Based at a farmstead and dog training & rescue centre in a South African wildlife hotspot region, bordering incredible wildlife reserves, national parks and incredible natural landscapes.

Take part in daily dog-based activities & training regimes focused on teaching and improving the working research dogs' natural scent detection abilities, ensuring they're able to perform successfully during wildlife research surveys and patrols in the African bush.

Most mornings, you’ll start the day by preparing and providing the dogs (both working dogs as well as onsite rescue or housed dogs) with the correct nutrition needed to fuel them and ensure their health.

Then, help complete as a team the various exercises and onsite training with the working dogs and their wildlife researcher owners. 

Exercises can take the form of obedience & command reinforcement, planting scent decoys or practice material throughout the centre & its farmstead grounds, helping during walks through the environment to look for & detect via scent their chosen targets.

As a volunteer, in addition to working at the dog rescue & training centre, you’ll also support wider community initiatives to promote sustainability and ethical animal care, both for pets kept by rural communities that might not be able to access medical resources, or even strays that are neglected or mistreated.

While you support the wider community throughout the local area, you’ll be given a chance to explore a bit more of wild South Africa, meaning meeting the people that live throughout the area, visiting neighbouring wildlife hotspots or reserves, and even local partner organisations or reserves.

All for a culturally and environmentally rich travel and volunteer experience.

Dog scent-based wildlife research – Dogs have a legendary sense of smell, ecologists, conservationists and even law enforcement are able to put that sense of smell to use, tracking and locating endangered animals, species targeted for scientific research, or even in helping prevent poaching.

Supporting wildlife researchers and canine behavioural experts as you learn and apply the principles of dog training to enable them to support important wildlife research.

Canine behavioural training & skills – Dog training and conditioning is reliant on empathy, repetitive tasks and behavioural enforcement as well as trusted leadership from to dog to the trainer its relying on for guidance.

It’s a typical requirement with anyone joining this program that they have an obvious history with dogs, either as a pet owner or in a previous volunteer, educational or professional role.

You’ll be able to build on your existing skills and abilities and learn more about how to work with animals at both a training ground and practice centre, as well as out in the field looking for wildlife.

There are often also stray or even semi-wild dogs in remote villages, these animals' conditions can vary from "good", to "neglected" or even deliberately mistreated & in need of urgent care and rescuing.

Help give them that support, from vaccination work to immunise against canine focused diseases, to even neutering or spaying work that helps keep stray dog populations controlled.

Dog care & rehabilitation – It's not just wildlife research dogs at the centre, you’ll also be expected to help care and support various dogs that have arrived onsite through various histories.

From those that were given up by owners, those at the centre for temporary care, dogs being trained onsite by partner organisations, and even those who are rescued from rural communities.

Like people, every dog is a little different, its own personality, needs and even aspirations, help support each of them via feeding, care, play, training and love… and lots of rubs & cuddles!

Canine professional accreditations – You can join a professional accreditation to recognise skills and qualifications in dog training & canine cognition, this is an optional course and diploma that typically lasts several weeks.

As such, its should be considered carefully in advance of arriving, if you would like further details into the course syllabus, its structure & accredited status, please contact Hamba Africa's team during your onboarding process or simply when you enquire on Volunteer World.

Community outreach and support – Wildlife conservation & habitat protection is reliant on the people living alongside it being the champions and custodians of those areas… not its competition.

To support that, the centre regularly works with surrounding rural communities, villages and remote biodiverse regions that are sparsely populated with people.

Expect to regularly get involved with this, from outreach to promote discussion and conversation around dog care (and wildlife care!), helping build infrastructure, such as dog kennels for those that can't afford to, medical care for dogs with impoverished owners or whatever else these communities need to uplift and empower themselves.

A rewarding chance to exchange culture and life experience with those who live a world apart!

Sustainable agricultural work – Living on a farmstead in a remote natural environment, you’ll be expected to help out and take care of various on-site fruits and veggies that are being grown.

This is often an enjoyable and relaxing way to have some gentle fitness watering or tending crops, as well as for those who live in big cities and don’t have access to gardens… to understand a bit more about food protection.

Habitat management – The farmstead is based on a wildlife rich environment, there are many species of African animals you’ll see weekly, from mammals such as antelope or warthog, to reptiles, birds and all the other smaller marvels of the natural world.

To support the local environment's health, you’ll volunteer with various key duties, from removing invasive species of plants, to combating soil erosion after flooding events, or even road maintenance or fire prevention management.

Wildlife observation – Living in the African bush is a privilege everyone should experience in their life, as you explore the local area during dog exercises or regular patrols, you’ll bump into species on foot.

During any excursion to the bush, you’ll be led by local experts who are familiar with animal behaviour to ensure everyone’s safety, meaning the perfect chance to observe each other calmly & with respect.

You’ll also have the chance on weekends or days off to go into the Kruger National Park, for a chance to spot some big game such as elephants, lions, buffalo, leopard, cheetah and much much more.

Reserve patrols – This is a physically demanding volunteering role, you’ll take part in many reserve walks and patrols with different objectives in mind. We require any volunteer joining to be able to walk and remain active for 2 - 3 hours at a time. 

Some patrols will focus on training to support the dogs scent detection abilities, other times you’ll go out into areas you can't bring dogs to look for signs of wildlife yourself, or even as part of snare removal patrols to prevent illegal bush meat hunting and protect animals.

Any day spent walking the African bush is a day of surprises and excitement, you’ll do so as a team of volunteers and onsite experts!

Kruger National Park & Blyde River Canyon Explorer – This area is renowned internationally for its incredible wildlife biodiversity and natural heritage.

This is a wild frontier with adventure everywhere, from river boat cruises, mountain hikes, temperate rainforest exploration, visiting local wildlife conservation organisations… the list goes on.

Most of these activities you’ll plan together as a group of volunteers, but if you want to learn more in advance, you are welcome to chat with our staff, who are experts on the region and to hear tips or suggestions.