Maurice Tallantyre

This was my third time travelling with African Conservation Experience (ACE) and that speaks for itself. I’ve not had an adverse experience in all of the seven weeks I have now spent in Africa while under their guidance. I was familiar with the great welcome they offer at Johannesburg airport when you arrive and I was re-inspired by the introductory talk we had which reminded me how my financial contributions as a volunteer make a real difference for conservation and wildlife in Africa. On this occasion, I spent a week with the Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience team and two weeks at the Phinda Wildlife Research Project.

The Vikela Kruger project provides the excitement associated with tracking on foot in the bush.

If you show interest they can furnish you with a real insight into the current challenges facing game reserves in terms of conservation. One truly amazing moment, while on foot looking for fresh rhino tracks at a drying waterhole, was when we disturbed a lion. It was about 30 metres ahead of us, took one sideways look in our direction and trotted into the bush. It all happened so quickly that there was no time to feel any fear. Being on foot in the bush is different and this project offers you that experience.

The Phinda Research Project is within a different setting; that of a five-star game reserve in Kwazulu Natal. It provides a slightly richer animal environment. We were fortunate enough to record seeing the Big 5 within the space of a few days while carrying out game counts. This isn’t always the case. Some days when it was extremely windy all of the animals seemed to prefer to hide deep in the bush. Another learning experience. However, we were made to feel part of the Research Team and enjoyed the experience of horn-trimming a rhino, capturing and moving a sick rhino, as well as releasing a new male lion into the reserve.

ACE are a remarkable organisation in finding ways of supporting conservation while matching the desires of those who would like to enjoy the experience of working within a game reserve. You are given a rare opportunity to see how things function behind the scenes. I’m in my seventies and I appreciate that most of the volunteers are young. However, I would encourage anyone who might think they are too old to volunteer to think again. It’s a great way to help in this extremely important work.