Big Cat Sanctuary and Rehabilitation

location
1 - 12 Wochen  ·  Alter 18 - 50+

rating  Herausragend 4.9  · 
  von Volunteer World verifiziert
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Highlights

  • The accommodation is right in the centre of the project surrounded by the roaring lions at night
  • Work daily close with the resident animals and help with feeding and caring for them every day.
  • Working hands on with the founders of Felidae, sharing the passion and enthusiasm for the animals.

Highlights

  • The accommodation is right in the centre of the project surrounded by the roaring lions at night
  • Work daily close with the resident animals and help with feeding and caring for them every day.
  • Working hands on with the founders of Felidae, sharing the passion and enthusiasm for the animals.
  • Make unforgettable friends and memories around the bon-fire with the lions roaring and jackal howling in the background.
  • Visit our lion pride with an open vehicle experiencing a unique African sunset with lions surrounding your vehicle.


  • Besonders geeignet für

    Alter 18+
    Alleinreisend
    Pärchen
    Gruppen
    50+

    Über das Programm

    Come and help with feeding, cleaning and building natural enclosures, shelters and enrichment mimicking the habitat of each specific species.

    Felidae Centre is situated on the border of the Free State and Northern Cape in South Africa and is home to an abundance of big and small African cats and other African wildlife. Felidae started in 2010 when we had the opportunity to take in 1 cheetah and 1 caracal and have grown to a project that ...

    Über das Programm

    Felidae Centre is situated on the border of the Free State and Northern Cape in South Africa and is home to an abundance of big and small African cats and other African wildlife. Felidae started in 2010 when we had the opportunity to take in 1 cheetah and 1 caracal and have grown to a project that supply a save home to more than 60 animals vary from 10 different wildlife species. The farm not just a home but a Sanctuary; we house animals that have been hurt, mistreated, or that need to be relocated. Animals that are not able to be relocated or released, will live their lives in peace on the farm.

    Our goal is to a give a safe haven to any animal that is not fit to be released back into the wild and can be normal life in captivity as naturally as possible so that they can still use their wild instincts even in captivity. 

    On the facility we offer a save place for any abandon animals and the local community will send all the animals to us, on the facility they will go through a medical check to examine their health and if the animal will be fit for releasing the minimum human contact will be supplied till the animal can be released back into their perfect habitat. 

    Since we started in 2010, we have released Caracals, Jakkels, Meerkats, misseljaatkatte (Cape Genet), African Wild Cats, Muishonde and more.

    We are completely against Canned Hunting and we can proudly say that we have saved 12 Lions from being hunted.These lions have a huge natural enclosure where they now can hunt for themselves on days they are not fed. 

    On Felidae the volunteers will assist with all the  daily task to care for the animals in our facility by feeding them and cleaning and maintaining their enclosures. To ensure the animals will be active we constantly build enrichments that will help each species to use their natural hunting ability daily. 

    As a volunteer you will sleep in the heart of the project and will hear the talking lions and jackal the whole night through

    You may need to  help with assisting in the preparation of the big cats’ meals, which is often cow, horse or antelope meat. This may also include removing meat from the bone, preparing internal organs, and working with or around carcasses so volunteers must be prepared to work with meat.

    As a volunteer, you will be assisting in many different aspects at the sanctuary. 


    You will help in:

    ·    Preparing food with the necessary supplements

    ·    Animal monitoring

    ·    Maintaining and cleaning of the animal enclosures (cleaning water bowls, fresh grass in shelter picking up of old bones and meat and weed removal. 

    ·    Assisting of building new enclosures from time to time. 

    ·    Building enrichments to keep the animals – this will help the animals to use their natural hunting instincts.

    ·    Fundraising in need

    ·    Assisting in educational tours

    ·    Maintenance on the farm, fencing, barriers roads, painting etc.

    ·    Assisting the vet with medical treatment where necessary. 

    Working with wildlife can be  cause the daily routine to differ every day and therefor come with an open mind and positive attitude to assist the animals where needed. 

     

    Remember to bring working clothes, close shoes and working gloves and DO NOT forget to bring a camera as you will work close to the animals daily with give the best time for photo opportunities. 

     



    Tagesablauf

    07:00 (Wake up time differ according to season) Meet the rest of the volunteer team and coordinator for a quick chat about the activities of the day and then start with preparing food for the animals on the facility - Depending of the volunteer group size you will have the opportunity to do feeding ...

    Tagesablauf

    07:00 (Wake up time differ according to season) Meet the rest of the volunteer team and coordinator for a quick chat about the activities of the day and then start with preparing food for the animals on the facility - Depending of the volunteer group size you will have the opportunity to do feeding either every day or every second day. 


    08:00 Meet the rest of the volunteers at the kitchen where you will prepare breakfast from the supplies to yourself. 

    09:00 Meet the coordinator and start with feeding the animals on the facility. This will be an important part of the day, as we will also do a quick check on all the animals on the facility before heading back to the activities. 

    10:00 After a quick coffee or smoke break we will work on the projects as discussed on the morning meeting. Depending of the size of the  volunteers group, the activities will be divided  into smaller groups so that you will be actually part of the building and working of the project. These projects will be anything from cleaning and maintaining the existing enclosures, building of new enclosures or renovating old enclosures or necessary projects that is important to improve the project. 

    12:00 You will head to the volunteer kitchen where you will enjoy freshly made lunch and after that it will be relaxing time around the swimming pool or playing a card game with the other volunteers. 

    14:00 Cleaning of the meat room and feeding bowls of the animals 

    14:30 Continue with the projects of the morning and work on enrichment ideas for the a animals. Your group will choose a specific enclosure and build enrichment for the animals 

    17:00 Visiting the lions with an open vehicle and enjoy a beautiful African sunset with the lions around the Vechile or giving smaller enrichment (that you have made) to the animals and watch them play with it. You will have the opportunity to walk around the facility viewing the animals which will make perfect photo opportunities seeing the big and small cats make themselves ready for the night ahead. 

    18:00 Time for a freshly prepare dinner and to end the day of with a shower or a movie with other volunteers. Always time for a card game to build up the memories and fun on the project. 

    Saturdays mornings you will assist with the educational tours to the local people enjoying a lion feeding with them. 

    Sundays will be off day where you will have the opportunity to visit town for snacks or shopping. During the week off days will be discussed according to the activities that you are interested around the facility. 





     


    Freizeitaktivitäten

    All extra activities is at own expense and prices differ according to the amount of people participating 

    RESTAURANT NIGHTS - Visit a local restaurant in Kimberley choosing between pizza, steak, fish/sushi or a juicy hamburger. 


    BIG 5 SAFARI - Visit a National park for a 2 night /3 day safari having ...

    Freizeitaktivitäten

    All extra activities is at own expense and prices differ according to the amount of people participating 

    RESTAURANT NIGHTS - Visit a local restaurant in Kimberley choosing between pizza, steak, fish/sushi or a juicy hamburger. 


    BIG 5 SAFARI - Visit a National park for a 2 night /3 day safari having the opportunity to view the different African animals and have a Felidae staff member with you to answer all you questions. During this safari you will sleep inside the park and have a few game drives to spot the animals and have plenty of photo times. This is a perfect way to see all the African animals from the big 5 to the smallest bird in their natural habitat

    OPEN MINE - The historic Big Hole is the biggest hand digged mine for diamonds. Here you will be taken underground to view the historic ways of mining, viewing the hole from up top and enjoy a quick walk through the old Town. 

    NIGHT SAFARI - Visit a game reserve close by and visit a rocky hill to search for the elephant shrew mice, enjoying a game drive to a open pan in the middle of the bush for a sunset drink and snack and have a 2 hour night drive searching for the nocturnal wildlife like aardvark, aardwolf, porcupine, caracal, African wild cats etc. 

    VAAL RIVER BOAT CRUISE - Enjoy a 3 hour bout cruise on one of South Africa's biggest rivers, viewing the bird life, working on your tan and occasionally cooling off by jumping from the boat into the river. (Seasonally)

    EXOTIC REPTILE PARK - Visit a local reptile park and have the opportunity to view over 100 different reptiles including, snake, spider, lizards, gecko's etc and have some photos taken of you brave moments. 

    SHOPPING - Have a free day visiting the shopping malls in Kimberley or Bloemfontein

    THE LION'S DEN GUEST HOUSE - Sleep in a luxury open plan unit right next to the lion enclosures and occasionally enjoy a visit from the lions while you have a bubble bath. 

    Voraussetzungen

    Voraussetzungen

    Mindestalter: 18 Jahre

    Um an diesem Programm teilzunehmen, musst du zu Programmbeginn mindestens 18 Jahre alt sein. Es kann Ausnahmen geben, wenn du die Erlaubnis deines/r Erziehungsberechtigten vorlegen kannst oder wenn du von deinen Eltern begleitet wirst

    Sprachkenntnisse

    Du brauchst folgende Sprachkenntnisse: Englisch (Grundkenntnisse)

    Staatszugehörigkeit

    Es gibt keine Beschränkungen. Helfende Hände aus aller Welt sind willkommen.

    Andere Fähigkeiten

    Medium fitness level No skills or previous experience is required, just come with a passion and love for the African wildlife and a positive attitude.

    Arbeitszeiten

    Deine Hilfe wird an folgenden Tagen benötigt: Montag, Dienstag, Mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag und Samstag von 07:00 - 16:00

    Leistungen

    Leistungen

    Dienstleistungen von Felidae Centre

    The fee that you will pay to take part of the volunteer project at Felidae Centre will cover the following
     - Accommodation in the heart of the project
     - 3 Meals per day
     - Coffee and Tea for the whole day
     - Transport from and to the project (on arrival and departure day)
     - 1 day per week transport to town for shopping

    Abholung vom Flughafen Kimberley Airport

    You will receive transport from Kimberley to the project and also back to town on departure day. In Kimberley we will be picked up at the airport or Bus station by one of the Felidae staff. 
    For assistance in arranging transport from Johannesburg or Cape Town to Kimberley you can ask the Felidae staff. 

    Unterkunft

    The volunteer house have 2 private rooms and 5 dorm rooms (sleep between 4-6)  all with en-suite bathroom.  (Private room must be booked in advance)
    The volunteer house have a community kitchen and living room and a swimming pool and gathering area outside. 
    All linen will be provided. 
    The house is surrounded by lion, leopard and cheetah enclosures ensuring you to hear them talk at night. 

    Verpflegung

    Felidae will supply 3 meals per day

    BREAKFAST - You will make you own breakfast with supplies in the main kitchen

    LUNCH -  Will be a freshly made small meal, usually consist of a sandwich and salad

    DINNER - You will receive a warm meal at night consisting of meat, starch and vegetables. 

    Coffee and Tea will be available throughout the day. 

    REMEMBER to bring pocket money for snacks or drinks during the day ( Shop is available on the facility or you will be taken to town) - the volunteer house have a refrigerator for your snacks and drinks. 

    Internetzugriff

    Limitierte Verbindung vor Ort

    Was ist NICHT inklusive?

    Was ist NICHT inklusive?

    Flugtickets

    Der nächstgelegene Flughafen ist Kimberley Airport (KIM) in Kimberley. Wir helfen dir günstige Flüge nach Südafrika zu finden. FINDE GÜNSTIGE FLÜGE

    Reiseversicherung

    Ins Ausland zu gehen ist ein Abenteuer, auf das man sich stets gut vorbereiten sollte. Plötzliche Krankheit oder Verletzung, Stornierung oder Diebstahl - eine Reiseversicherung für Südafrika bietet die nötige Sicherheit. ANGEBOT EINHOLEN

    Impfungen

    Bevor du deine Freiwilligenarbeit in Südafrika antrittst, solltest du dich noch einmal von deinem Arzt beraten lassen und deine erforderlichen Impfungen für Südafrika überprüfen. IMPFSCHUTZ ÜBERPRÜFEN

    Informationen zur Anreise

    Felidae is open 365 days a year as the animals need daily care and therefore you can join the project on the time of year you prefer. The project will start on a Wednesday (Arrangements can be made for different start days). Kimberley is not close to one of our international airports and therefore you will need to arrange an additional flight to Kimberley airport where the Felidae staff will pick you up and transfer you to the project. . (Felidae staff can assist with this extra flight arrangements.)  

    On arrival of the project you will have a quick tour around the facility viewing all the animals and have a quick presentation video with the necessary information of the project. 
    After you are unpacked and settled in you will have the time to spend with the volunteers on the facility meeting them and making friends. 

    Verfügbarkeit
    Jan Feb Mär Apr Mai Jun Jul Aug Sep Okt Nov Dez

    Programmgebühren

    1 Woche (Mindestaufenthalt) 560€
    2 Wochen 1.056€
    3 Wochen 1.553€
    4 Wochen 2.049€
    6 Wochen 3.042€
    8 Wochen 4.036€
    12 Wochen (Maximaler Aufenthalt) 6.022€
    Durchschnittliche Gebühren 530€/Woche

    Programmgebühren

    530€ / Woche 1 - 12 Wochen Alter 18 - 50+

    Zahlungsarten

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    KEINE KREDITKARTENGEBÜHREN


    Dauer

    1 - 12 Wochen

    Anzahlung

    Mit der Anzahlung reservierst du deinen Platz beim Freiwilligenprogramm. Zahlungen werden von PayPal abgewickelt, unserem vertrauenswürdigen globalen Zahlungsanbieter. Falls du keinen PayPal Account hast, kannst du die Anzahlung auch mit einer Kreditkarte bezahlen.


    Ausstehende Zahlung

    Deine Restzahlung vereinbarst du mit Felidae Centre während des Bewerbungsprozesses. Normalerweise handelt es sich um eine Banküberweisung oder eine Barzahlung am Projektstandort.


    Lerne deine Organisation kennen

    Felidae Centre

    Herausragend 4.9 rating (22 Bewertungen)

    Non-profit - gegründet 2010

    von Volunteer World verifiziert

      Ausgezeichnete Antwortrate

    Veranstaltet von

    Tercia

    Über die Organisation

    A family owned facility who strive to care for any animal in our facility or new animals by making sure that they receive the best medical care, diet and shelter.

    Lerne deine Organisation kennen

    Felidae Centre strive to provide a safe haven for  all wildlife that cannot be released back into the wild. 

    We aim to:
    * Secure the conservation of various wildlife species 

    * Educate schools and the community about African wildlife

    * Educate volunteers about animal conservation practices 

    * Care for sick, injured, and orphaned animals 

    * Preserve wildlife heritage in Africa and eradicate the destructive practice of breeding African big cats for tourism purposes and end the process of Canned Hunting 

    Felidae Centre was founded in 2010 by the Burger family when we had the opportunity to adopt 2 animals from a previous project. Around this time, the Burger family heard about Canned Hunting (a method of hunting in which an animal is kept in a confined area - such as a fenced enclosure - to vastly increase the likelihood of the hunter obtaining a kill for trophy purposes), which sparked the desire to work towards the eradication of this process and rescue African cats from hazardous environments. 

    Our predator farm is located in the well-known Free State province, South Africa, situated only 30km from the historical town of Kimberley with over 1000 hectares of pure Free State farmland available to expand the project and ensure the wellbeing of the animals in our care. We are constantly working to expand the enclosures on our farm mimicking a natural area for playing and shelter. Each enclosure accommodates the specific species’ needs. 

    The farm is home to an abundance of animals; lions, cheetahs, leopards, servals, caracals, African wild cats, bat-eared foxes, jackals, meerkats, vervet monkeys, capuchin monkeys, warthogs and more. We’ve taken in our animals for various reasons. Some cannot live in the wild on their own, some were ill or abandoned and many were rescued from unethical processes like canned hunting and breeding for tourism purposes. Where possible, we strive to release our animals back into the wild where they can live freely without any human interaction. 

    At Felidae, we put the needs of each animal first, ensuring they love their best possible life. We will never take an animal out of the field or away from its mom for entertainment, and will ensure that every animal at our facility will have the option to return to the wild if they are physically healthy and fit.   

    The volunteers at Felidae will get to work hands on with the founders of Felidae on a daily basis caring and assisting for every animals, making sure that we respect nature and every species and allow every person coming into the project to feel the difference that they make for the animals, and form part of the big Felidae family to care for the animals. 

    22 Bewertungen · rating4.9

    Twane Blignaut rating5

    2024 at Big Cat Sanctuary and Rehabilitation

    I recently had the incredible opportunity to volunteer at Felidae Centre, and the experience was nothing short of transformative. The sanctuary serves as a safe haven for rescued animals, offering them a second chance at life and a safe, loving environment to thrive in From the moment I stepped ...
    Ilse van der Wolde rating5

    2024 at Big Cat Sanctuary and Rehabilitation

    The only word to describe Felidae is FAMILY. From the moment that i arrived, it was amazing. I felt right at home and it was just incredible. The people were very nice and helpful. There is enough work to be done and while working there is room for fun. During the weeks I learned a lot of new things ...
    Sara Waldschmidt rating5

    2023 at Big Cat Sanctuary and Rehabilitation

    When I first signed up to travel abroad and volunteer at the Felidae Centre, I never imagined that it would so quickly become a second home to me. Despite being almost 10,000 miles away from my family and friends, I never once felt homesick due to the welcoming atmosphere that the Felidae Center ...
    Laura Steenberg rating5

    2023 at Big Cat Sanctuary and Rehabilitation

    My experience at Felidae is truly something I will never forget. You become a part of the Felidae family; everyone there is equal - no matter if you have been the three months or 2 hours. It is truly incredible to meet people with their passion. They care for the animals to the bone. And they care ...
    Emilie Westring rating4.8

    2023 at Big Cat Sanctuary and Rehabilitation

    Felidae is the greatest Project! When you come to Felidae, you quickly become a part of a family, the staff on Felidae does everything to make you feel safe and make sure that you have a great time there. You will have new experiences everyday, and you will experience things you Never thought of. I ...
    Sofie Hviid Rasmussen rating4.6

    2023 at Big Cat Sanctuary and Rehabilitation

    My 14 days volunteering was quite spectacular! I travelled with a group of 9. We got our rooms and some of us stayed with other volenteers, so we also got to know them quite well. The staff at the farm was caring if wanted to do everything in our best interest, they drove us around showed us ...

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