Arthur Hosier and Meyer Sassoon Travel Award Conservation Volunteer at Shamwari Game Reserve
History of Shamwari
In the summer of 2010 I travelled to Shamwari Game
Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa for seven
weeks. Shamwari is an award winning Big 5 game
reserve,
including
winning
the
World’s
Leading
Conservation Company and Game Reserve award for
many consecutive years. As a Psychology BSc student
this may seem like an unusual choice but my reasons
for choosing such a degree are in fact my interest in
Animal Behaviour, which I plan to continue my studies in, and as such a summer studying and
working in an environment which provides unbeatable access to animals in the wild seemed like an
ideal way of gaining some preliminary work experience.
Shamwari Game Reserve was officially opened to the public in October 1992, after Adrian Gardiner, a
businessman from Port Elizabeth bought a small 1200ha piece of farmland in 1990 to use as a
holiday home for his family. After researching the area he discovered that the area had once been
considered one if the richest and most diverse areas of wildlife in South Africa, including being home
to the legendary ‘Big Five’. Since 1820 settlers had eradicated most of the indigenous flora to turn the
land into open farmland, and all of the wild game had been removed or hunted to extinction. This
includes the killing of the last Black Rhino in the Eastern Cape in 1853, the last free-roaming lion
being shot in 1856 as well as the sub-species of Cape Lion being hunted to extinction in 1857, and
more recently in 1919 the last Cape Buffalo was hunted and killed.
As a result Adrian Gardiner now endeavours to return the land to its original state, where indigenous
plant life grows in masses, and wild game can roam free. Between 1990 and 1992 he managed to
purchase a large amount of surrounding farmland, and as such when it reopened in 1992 Shamwari
then consisted of 7000ha. Over time Shamwari has grown and gained credibility and by the year 2000
the reserve was large enough and the ecosystems stable enough to support the reintroduction of
predators. Finally in October 2000 the first three lions in 150 years were reintroduced to Shamwari
and the Eastern Cape.
Today Shamwari consists of over 27000ha, 5000 head of game and has successfully reintroduced all
of the Big Five. Furthermore Shamwari now has 3500ha of predator free land set aside purely for the
breeding of rare animals such as the Cape Mountain Zebra, and TB-free Buffalo.
The Experience
On my arrival in Shamwari I joined a group of around 15 other volunteers, which changed on a weekly
basis, and 2 game rangers who acted as our guides and leaders throughout the trip. The main aims of
the project are to give students the experience of a lifetime gaining firsthand knowledge of working on
a game reserve by assisting in the day-to-day conservation efforts of the game reserve team. My
previous knowledge of anything along these lines was extremely limited having not come from a
biological science background but I soon found out that the best and quickest way to learn was by
doing, not by studying.
Routine Tasks
Over the weeks we had a number of tasks that we completed
on a rotator basis, some fairly short projects, others that we
were able to assist in that span over years within the reserve.
One of the most prominent tasks that we undertook was the
compilation of an identification kit for the reserve’s elephant
herds. Currently Shamwari is home to around 50 elephants in
three different herds, however due to their destructive nature
this number is becoming an issue for reserve maintenance,
and there are talks about relocating some of the population to
Mamma – Identified as the matriarch of the ‘M’ herd,
Kruger National Park as has been done in the past. However
distinguishable by the notch in her right ear, short tusks
due to the complex family nature of elephant herds this could
and prominent forehead – would cause severe upset to
herd if removed. Currently has young calf.
be incredibly damaging to the hierarchy if the wrong animals
are removed. Through regular monitoring of each herd, we were able to identify the individual
members, family groupings and hierarchies within each group and compile an extensive kit noting ear
notches, tusk imperfections, and behavioural specialities that can then be used by ecologists to
determine which individuals could be removed safely.
As well as conservation work as volunteers it was also our responsibility to assist with reserve upkeep
and maintenance. As one of Adrian Gardiner’s wishes for the reserve is to return it to its original state
before settlers took over this involves a lot of eradication of alien vegetation, and replacement with
indigenous species. Whilst at Shamwari up to two or three times a week we had to assist with ‘alien
vegetation removal’ – i.e. cutting down trees using pangas, local logging tools. In the first few weeks
we helped eradicate Australian Red Ferns that had been used by farmers as wind blocks, and are
now stopping the growth of other vegetation in the area. Later on we moved to the north of the
reserve to remove pine trees that we overrunning the area. To combat the removal of all this flora we
also assisted in the plant nursery, where indigenous plants are gown to a healthy age before being
replanted on the main reserve to return it to its original state.
Once In A Lifetime Opportunity
At the start of my third week I was able to help in a truly
memorable experience. About 4 times a year Shamwari
needs to complete a large scale game capture. What this
involves is moving large numbers of game from the safe
breeding grounds back onto the main reserve, and to do this
a helicopter is employed to chase herds of antelope, zebra or
ostrich (in my case) into a complex network of curtains, which
are then systematically closed, forcing the animals eventually onto a cattle truck to be moved. In the
last three years students have only been able to observe this process from behind the curtains, but as
this was the last one of the year, our game rangers made a special exception for myself and one
friend. They gave us the chance to come into the funnel system and run the curtains with the
reserve’s rangers. This is an incredibly dangerous process, as it involves hiding yourself behind a
curtain, waiting for a signal from the helicopter that the animals have passed into your section, and
then running full pelt pulling the heavy tarpaulin behind you to seal the
area off, the whole time hoping that an antelope doesn’t impale you from
behind, or get spooked and turn and charge you. I was able to assist
with the safe capture of 5 Red Hartebeest, 2 Wildebeest and a herd of
Springbuck, who were then transported back onto the main reserve.
Wildlife Rehabilitation
Some of my favourite parts of my trip to Shamwari were the opportunities we got to assist in wildlife
rehabilitation. Shamwari not only has its own rehabilitation centre, but also plays host to two
sanctuaries owned by the Born Free Foundation. On many occasions we were able to assist the vet
staff at the rehab centre helping to feed and care for Zoe, an abandoned zebra; Bugsy, a bat eared
fox with 2 broken legs; Houdini, an orphaned Blesbuck; and Lilo and Stitch, two baby caracals whose
th
mother was shot by a farmer, and were brought to Shamwari at only 3 weeks old during my 5 week
on the reserve. We also spent time working with, and learning about the big cats that the Born Free
Sanctuary care for, many of which have some horrendous back stories, and have arrived at the facility
in indescribable conditions, including Sinbad, a male lion who was rescued from a Romanian zoo
where he was fed on spaghetti and now suffers from growth and nerve problems as a result. I was
also very fortunate in that my trip coincided with that of a group of vets from Arizona who travel to
South Africa once a year to assist in veterinary projects. Each year they hold a free ‘Spay Day’ for the
citizens of the local poverty stricken town, Paterson, which is
overrun with stray dogs. We got to assist the vets with their work
this year, helping with injections, medical records, anaesthetic,
and aftercare for all the dogs. During the course of the day a total
of over 80 bitches were spayed, which will hopefully have a huge
impact on the community.
Shamwari: Nurturing Nature Today for Tomorrow
My time at Shamwari has taught me that conservation is an ongoing project, involving hard work and
a lot of effort, but with truly rewarding results. During my stay I like to think that I played my part in
returning the reserve to its former glory. I helped with slowly changing the ecology of area, filled in the
pot holes that the land cruisers cause as a result of growing tourism, and removed ancient farm
fences to allow free roaming across the reserve. But in return I have some treasured memories,
including watching a leopard and her cub hunt warthog - the best leopard sighting the reserve has
had in 2 years, helping the anti-poaching unit on night drives, and seeing the first baby Springbuck of
the year.
Those at the Arthur Hosier and Meyer Sassoon Travel Award granted me £400 for my trip to South
Africa, and I have a huge amount of gratitude for them. My time at Shamwari was an unforgettable,
life changing experience and I would like to thank them wholeheartedly for supporting me. I would
also like to thank the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences who also supported my
trip, and specifically my personal tutor Dr. Roz Shafran for her help with my application. South Africa
is a country of rich natural heritage that is rapidly being destroyed and it is my belief that it should be
conserved wherever possible for future generations. My time in Africa helped me cement these beliefs
and turn them into goals for the future that will hopefully shape my career for the rest of my life.