'Volunteering in Namibia was one of the best experiences of my life'

IB student Clementine Paris, of the International Bilingual School of Provence, writes about her experience of volunteering at a conservation reserve in Namibia...

This summer I spent two weeks in a wildlife conservation reserve in Namibia, Southern Africa, called N/a’an ku sê, which dedicates itself to protect African wildlife and help San Bushmen, a local community, survive through tough conditions.

Volunteers are crucial to N/a’an ku sê, they are very important when it comes to feeding the animals, even the ones which are currently being rehabilitated, but they also play a vital role in keeping the sanctuary up and running. This is why volunteers are recruited to help all year round. Filled with people from all around the world, the sanctuary brings together people who share their love for Africa and its wildlife.

During my time there I got to get involved in a number of different activities. The volunteers are put into groups of approximately five people, the groups then rotate over a week long planning so that everybody has a go at everything. The most important activity at N/a’an ku sê is “food prep", an activity during which we prepare the food for all of the wildlife and farm animals. We then get to feed the farm animals, and we go on the “carnivore feed”, where we get to see the rescue lions, cheetahs, leopards and wild dogs. Another important activity is enclosure cleaning, this plays a major role in the animals’ health and safety since we also get to create or repair facilities.

I also got to go on a walk with tamed cheetahs, I horse-rode in the savannah and got up to three meter close to giraffes. I walked baby and teen baboons, held their hand, played with them and carried them around. I took part in their research project, setting up camera traps at local farms to help farmers protect their animals from problematic wildlife. These camera traps allow N/a’an ku sê to identify animals which kill livestock and they then make it their responsibility to relocate the mammal in question safely so that neither animals are hurt.

Other activities consist of lion night watch, where we keep a look out for poachers, and some lucky volunteers even get to take part in is taking care of baby animals and even over night for some like baboons!!!

Overall the time I spent in N/a’a ku sê was one of the best experiences of my life. I got to help make a change in a beautiful country. I participated in the protection and conservation of the magnificent African wildlife whilst having fun with wonderful people. And my favourite part, I got close up to so many animal like lions, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, leopards, and so much more.

If you are interested in finding out more, please visit: http://naankuse.com/volunteer/wildlife-conservatio...