Wildlife Conservation Volunteering Student Program

Since 1998 the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (the ‘Rehab’) has been taking volunteer students on board.
These volunteer students come from all over the world for a unique African experience. At the Rehab they are
involved in day-to-day activities and become a pivotal part of the care and treatment of wild animals and raptors.
At Moholoholo we are often faced with the difficult decision of what to do with an injured or poisoned animal
that will not be able to be released back into the wild. As a result, we have a number of ‘permanent residents’
at the Rehab that become our ambassadors for their species. During daily visits to the Rehab members of
the public get a ‘up close and personal’ experience of these incredible creatures. This provides us with the
opportunity to demonstrate the problems facing wildlife as well as to provide information about each animal at
the Rehab to the public.

A large part of the students’ duties consists of caring for these animals and involves everything from feeding
and cleaning to providing stimulation for our more intelligent residents (such as the honey badgers). Whilst
working here, a volunteer student could be involved in call-outs, drop-offs or even the hand-raising of baby
animals brought to the Rehab.

We are also actively involved in research on the movements and behaviour of leopards. To date we have
captured and collared a number of leopards and the results have been astounding. During your stay as a
volunteer student at Moholoholo you may be lucky enough to be involved in the capture or release of a leopard.
Our research also extends to a number of vulture species and we monitor those who visit our vulture restaurant
on a daily basis.

There is no typical day at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre… anything can – and will – happen!
Because we work with wild animals your daily routine at the Rehab can easily change. So be prepared for the
unexpected… But all of this adds up to make your experience more memorable at Moholoholo Lodge and Wildlife Centre.