each day was different and we really got stuck into
the conservation tasks. I really felt that I was making a worthwhile difference
at both the reserve and in the community."
-
Simone Cutler
"My
placement at Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa was very enjoyable and also
Worldwide Experience were genuinely helpful in aiding me to set up the whole trip
even the flights. This placement is definitely worth doing."
-
Nicholas Waugh
"I
was about to go to one of the world’s best Game Reserve’s, Shamwari,
where I would be fortunate enough to spend four weeks.
I was gifted with
an unforgettable first day there. At Shamwari, one of our many responsibilities
was to monitor the Black and White Rhino. Throughout the course of the morning
we encountered many animals including, Giraffe, Zebra and Elephant as well as
many other species when, finally, at the top of one of Shamwari’s many hills
we spotted an adult White Rhino with her baby.
As they calmly strolled
right past us, grazing ever so quietly we could just here the baby crying for
the mother’s attention. This sight, with the backdrop of the Southern African
landscape was proving to be a magical part of my trip, yet the day was not about
to end there.
As we were perched up on the cliff’s edge we spotted
a group of Black rhino in the distance and so we immediately made tracks towards
them. As we edged closer and closer we were graced by the presence of an elegant
Serval, its sharp-eyes scouring the area for small rodents. We came to a halt
at a safe distance away from the Rhino.
The sheer size and power of these
gargantuan monsters was astonishing. We did not stay long, however, as the patience
of Black Rhino should never be tested, nor should it be with any animal. As the
day was drawing to a close we headed back through the main reserve towards our
accommodation when, stood at the side of the road, was an adult Leopard. We had
all seen Leopards before at the Born Free Centre but, to see an adult in the wild,
was indescribable.
Throughout the duration of my four weeks at Shamwari,
I completed tasks such as, cleaning water points, to prevent the spread of disease
amongst the water dependant animals, as well as road clearing was an everyday
occurrence here.
Approximately two weeks before I arrived at Shamwari,
some of the volunteers had rescued a baby Cape Mountain Zebra who soon became
known as Kalhua. She had been abandoned by her mother and was so young that she
even had her umbilical cord attached. She was very weak.
To enable her
to join the road to recovery she stayed in the animal hospital overnight where
she would be safe and warm, and would be bottle fed her specific formula. I was
indeed lucky enough to stay overnight in the hospital, where I would wake, every
3 hours sharp to feed her. Being able to say I bottle fed a baby Cape Mountain
Zebra, one of the most endangered animals in Southern Africa, is something that
I share with but a few.
As my experience was drawing to a close I wanted
to fulfill yet another ambition, which was to visit Cape Town and climb Table
Mountain. Together with nine fellow volunteers we collected our rental car and
made the nine hour journey up the N2 from Port Elizabeth. On route we visited
the breathtaking beaches of Plettenberg Bay and it was proving to be a most beautiful
journey, along a vast part of the world famous Garden Route.
After a dreadful
day of rain on the Friday, Saturday’s weather proved to be a lot better.
All of us agreed that today we would indeed confront the sleeping giant that is
Table Mountain. The hike up the Cliffside was as stunning as it was deadly, steep
climbs with vertical drops proved a challenging and adrenaline filled activity.
We eventually reached the summit in one hour, less than half the given time limit.
We were all blessed with the extraordinary view across Cape Town and way out to
sea past Robben Island where Nelson Mandela had been imprisoned. Sadly our long
weekend came to an end when we returned our rental car and shared one last meal
together at the lovely El Greco Restaurant on the Boardwalk in Port Elizabeth.
Monday
morning was the day I had been dreading for my entire placement. In keeping with
our tradition I was thrown fully clothed into the pool, then it was time to leave.
Having made so many new friends, and had the greatest experience imaginable, it
was extremely tough to say goodbye.
I am proud that I was able to fulfill
my lifelong ambition and join the fight to save this vanishing way of life, which
mankind has so nearly obliterated from the face of the earth. I will most certainly
continue this fight in the future, as I am determined to never let any animal
be erased to the pages of history."
-
Alun Goodwin
"This
experience was everything I had hoped for and a whole lot more. The place and
people were great and I made some really good friends. I did not want to leave!"
-
Jamie Bray
"It
was the most amazing experience ever at Shamwari Game Reserve. I really enjoyed
being out in the bush and being part of a team. I have made many friends that
will hopefully be around for a long time. The rangers were really approachable,
fun and easy to get along with. Thanks WWE!! "
-
Natalie Flinders
"Had
so much fun and met so many amazing people. An experience I will never forget."
-
Philippa Booth
"The
volunteer placement at Shamwari gave me the best three weeks of my life. I didn’t
want to come home, the placement, the people and Africa itself were beyond amazing."
-
Caroline Philips
"Spending
three weeks at Shamwari Game Reserve was mind-blowing. I’ve had some life
changing experiences and made some lifelong friends. Thank you for everything
Worldwide Experience. I will be sure to return."
-
Roisin Warner
"Shamwari
is definitely one of the best experiences of my life!"
-
Sarah Turner
"An
eye-opening experience that I will be recommending to anyone with an interest
in conservation."
- Stephen
Duffy
"Since
I have been here in South Africa I have seen some amazing wildlife and the work
we do is actually quite fun as well, I am actually enjoying cutting down trees
and there is something very satisfying about doing it.
We were lucky enough
to experience the relocation of five elephants a couple of weeks ago, which apparently
only happens every other year. The elephants were being relocated on Shamwari’s
sister reserve Sanbona, which is near Cape Town.
We had to wake up at four
in the morning to help out, but it meant we got to see the sunrise, which made
it worthwhile. When we arrived we pulled up alongside these trucks with massive
containers on the back of them, which reminded me of Jurassic park. The elephants
were darted and hauled into the container by a crane. Once we had got all the
elephants into the trucks we had to move quickly as they were starting to wake
up, so we all ran to help close the doors of the containers. The translocation
was a success, so look out for me on animal planet!!
We were also involved
in the darting of a black rhino that had been fighting some of the other rhino’s,
but after four hours of searching for him all we found was a mother and baby,
which we darted and then clipped. It was really exciting as they wake up pretty
quickly after being darted and with the rangers shouting ‘quick she’s
is waking up’ it was quite an adrenaline rush.
The vets on Shamwari
had to do surgery on two leopards to have a monitoring device implanted into them,
which looked painful as we were observing the first leopard, but we suddenly heard
a growling coming from the second operation room, so we peeped round the corner
to see what was going on and there was the leopard standing up sneering at the
vets as they were trying to hold it down and inject more anesthetic into it, which
was really amazing to see this and see how the vets dealt with the leopard.
We
have been on lots of game drives, which have been very eventful as well. One drive
we had two white rhino come within about 12ft of our vehicle and as we were watching
the rhino the ranger told us that the last time a rhino had got this close it
stunted the vehicle making us all hold our breaths with fear, but she thankfully
drove away. We saw a pride of lions, one male and three females. The male lion
came about 15ft away from us when we were told to stay completely still and carried
on snapping away on our cameras.
Another time we got stuck behind a herd
of elephants, which took about 15 minutes for them to move off in the direction
of the watering hole. We also got to feed Themba the orphaned baby elephant that
they are planning on releasing back into the wild. He lives with a sheep called
Albert, which he likes to push around and bully. I thought this was a weird sight
until I saw a local dog playing with a warthog.
The other day we were taught
how to make fire with a bow which was great fun. We then had a bush walk and learnt
a lot of interesting things about the plants. We made a cream with the juice of
the bullvine and aloe ferix plant, which I expect I will be using on potential
future sun burn, shame its green though.
I had a great weekend at Addo
Elephant Park where you can ride on one of the trained elephants and feed them.
They are such beautiful creatures and compared to some other places I have seen
a similar set up they are treated really well here. In passing one of the girls
said how amazing it would be to stay at the lodge and the ranger gave us a huge
discount, everything was all inclusive and we had a really nice Braai. We ended
up having a limbo competition, which I won.
We had a survival sleep out
a couple of nights ago and had to compete for shelter and food, which was torture,
but enjoyable torture like shooting targets and other tasks. I have missed so
much out too. The whole experience was amazing!!"
-
Gareth John who has been to Shamwari Game Reserve
"I'm
so glad I took part in this adventure to South Africa. I learnt a lot about the
animals and how the reserve works as well as the culture of South Africa and how
things are so different to England.
It has made me even more determined
to pass my NVQ Level 3 Veterinary Nursing as one day I would like to experience
working in South Africa with these amazing animals.
I'm hoping to return
to South Africa some day soon to complete the Vets Go Wild course, which involves
more veterinary work which would be more relevant to my course and interest.
I
will never forget my time at Shamwari Game Reserve and the fun I had. Not only
did I enjoy my time in South Africa but I also met some fantastic people have
made some great friends that made the trip what it was."
-
Volunteer– Shamwari Game Reserve 2009
"I
cannot think of one minute of my month at Shamwari when I wanted to be somewhere
else. From the moment I arrived I had the most incredible time, met amazing people
and had so much fun. From rhino monitoring to erosion control, from fishing to
watching a lion being darted, everyday presented a fantastic new experience. I
enjoyed my time at Shamwari immensely.
I had the time of my life, and
while I didn’t wish myself anywhere else during that month, I have definitely
wished myself back!"
- Katie
Merchant – Shamwari Game Reserve – January 2009
"My
3 months at Shamwari were truly the best of my life. Never have I had so much
fun, learnt so many new things or been so close to such magnificent animals. I
have countless memories which include, darting Lions ready for transportation
by plane, feeding Born Free cats, close up encounters with Elephants, playing
with local children, great evenings at Louis Bar and even a skydive!
Although
it is hard to pick a favourite experience, I think it would have to be assisting
Murray - the vet with an operation to fit a tracker to a Cheetah. Unforgettable!
I have made so many good friends and felt really at home during my time with the
project. It is almost impossible to sum up this inspiring, challenging and rewarding
trip in so few words, but the fact that I would go back and do it all again at
the drop of a hat, says it all!"
-
Lucy Granger – Volunteer
"I
went to Shamwari twice in 2005 cos I loved it so much. The mix of work and play
is great at Shamwari. The staff are friendly and helpful and the bond you share
with other students makes it even better. I would highly recomend it because staff
are willing and want you to get involved in anything on the reserve. The wekends
are free for you to see the area and what an area it is. Activities include bungy-jumping,
shark cage diving and visiting local animal sancturies. Overall an experience
I cannot believe anyone would be disappointed with."
-
Georgina Smith
"When
i thought about travelling back in 2005 typed in 'Working abroad' to google. I
had no idea what it would lead to.
After browsing the Worldwide experience
website and getting in touch with them I attended an open event in Birmingham
where people from the company spoke to us and provided information about the packages
they offer. Throw in a DVD presentation and I didn't have to think twice.
I
spent 3 months on Shamwari Game reserve and It was without a doubt the best 3
months of my life. I saw and did things that none of my friends who travelled
to bum around on Australian beaches will ever do. The level of involvement you
get from the experience is something that will live with you forever. From assisting
in operations on Lions and Cheetahs, to getting up at 4am to do game capture -
it was an experience that you have no idea what it is really like until you are
there.
But the people you meet are a huge part of it too! Over the 3 months
there I met 16 amazing chaps and chappettes who were all there for the same thing.
We gelled like family and had a ball of a time. We spent weekends away from the
reserve, had fancy dress down at the local pub, played sport with the local community
and made friends with the locals. It's hard work at times but the more you put
in, the greater the experience becomes. All the staff from the UK to the team
out in South Africa were great on every level. They give all the help you need
and will be there whenever you want them.
This testemonial could go on
forever but to get a true feeling of what I have said you have to do it yourself.
The memories of Shamwari and my time in South Africa are and will probably remain
my fondest ever!
My only regret... Not staying there! Talking of which
if anyone in the right places is reading this I'd gladly take a job out there
if one is going!"
- Anthony
Emery
"Touching
a anesthetised rhino and sitting around a campfire in the Wilderness with a pride
of lion walking past only 5 metres away."
-
Anna Reeves - Shamwari Game Reserve
"Today
was the most amazing day so far. We went with the vet and about 10 rangers to
dart 2 lions. The vet darted the lions, then we had to pick them up and put them
into a truck and take then to the Conservation Centre. I sat in the back of a
truck with a huge male lion, while we drove like the wind."
-
Davina Pope - Shamwari Game Reserve
"Walking
in the Wilderness was a reverential experience and helped us to all to realise
that conservation is not about shutting people out, but about coexistence."
-
Grant Downie - Shamwari Game Reserve
“The
reserve was magnificent, the animals incredible, the people fantastic and the
accommodation exceptional. A really magical experience’; 'The only place
that you could dart a buffalo before breakfast, help with the controlled burning
of the land in the afternoon and then feed the Born Free leopards at sun set.
The night might be spent following a pride of lions or having a braai (BBQ) with
the rangers. A truly unforgettable experience.”
-
Poppy Freeman – Eco Africa student at Sanbona and Shamwari Game Reserve
"Worldwide
Experience students are continiously enthusiastic and are valuable volunteers
that make an exceptional contribution to conservation and our work.”
-
Dr. Johan Joubert – Wildlife Vet, Shamwari Game Reserve
If
you have a testimonial you would like to share with other volunteers,submit
your testimonial to us, we would love to hear from you!
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