“Shamwari is about conserving a fading way of life of wild animals, and has been
awarded a number of prestigious International awards for it’s efforts in conservation and tourism.”
Worldwide Experience are offering one extremely lucky person to take the baton and become the new ‘Voice of Conservation’ and spend 3 months at the Shamwari Game Reserve in South Africa working, and living, amongst some of the most majestic and at risk animals in the world. I cannot think of a more exciting and worthwhile way of spending my summer break, helping to promote the causes of Africa’s wildlife and contributing my passion to the fantastic conservation effort of the hardworking volunteers already out there. For me, to be the ‘Voice of Conservation’ would serve as a platform to launch myself into my dream career of working to protect what is so most precious to all of us, our world. Having already been one of the founding members of a wildlife campaign in the UK to protect British wildlife from unnecessary cruelty, I would love to be able to be part of protecting wildlife that is at serious risk of extinction.
Did you know that it is estimated that species suffer extinction at a rate of one every 20 minutes?*
In 1995, the Black Rhino for example, hit dangerously low numbers of approx. 2,500 in the wild, but due to conservation efforts that number has slowly risen to around 3,500. Thanks to the fighting of conservation and animal welfare groups, the Black Rhino population is on the recovery. However, they still remain critically endangered. In 2010, it was reported that 333 rhino’s were illegally poached last year in South Africa (323 white rhinos and 10 black rhinos), considering how endangered the rhino population is, these numbers are an absolute tragedy. Likewise, the Javan rhino found now ONLY in Indonesia’s Java Ujung Kulon National Park has a population of only 37-45, a devastating and heart-breaking figure.
In Kenya alone, the lion population is approximately 1,970, and only an estimated 23,000 wild lions across the whole of Africa. For Africa’s carnivores to thrive, it is vital that their habitats are preserved and protected. These proud animals need space to roam and hunt to avoid conflict with human communities.
Likewise, the African Wild Dog has been mostly eradicated in West Africa and is greatly reduced everywhere else, with the most dense population numbers being found in Southern Africa. It is estimated there is only somewhere between 3,000 -5,500 of these wild dog’s. Like with lions, it is because of habitat fragmentation and increasing conflicts with humans that these animals have found themselves on the endangered list.
Rhino’s, lion’s and wild dogs are only a few examples of endangered species, but there so many more who need our help, you can see the list on the IUCN Red List. It is so important to raise awareness of these critical issues, and help educate people so we can prevent poaching and habitat loss, two of the biggest threats to wildlife.
It’s A Wild Life. Lets Keep It That Way.
Also check out Limpopo-Lipadi’s breeding programmes for the white rhino and wild dogs in Botswana.
It's a Wild Life... 