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Contribute to the welfare and rehabilitation of the cubs as they undertake pre-release training. This is a unique project where you can take lions for a walk through a Game Reserve - an unbelievable experience!

Zambia encompasses everything magnificent about Africa - wildlife, birds, safaris, lakes, rivers, culture and adventure sports! This programme takes place in Livingstone, Zambia, where you will get the chance to have extremely close encounters with lions! This is a unique project where you can take lions for a walk through a Game Reserve - an unbelievable experience!

It is heartbreaking, but the number of lions in Africa is decreasing at an alarming rate. Current patterns indicate that within a very short time there will be no lions left on this continent. On this very worthwhile and necessary Lion Breeding Project, your work will assist in helping this project to continue and, over the long term, will also hopefully contribute to preventing the decrease in the lion population in Africa.

• Start dates: All year round (subject to school terms) - you choose your start and finish dates
• Duration: From 2 weeks and up to 8 weeks, subject to visa requirements
• Requirements: No qualifications needed, just a good dose of enthusiasm!
• From £1,195 for 2 weeks, ranging to £3,295 for 8weeks
• What’s included: ►Accommodation ►Food ►Meeting you at the Airport ►Transfer to your accommodation ►Full pre-departure support ►Local in-country team support and backup ►24-hr emergency support ►Two free T-shirts ►Transport to and from your project ►Return transfer to the airport
• What’s not included: Flights, Insurance, Cost of Visas (if a visa is required, but we'll provide necessary documents and assistance)
• Who can do this project: All our projects are open to all nationalities.
Unless otherwise stated, you need to be aged between 17 and 70+

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

This outstanding project where you'll work hands-on with lion cubs takes place in Livingstone, Zambia. The involvement of volunteers on the project is paramount to achieving our aims on all fronts. You can expect days to be long, but you will also be able to end each day knowing that you have given something back to Africa; having made a difference to the animals and people that you come into contact with.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:

• Walk alongside lions as part of the pride and enjoy the exhilaration of being part of a hunt as the young cubs learn to stalk their prey.
• Work on the world’s leading programme for the release of lions back into the wild.
• Experience the African bush in a very special way as you spend time out in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. You will be actively involved in a number of conservation activities.
• Immerse yourself in local Zambian culture.
• Make friends for life with the other international volunteers on the programme.
• Join the conservation education team in local schools giving you a wonderful insight into the community, as well as giving you a chance to help save the future of the Zambian environment by educating the local children.
• Enjoy the many adventure activities available from white water rafting on the mighty Zambezi River; bungee jumping from the Victoria Falls Bridge or taking to the air for a helicopter flight over the Falls giving a bird’s eye view of this natural wonder.
• Take advantage of optional trips to see more of the areas spectacular wildlife areas in neighbouring Botswana or Zimbabwe, including the enormous Hwange National Park, Chobe National Park, the chance to walk with Rhino at Matopos National Park and visit the lion rehabilitation programme’s breeding base at Gweru Park.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

• An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into Africa and the Zambian culture.
• You'll learn a lot about genuine conservation of African Wildlife from experts in their field.
• New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.
• An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market.
• And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

"The walk with the lions was the highlight of my entire life!"

THE AIM OF THE PROJECT IN LIVINGSTONE:

To contribute to the welfare and rehabilitation of the cubs as they undertake pre-release training in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park; take part in a research program to better understand the ecology of elephants in the Park and join our conservation education and community programs to involve communities in conservation as part of our holistic approach. Enjoy time spent walking with the lions along the banks of the mighty and beautiful Zambezi river, with the potential of witnessing them chasing down game in the National Park as well as getting involved in important tasks related to the conservation and preservation of this noble beast.

YOUR WORK:

Your primary task whilst on placement will be to assist management and their team of guides, handlers and scouts in all aspects of care for the animals in their charge; giving them the opportunities to develop their natural instincts in preparation for their release into the next stage of the program.

Research is a significant part of your role; collecting data not only on the development of the lions, but also joining the elephant monitoring team in the National Park.

You will also help them with our various community programs that may include conservation or health education as well as a number of other projects that you will be told about on arrival. To give you an idea of how your time will be split between the different aspects of the program, the following should be taken as an approximation:

• Lion Rehabilitation & Release into the Wild Program 75%
• Conservation work within the National Park 20%
• Conservation Education & Community Development 5%

YOUR DAILY TASKS MAY INCLUDE:

Lion Walks. Spending time with the lions in the wild each day is an essential part of the cubs upbringing. If the cubs are to be successfully released it is important that they spend time out in a natural environment. They need to adapt to it, learn from it, understand, observe, feel and smell the wild.

Since the start of this intensive lion walking programme, they have noted a marked increase in the lions’ awareness of their natural surroundings, as well as an improvement in their hunting skills. The larger cubs are now able to take down smaller game species whilst out on walks, and these abilities are being enhanced each day whilst under the supervision of volunteers. These are invaluable discoveries, which have earned us further support for our world first endeavours.

Alongside the walks you will be involved in the care of the animals which overnight in enclosures. They need feeding, cleaning, and occasionally will need veterinary care to ensure that they are kept in the best of health.

Join the team of professional guides and other dedicated volunteers, gain a deeper understanding of the King of Beasts and assist us in gathering vital information that will facilitate their eventual release back into the wild.

Research. As part of the program they conduct a number of research activities to better understand lion behaviour and ecology. The lion walks offer unique opportunities to observe lions close up in their natural environment with the data collected assisting us to make the best decisions for the animal’s welfare and eventual release. Volunteers will assist the research technician in gathering and analyzing this vital data. The research studies being undertaken whilst on your placement will vary depending on the needs of the project at the time but may include looking at hunting development, character traits, spoor sizes or mane growth. You will receive all the training you need in order to ensure that you are able to provide valuable input to this program regardless of previous experience.

Elephant Monitoring. Conflict with humans is a major issue for elephants in the region, but understanding how to mitigate the conflict first requires an understanding of the ecology of the species within the National Park. Volunteers will join the research team to identify individual elephants, to track seasonal changes, score body condition, record location and group sizes; all so that these data can be correlated to crop raiding incidents. Through this program they hope to be able to find patterns in elephant use of the Park to understand why the conflicts arise and therefore be able to provide reasonable solutions to reduce the conflict.

Conservation Education. Volunteers will join the ACT conservation education program visiting local schools to garner support for conservation through education. The syllabus was originally devised under the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) “We Care!” project with lesson plans designed to offer children a full understanding of their environment and to build an appreciation for the need to conserve what remains of the wild areas of Zambia. Each lesson may focus on a specific species or introduce conservation methods. Learning is achieved through a mixture of classroom-based talks and discussion as well as involving the children in smaller groups and practical activities such as visits to the lion programme, or Victoria Falls themselves.

A few days prior to each lesson you will work with the team and other volunteers to prepare the lesson plans whilst also receiving training on how best to teach the children that you will meet.

Community Development. During your placement you will have the opportunity to be involved in a number of community programs which may include health education, training in the sustainable use of natural resources or reading classes. The nature of the programs operating at the time of your placement will be given to you on arrival.

THE LION BREEDING PROGRAM:

The aim of the Lion breeding program is "To secure and, where possible, restore sustainable lion populations throughout their present and potential range within Eastern and Southern Africa, recognizing their potential to provide substantial ecological, social, cultural and economic benefits." The project plans to do this by completing the following stages:

STAGE 1a
Young cubs born to female lions in breeding programs spend as many daylight hours in the wild, accompanied by trained lion handlers. Guides and volunteers contribute valuable data and observations. This exercise is being carried out in Livingstone, and it is remarkable to observe the development of the natural hunting instincts of the young lions. At 18 months, these lions are able to successfully stalk and bring down a diversity of prey species.

STAGE 1b (only at Gweru Park in Zimbabwe)
Once sub-adult lions have demonstrated hunting skills, they are released into large (approximately 1000 acres) enclosures stocked with prey species. Release periods are planned to be from 3 to 5 days (but currently only a few hours a day), and while the lions are still monitored carefully, their periods of activity and hunting are no longer determined by handlers. At present the Gweru park is periodically releasing 18 month old lions into this enclosure (called ‘Night Lion Orientation’), and results have shown an almost 100% stalk and kill rate with wild antelope.

STAGE 2
From stage 1b, lions now used to hunt entirely for themselves will be translocated to fenced mini-ecosystems where:

1. There are no other lions except for simultaneously introduced, opposite sex groups to promote breeding;
2. There are no resident human beings;
3. There is a sufficient diversity of prey species for the lions to hunt;
4. There is sufficient space (5,000 to 10,000 acres) within fenced areas to maintain the lions – such areas will be sourced in various African countries.

STAGE 3
The offspring of lions born to Stage 2 lions and therefore raised in a totally natural environment, can be slowly introduced into appropriate protected areas. With the economic situation of many African countries in a stage of revival, there is a desire to restore and reconstruct wildlife areas to vitally contribute to national economies. The Lion Encounter has already received many requests to assist in lion reintroduction.

As heartbreaking as it is, the lions of Africa are decreasing at an alarming rate. Current patterns indicate that within a very short time there will be no lions left on this continent. Factors that affect the decreasing number of lions include rampant poaching, uncontrolled (and "canned") hunting and diminishing natural habitats. Diseases such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), which leads to lions contracting Bovine Tuberculosis, are another killer of these wonderful animals. A recent headline in the South African Sunday Times read 'Kruger lions dying like flies'. The cause - incurable bovine tuberculosis. Of 33 lions tranquillized and tested, 32 lions were TB positive. Forecasts are that it is possible that within 5 years, 95% of the Kruger lions will have died from TB.

The project leaders who own these projects feel passionately about the state of the lion population in Africa. As a result they run a Lion Breeding Programme with the express objectives of preserving the African lions by producing a quality gene pool and rebuilding the diminishing numbers of lions, and also reintroducing the offspring back into the wild in environments where they will have the best possible opportunity for survival and a good quality of life.

Having started with just six lions and run-down, only partially fenced facilities, they have built the programme into a magnificent Game Reserve and Lion Breeding facility. Since 1987 new bloodlines have been imported from Tanzania and various other captive breeding units in Zimbabwe and a strictly monitored breeding programme was commenced to ensure that no in-breeding took place. DNA and TB tests were carried out with the assistance of a veterinarian attached to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the lions are regularly vaccinated against Rabies.

There are currently around 50 lions of various ages within the Gweru park in Zimbabwe. The aim is to build up a gene-pool for other breeding programmes in Africa and the rest of the world, and in 1999 alone, over 20 lions were exported to a similar facility in South Africa, a step in the direction of fighting to ensure the survival of these Kings of the Jungle. The owners firmly believe that controlled re-introduction of the offspring of captive bred lions into the wild can succeed and enable them to live in their natural environment

The lion breeding program is mainly funded by tourist facilities, such as the Lion Walk, swimming with elephants, etc. Without this funding the Lion Breeding Programme couldn't exist.

Our volunteers' work assists in helping this project to continue and, over the long term, will also hopefully contribute to the helping to prevent the decrease in the lion population in Africa.

The owners of the Gweru park in Zimbabwe have followed on from their experiences and have started the Lion Walking Project at Victoria Falls and Livingstone. These locations are ideal for tourism - as they are the main financial backer for the project it is an excellent location to draw additional funds and spread the word about the plight of the African Lion.

ACCOMMODATION:

You will be staying at the volunteer house in the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park a stone’s throw from the lion enclosures and the mighty Zambezi River.

You will share a room with up to 3 others although we try and make sure you do not share a room with more than 2 other volunteers. We can also arrange for couples or groups of friends to share rooms. The accommodation is simple but comfortable and completely suited to your needs.

All your meals, unless you happen to take a packed breakfast into the park on a long lion walk, will be served at the house and are prepared by our chefs.

The house has running hot and cold water and electricity although this is Africa so there are occasional lapses of both!

Travellers' placements are very flexible and you can combine this project with any other Travellers project, either in the same country or in different countries.

WHAT TO DO NEXT:

Talk to us - We're there to help you. Most of our team are ex Travellers volunteers and are ideally qualified to offer advice and guidance because they know what you're looking for. They'll help you find your perfect project - and then make it all happen!

If you’d like more information about this or any of our projects, please email or call us! If you’d like to apply for this project, please go to our website and complete the application form. As soon as we receive it, we’ll liaise with you and then start making your travel adventure happen.

It’s as easy as that.

Duration

Available all year round. Our placements are very flexible, you can choose your own start and finish dates. Subject to availaibilty.

Start Dates

Flexible start and finish dates you choose. Our placements are flexible and can be tailored to match your preferences. For availability please contact the office.

Costs / Benefits

Costs vary depending on length of placement, but starts at £795 for two weeks. You can participate for up to one year, subject to visa requirements.

Included is full support from the moment of booking and throughout your placement to your return home. There are support staff 24/7 in all our destinations worldwide and a 24 hour emergency international telephone line direct to the Head Office. All meals are provided, unless otherwise stated. Accommodation is provided (whether a rented house, a hotel/hostel, homestay, apartment or flat).

You’ll be met at the nearest airport on your arrival by our in-country manager who will take you to your accommodation and give you a full induction into the area. He/she will also be on call 24/7 and you’ll see them frequently.

Pre-departure you’ll receive comprehensive information about every aspect of your placement and necessary preparations, ranging from what to pack, to visa information, to what to do on your weekend travel in the country. Your safety, well being and happiness throughout your placement are our primary concerns and we will keep in touch with you throughout. International flights not included.

Requirements

No qualifications or previous experience are necessary, just a good dose of enthusiasm! Everyone is welcome on a Travellers programme, whether gap year, undergraduate, on a career break - or even retired! From 17 years old upwards, and all nationalities. This placement would suit anyone who wants to make a real difference, wants first-hand experience of a different culture and has initiative.