Sam Duggan

During the two months that I spent with African Conservation Experience (ACE), I visited four different projects: Golola Rhino Orphanage, Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, the Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience and the Okavango Wilderness Project.

I started with Golola Rhino Orphanage. This was an amazing experience as you are helping to care for and rehabilitate black and white rhinos. You get to spend a lot of time with the rhinos. Because they are an endangered species, I think this is an experience you are not going to get anywhere else. It was really amazing!

After Golola, I went to Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. This was another incredible experience as I had the chance to work and spend time with a bunch of different animals. One of the most memorable animals that I was able to work with was a baby hippo! That was a really special experience.

I think it's an experience that you wouldn’t get anywhere else. 

I loved my time at Moholoholo so much that I extended my stay from two weeks to one month! Because of this, I was able to help out with a very special case at the centre where I got to be the sole volunteer responsible for that animal. I learnt so much from the staff in my time there and it felt great they trusted me with this responsibility.

Another thing I loved about Moholoholo was that I felt like I had worked hard at the end of each day and all for a good reason.

It's clear that without the funding from the volunteers, and the extra pairs of hands that you are providing, the work and care for the animals wouldn’t be happening. Things like their enclosures getting repaired and the food that they eat wouldn’t be possible without the volunteers, so you feel like you are making a difference.

It’s great seeing animals in the wild and it's very special, but being able to work up close with animals that you wouldn’t ever think that you would be up close with is really amazing. Seeing first-hand the amount of care and attention that the team give to each animal and how tirelessly they work is extraordinary. Being part of this team was phenomenal!  

The third project I visited was the Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience. This is a research project where I had the opportunity to work with professional trackers. They were the most knowledgeable people that I met during my time in southern Africa. I could have endless conversations with them about conservation efforts and I gained a good understanding of anti-poaching efforts in the Kruger. It was fascinating to learn more about how they have helped protect rhinos and other iconic African animals, such as lions and cheetahs, in this area.

I concluded my experience at the Okavango Wilderness project in Botswana. This is another research project where we were following transects each day, recording data on any species that we came across. On one of the days we did a transect that was too far from the base camp to return to in a day, so we set up a camp in the middle of the bush. In the evening, elephants, lions, and other animals could be spotted moving around in the distance from our camp.

The way that you work together in a team with other volunteers creates a really great social environment, at all the projects. At Moholoholo there was always so much going on - you always had so many options to choose from. There would be people playing card games, playing soccer, and we got to go out for dinner once or twice a week, too. You get to make really good bonds with the other volunteers. I made some lifelong friends whilst I was there who I’m actually going to see in Barcelona in the next few weeks! 

Although I did a lot, I would say that my highlight would have to be Moholoholo. That's probably why I doubled the length of time I stayed there! I got to create a lot of different connections with a lot of different animals that were at the centre. Also, providing care for those who won’t be released due to their complex social structures or their injuries being too severe was really rewarding. 

If anyone is looking at doing these projects and wondering if ACE is the right organisation to go through, I can’t recommend it enough.

I can say that you’re going to be getting an experience you won’t get anywhere else. I have loved every moment of it and I’m going to be coming back very soon!