Primate Rehabilitation Project

Company : Wild Inside Adventures
Location : Mpumalanga, South Africa
Duration: 1 week to 3 months
Approx Costs: 250 to 2500 £ Pound (UK)

Helping Hands for Wildlife is a non-profit organisation, running a wildlife rescue and rehabilitaion centre at the foot of the stunning Hlumu Hlumu Mountains in the Mpumalanga Region of South Africa. Helping hands focuses primarily of the indigenous vervet monkeys, who are often the victims of human-animal conflict, and sadly seen as a pest by many people in South Africa. The sanctuary is the only primate rehabilitation center in the province. The center is one of the few places that really does try to rehabilitate wildlife, and get them released into the wild, unlike many other places in south Africa, which are really more just glorified zoos. If an animal for any reason cannot be released back into the wild, it is then given life long care, and a forever home. Volunteers become essential team members, and are very valued and needed for the success of Helping Hands. The project relies heavily on volunteers, and the work you carry out is vital for the day-to day running of the centre.

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Most of the monkeys come in as tiny babies after their mothers have been shot, poisoned, hit by cars. Any other wildlife that needs to be rescued is also taken in, and to date the rehabilitation center has worked successfully with mongoose, antelope, warthog, bushpigs, bushbabies, small predators, reptiles and various bird species.

Helping Hands has no government support, and relies solely on volunteer donations to continue it's vital work. Without volunteers, it would not exist, and the many animals taken in each year would not have a future.

Volunteers are involved in every aspect of care for the animals at the rehabilitation center, and play an active role in their eventual release back into nature. The experience is very hands-on. During baby monkey season, volunteers get stuck in helping to hand-rear orphaned vervet monkeys, which is a round the clock job.

This project suits wildlife lovers wanting to make a big difference, and those wanting to gain experience with wildlife and rehabilitation. We want you to get out of the project as much as you put in, and guarantee you will leave with some really beautiful memories. Many volunteers return year after year.

The fee/donation that volunteers pay covers food, transport and accommodation during your stay, with the remainder then put back into the sanctuary, covering costs such as veterinary fees, food for the animals, formula for the baby monkeys, bedding, repair costs for enclosures, transport costs while rescuing orphans, general running costs of the rehabilitation center, plus anything else the animals need.

We cannot stress enough how valued volunteers are on this project, and how much of a difference you make to so many lives.

'Saving one animal will not change the world, but it will change the world for that one animal'.