Volunteering at the Monkey Sanctuary Near Kruger Park

  South Africa

Johannesburg

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks and 5-8 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: multiple start dates year round

Description: Fancy some monkeying around?

Monkey business is certainly allowed on this project which is set in a stunning area of South Africa close to the wilderness of the world-famous Kruger National Park. The Vervet Foundation is a huge rehabilitation centre and currently looks after around 500 monkeys, so there will be plenty of opportunities to meet the cute little things. Your time may be spent caring for injured or orphaned monkeys, doing general maintenance work around the centre and contributing towards the building of new facilities. In your spare time you can even take advantage of the great location and enjoy the country's animals in the wild.

*What does the sanctuary do?
The Vervet Monkey Foundation operates the biggest rehabilitation centre for injured and orphaned monkeys in South Africa. Currently this very busy centre looks after over 500 monkeys. Monkeys taken into the centre sadly cannot be released into the wild due to various restrictions that class them as vermin in many states in South Africa, so the sanctuary offers the monkeys a vital salvation which is made to be as close as possible to their natural environment.

*Why does the project need volunteers?
You're needed to help care for the monkeys, supporting all their daily needs; from cleaning their cages to feeding them. Without volunteer help these needy monkeys would not be able to live safely and happily in a habitat close to their real one.

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Highlights:
* Living and working with Vervet Monkeys - WOW!
* Experiencing the 'bush life' in South Africa
* Meeting and making friends with people from all over the world - this is a very sociable project!

Qualifications: Skills required:
Anyone with a passion for animals and an interest in conservation will enjoy their time here. You'll be involved in caring for the animals and maintaining their environment.

Your role as a volunteer:
Working directly with the world-renowned primatologist Arthur Hunt, volunteers primarily look after indigenous vervet monkeys. Monkeys taken into the centre sadly cannot be released into the wild due to various restrictions that class them as vermin in many states in South Africa. Arthur works hard to introduce the new monkeys into troops so that they can live as they would in the wild. Because of their long term residence, the enclosures at the centre are very large and require a lot of maintenance. Typical tasks include:

    * Sterilizing and washing basins, buckets, baby bottles and cages
    * Preparing food (this needs to be done for 500 monkeys daily!)
    * Helping to feed the monkeys
    * Helping to care for sick, injured, young and recently introduced monkeys
    * Helping to build new facilities
    * Maintenance of the land and current facilities

Currently there are three new camps; each camp has a capacity of 25,000 cubic metres  room for seventy to eighty monkeys to live in comfortably.

Cost in US$: USD 2195.00 for 4 weeks, USD 275.00 for every week thereafter

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: If you are interested in immersing yourself in another culture while giving your time to a worthy cause, then you are a typical i-to-i volunteer. We invite you to join the i-to-i community of dedicated volunteers aged 18-80 who are working on community development, building, teaching, and conservation projects across the globe. Together, we make a lasting impact that changes lives and helps preserve the planet through hundreds of worthwhile projects around the world.

Age Range: 18 - 80

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to South Africa Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Phone Interview

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

i-to-i Meaningful Travel's Mission Statement: i-to-i is an award-winning organization providing unique opportunities for you to travel, work and live abroad. Thousands of travelers aged 18 to 80 have joined our volunteer vacations and over 50,000 have learned to Teach English as a Foreign Language through our tailor-made TEFL courses. With over 400 projects on 4 continents, you can join the worldwide i-to-i volunteer community on an extended adventure in areas such as teaching, community development, sports coaching, conservation, building or internships in tourism, marketing, journalism, or health.

Year Founded: 1994