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| Desert Elephant
Project Details |
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 You
will be volunteering in the tribal wilderness of the Damaraland
in the Namib Desert. This stretch of land runs parallel
to the Skeleton Coast National Park and is home to a small
population of desert adapted elephants.
The dry environment of the desert has created a rivalry
between local farmers and elephants. Both need access
to large amounts of water, but unfortunately, there isn't
enough to share. Often the elephants will destroy the
farmers' water mills and protective walls around their
wells to get to the water.
The research team that works in Damaraland believes that
a compromise can be made. Through identifying and tracking
the elephants, they aim to understand their patterns,
and create enough water sources for both the farmers and
the animals. Their main goals are to educate the farmers
on managing the conflict with the elephants, as well as
help the elephants survive in the harsh conditions of
desert living.
As a volunteer in this project, you will be working side-by-side
with researchers. Along with tracking and identifying
herds and individual elephants, you will help build and
maintain water points for these creatures. In addition,
you will be meeting the farmers who live in the desert
and helping them protect their own water resources. Your
help in Namibia will directly affect the survival of the
people and animals of the Damaraland.
Orientation:
You will be picked up from the Walvis Bay airport
and then take a bus to Swakopmund, the closest city to
our Desert Elephant Project base camp. After spending
the night there, you will be taken to the base camp.
Transportation:
Our partner will provide transportation for the following:
 Airport
pickup in Walvis Bay
Bus
journey to Swakopmund and transportation to base camp
Local
transport at project locations
Accommodations:
 You
will be staying in a base camp on the banks of the Ugab
River, under large acacia trees. You will be sleeping
in a safari-style tent with one other volunteer and you
will need to bring your own sleeping bag and mosquito
nets. This camp is environmentally focused and uses primarily
biodegradable or recyclable materials.
Meals:
Three meals a day are provided with this program,
and are cooked over an open fire. Because living in a
natural habitat is the focus of the organization, some
of the food is even grown right at the camp. You will
help prepare meals on a rotational basis, which helps
the research team and volunteers bond as a group. |
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Activities:
You will be learning the fundamentals about living in
a camp-like setting. You will be taught how to cook over
a fire, set up camp, and camp safety. During your project,
you will learn the traditional ways to build shelter and
water points in the desert. You will also be educated
about the skills of living in the bush, such as tracking
and approaching animals on foot, animal behavior, bush
walking, navigation and map reading.
In-country
support:
Because you will be working directly with the field team,
you will always have somebody to help you if need be.
There is also an on-call staff in country that will be
reachable from the base camp. |
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 Johannes
Volunteer Leader |
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Volunteer
Adventures - 915 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO, 80246
Phone: 1-888-825-3454 or 303-777-7783 Fax: 303-777-7246 UK Toll
Free: 0800-028-8051 |
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