Desert Elephants Project, Namibia

  Namibia

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: All year round from 2 to 12 weeks

Description: Track desert elephants and take part in community development building work in the beautiful Damaraland region of the Namib Desert where the famous desert-adapted elephants roam free.

Aim of the Project

This project takes you to the northwestern regions of the Namib Desert, traditionally known as 'Damaraland'. This harsh tribal wilderness area, runs parallel to the Skeleton Coast National Park, and is home to a small population of desert-adapted elephants. This project is part of a long-term initiative to find solutions to the ever-growing problem of facilitating the peaceful co-habitation between the subsistence farmers and the desert adapted elephants.

As a volunteer, you will work with the local subsistence farmers building protective walls around their water points to stop elephants from causing damage. In addition, you will take part in following and monitoring the movements of these elephants on patrol, camping wild and living close to the earth, elephants and people.

Namibia

Namibia is in South West Africa, bordering on South Africa, Botswana, Angola and Zambia. Most of the work that the project does is concentrated in the North West region of Namibia, known as Damaraland. This is one of the areas of Namibia that is seeing an increase of wild Elephants returning to habitats that they have not lived in for hundreds of years. The project base camp is located on the Ugab River, Northwest of Uis and Northeast of the Brandberg Mountain.

Damaraland is a vast, scarcely populated communal trust land. As it is a transitional zone between the high rainfall area in the east, and the Skeleton coast in the west, it is regarded as un-farmable on a commercial basis. Therefore it has become a natural, unfenced refuge for desert adapted animals such as; black rhino, oryx, giraffe, springbuck, kudu, steenbok, baboon, lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, brown hyena, black backed jackal and more.

These areas used to be inhabited by nomadic bushman hunter-gatherers, of whom there is lots of evidence in the form of thousands of rock paintings and engravings. Now, beyond the fringe of permanent settlements, only nomadic pastoral farmers, and tourists venture. This area is still regarded as one of the last true wilderness areas left on earth!

Volunteer Project

As a volunteer, you would be working alongside a Namibian registered non-profit organisation that strives towards assisting the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and other NGO's in promoting a mutually beneficial relationship between the humans and the desert adapted elephants of the northwestern regions of the Namib Desert. Working from mobile base camps in the vicinity of the Brandberg in the ephemeral Ugab River, you will immerse yourself in pioneer conservation work. This project is not for those interested in bottle-feeding cuddly baby elephants.

Project Details 2009 and 2010:

Opportunities to join for 2 weeks up to 12 weeks

The project takes place in 2 week rotations.

Week 1:

Volunteers will first join a team in building walls around vitally important water sources for Damaraland homesteads. The walls are built to protect water pumping facilities: a borehole, solar panel and pump or windmill. The elephants are given access to the water at certain points, thus preventing them from damaging the pumping mechanics and allowing the farmers use of the clean, fresh water.

You will be camping and all cooking is done over the fire, everybody sharing camp duties. It is extremely intense work in the heat of the African sun doing hard physical labour, but you will undoubtedly finish the week with a great sense of achievement.

The weekend is spent relaxing at the base camp in the Ugab River.

Week 2:

You then head off on patrol for the next week. Patrols are lead by at least one experienced guide on their very specialised 4x4 vehicles, again with minimum of equipment, setting up camp at a different site every evening. You will be experiencing areas of Damaraland and surrounding desert that no safari or overland tour will ever venture into, tracking and observing their local desert-adapted elephant herds. Volunteers will help with herd identification and data collection projects.

This project is a perfect opportunity for people to really return to basic levels of living, learn simple camp-craft and survival skills and get back in touch with nature; whilst becoming directly involved in spearhead conservation work. It is a chance to experience hard but rewarding work, witness amazing natural phenomena and escape the highly strung world and its day to day routine.

Dates for 2009:

12 October - 23 October
26 October - 6 November
23 November 4 December

Dates for 2010:

1 February -12 February
15 February - 26 February
1 March - 12 March
15 March - 26 March
29 March - 9 April
12 April - 23 April
26 April - 7 May
10 May - 21 May
24 May - 4 June
7 June - 18 June
21 June - 2 July
5 July - 16 July
19 July - 30 July
2 August - 13 August
16 August - 27 August
30 August - 10 September
13 September - 24 September
27 September - 8 October
11 October - 22 October
25 October - 5 November
8 November - 19 November
22 November - 3 December

All projects run from the Monday morning on the starting date, to the Friday afternoon of the finish date. Participants can book a minimum of one two-week slot, or multiple slots, up to three months (six slots) maximum.

Induction and Training

Besides a willing mind, and a strong back, you do not need any special training to work on this project. During your time spent with there, they would teach you the following:
* camp craft including cooking over a fire, bush camp setup, safety and hygiene
* bush craft like tracking, approaching dangerous animals on foot, animal behavior, bush walking, navigation, map reading, GPS etc.
* compiling identification kits on elephants
* traditional building skills

Camp & Transportation

The mobile base camp is set up at each project site, which will be as comfortable as possible! You will be accommodated in two man tents or you can choose to sleep under the stars. Washing facilities are limited but a 'bushman' shower will be made available. Toilet facilities will be in the form of long drops (enclosed and private). Meals are prepared by you on a rotational basis, over the open fire, and eaten around the campfire together. You are supplied with basic, but balanced food with adequate vegetarian options. Whilst on patrol, you camp wild, and sleep under the stars on your bedrolls with mosquito nets. No showers or toilets out there, so roughing it.   You need to get to the assembly point in Swakopmund (we give advice on this). From the first day of project until your return to Swakopmund, all transport is supplied.

Highlights: Sleeping out under the stars in the African desert bush, cooking over fires and tracking wild herds of desert elephants by day

Qualifications: This project is real spearhead conservation work. It is not about cuddling baby animals, or being an observer of conservation from the comfort of a game drive vehicle. You need to have an open mind, a willing heart and be prepared to put in work for something bigger than yourself. This is about true adventure with likeminded people that care, about teamwork and tolerance. You will live close together, close to the ground, and close to the animals. Your project manager is there to make your time in the bush educational and safe, but it is up to you to make a success of the expedition. They ensure that you have the means to be comfortable and well-fed, and would teach you how to be that. You need to have an average degree of fitness, as a lot of the work is manual, and you could spend a lot of time in high temperatures on foot. A bit of training beforehand would make your time more comfortable. You need to be able to speak English. All applicants over 18 yrs are considered.

Cost in US$: from 850 USD

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 18 yrs upwards

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

Participants Travel to Namibia Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 12

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Year Founded: 1997