Fees and Dates

Start Dates (2008): Jan 2nd, Feb 2nd, Mar 4th, Apr 3rd, May 3rd, Jun 2nd, Jul 3rd, Aug 2nd, Sep 1st, Oct 1st, Nov 1st, Dec 2nd

Please note that you can join any project for any length of time, however we recommend (from experience) that you should not stay longer than 4-6 weeks at a project. Should you wish to stay for more weeks, we suggest you to select a few projects and even try different regions in Africa ( Kenya , South Africa and Namibia ). This allows you to enjoy the different cultures and people in these areas.

What does program fee cover?

•  Airport reception
•  First night of hotel stay in tourist hotel (not food)
•  Transfer to project (mostly by local city liner or project vehicle)
•  Introductory training before the start of project
•  Accommodation
•  Food
•  Transfer back to airport
Additional cost to volunteer
•  All room/food before and after program
•  Personal expenses
•  International airfare
•  Visa
•  Insurance
•  Immunization
•  Laundry
•  Communication

Our Lion Conservation Project aims to track lions and develop strategic plans to conserve one of the fastest disappearing wildlife species of the world. Research questions of the projects are :

1. What is the number (population) of lions in the area?
2. Do the lions prey on livestock?
3. What does the lion diet consist of?
4. What is the perception of the community towards lion?
5. Does the lion affect the distribution of any other predators in the area?

Additional Information (Research Method)

Lion numbers

This will involve direct and indirect lion count data collection. The direct counts will transect counts in pre-selected blocks. The blocks will represent areas of differing land-use patterns. This data collection will involve the use of a vehicle driving along the roads and collecting and recording encounters of lions and/or the waste of the animal. Only samples that are fresh will be recorded.

Lion diet

This will be done by observation of kills and examination of the samples collected. This will be augmented by counting the wild herbivores in the core area of the lions' range.

Conflicts and local attitude

Reports of lion attacks will be followed up and recorded. This will be compared to the reports made by Kenya Wildlife Services. Where the lion attacks are confirmed, data will be collected on the circumstances and the habitat of the attack site. This will include data such as the herding system i.e. presence of a herder and herd dogs.

A questionnaire will also be administered on the people's perception of the large carnivores. This will include lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas.

Competition with other Carnivores

Other predators encountered will also be recorded. This will be done along with lion data collection. The data collected will be both direct and indirect. This involves the collection of feces/waste as well as the recording of locations. The feces/waste will also be analyzed for prey preference.