Working with Elephants in South Africa

Working with elephants in South Africa

Working with elephants in South Africa

You will be working with elephants in South Africa in the elephant sanctuary, where sick and injured elephants are cared for. You will not always be working with elephants directly, as much of this work belongs to the more experienced workers. However, you will often feed the elephants and have plenty of contact with the animals.

Working with elephants in South Africa, you will also learn a great deal about the “gentle giants” and their dwindling numbers on the African continent. Working in the elephant sanctuary, you will film or photograph tourists and develop the film on location in a photo lab. Proceeds made through the sale of these photographs at the souvenir shop go to a local school.

A further important field of work aside from working with elephants in South Africa is volunteering as a teacher:

• Teaching co-workers English, presentation techniques, or the basics of finance management,
• Giving writing and reading lessons in a local school, or
• Offering general assistance to teaching personnel.

Working with elephants in South Africa, you can help to count and observe the elephants, clean out stalls, and prepare the animals’ food. You will also help to study the elephants’ behaviour and assist in the removal of non-native plants.
Since elephant manure is an excellent fertilizer, the manure is collected, treated, and stored before being sold. Money that is collected through the sale of this fertilizer goes to further elephant conservation efforts. Volunteer work in this area includes processing and marketing the elephant manure and training unemployed people from the area to do this sort of work.

Working with Elephants in the Addo Elephant Park

In our 4-week working with elephants programme, you will most likely spend several days in the Addo Elephant Park. The park is home to the largest elephant population in South Africa, and has grown to include an ocean reserve area as well. It is the only national park in the world where you can see elephants, buffalo, lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, blue whales, and great white sharks all in the same park!

Aside from this, you will experience something that not many people ever see: a glimpse into the nearly deserted wilderness of South Africa! During your free time, you can view various animals at the water hole (from a protected observation post), take a ride through the reserve, or simply relax at the pool. During the week you will stay in a tent, with full board.