The following blog was written by volunteer David, who joined the SanWild Sanctuary & Reserve with his wife in January.
My wife and I always wanted to spend time in wildlife conservation after retiring, and the three weeks we spent at SanWild was our third volunteering trip abroad. It proved to be an amazing experience and very eventful. The sanctuary exists to care for and rehabilitate animals rescued from circuses and illegal trade.
We reached SanWild after a 75-minute car journey from Hoedspruit airport. Our accommodation was in a two-person tent with an adjoining bathroom. It was basic but very comfortable. Three meals a day were served in the main lodge, and the quality of the food was fantastic. There was a lounge area for relaxing inside, and outside was a small pool with a large decking area and a view out to the bush.
For our volunteering activities, no two days were the same, but there were certain tasks that needed to be done every day. After breakfast at 7am, we would load up the jeep and drive out to the lion, cheetah and hyena enclosures. Xyla, the cheetah, was used to humans, so we could enter her enclosure safely to top up her water and feed her. The hyenas Nico and Vlooitjie were a different matter. Topping up their water was strictly done from outside the enclosure! Feeding them was done by throwing meat over the fence. It didn’t take them long to devour this - including the bones. On one occasion, they grabbed a brush while we were cleaning their water pool (from outside the fence) and ate it in seconds!
During our stay, one of the elephants destroyed some of the enclosure fences, allowing three lions to escape. This required the local vet to come in and tranquillise them so that they could be safely moved back into their repaired enclosures. Our jobs involve helping to carry the lions onto the truck, rubbing moisturising lotion into their eyes and holding the IV drip. Quite an experience!
On another day, the vet again had to come in to tranquillise an injured rhino, and we were called on to assist. This time, we were tasked with cleaning out the wounds, which had become infected, and fitting a new tracker collar. We were delighted to see the rhino a few days later, looking almost fully recovered.
Most of the animals will never be released as they lack the ability to hunt for themselves, but we were able to release one serval during our stay. One of the camera traps caught a picture of him that night, looking very happy to be out in the wild.
SanWild is a beautiful reserve, and we saw a lot of wildlife driving around while doing our daily tasks. The staff at the lodge were very helpful, and the rangers were so knowledgeable that they made everyone feel at home. My favourite time of day was the late afternoon when it was a bit cooler. Having a sundowner with inquisitive wildlife just a few metres away is quite the way to end the day.
I would recommend the SanWild Sanctuary & Reserve to anyone who cares about wildlife and wants to support the incredible work that they do. Getting your sleeves rolled up and mucking in with whatever tasks the day brings will ensure you have an experience that you’ll never forget.
