I spent an amazing two weeks working at the Wildlife Sanctuary project in South Africa this summer. My journey started off with a two-day orientation in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa. I stayed at a hostel, hosted by the friendliest staff. I was able to get acquainted to the new culture and see so much of this historic city with our private tour guide. Our guide drove us to the Hartebeespoort area where the Wildlife Sanctuary was located.
Immediately following our arrival, we were greeted by the staff as well as other volunteers who were already there. We were given a tour of the sanctuary and even ran into a few free roaming zebra and giraffe along the way.It was so fascinating watching “chop-chop” and all of the lions, tigers, and cheetahs at feeding time. It was a great start to my experience there.
We started each day with our morning chores, followed by an amazing South African breakfast. We would have a mix of work to do in the field and cleaning of enclosures during the day before and after lunch. Each week there were also offered a few excursions that we could go on, including a trip to Chameleon Village, hot air balloon rides, Casino night, and a trip to Bush Babies Monkey Sanctuary.
I took away so much more from this volunteer experience than what I had planned, not only did I learn so much about the ins and outs of running a sanctuary for wildlife, I made friendships with people from all over the world that I will cherish forever.
