Have you always fancied working with animals? If the answer is yes, then an animal conversation holiday could be just the thing for you. See a world away from your own as you wander through a game reserve and watch elephants roaming, lions prowling and giraffes stretching. But how do you gauge whether or not such a trip is for you? Simple – try it out with your domestic pets at home.
Big Fish, Little Fish
If the thought of a marine conservation holiday particularly appeals to you, you may not be entirely sure whether you would prefer working with animals on land or in the sea. Why not find out before you go, with the help of your goldfish. Whilst you may not be able to climb into the tank with them as you might with the tiger sharks of the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area in South Africa, you can interact with them in other ways similar to those that you would experience on a marine conservation placement. Take photographs of your goldfish, and study their markings to see if and how they change over time. Next, pay close attention to their swimming patterns and the depth at which they tend to swim to try and better understand their behavior. Finally, keep regular checks on water temperature and pH levels. These are all things that you would do on a marine conservation trip, though on a much larger and more exciting scale. If you enjoyed working with your goldfish, then you’ll find working with the tiger sharks a stimulating and exciting experience.
Feline Fascination
Cat lovers looking for conservation holidays should look no further than the Hoedspruit Cheetah Project, based in the Limpopo province in South Africa. Working with animals such as these will make you look at felines with a whole new respect but you can become acclimatized to working with cats beforehand, with your own kitty. Everybody who has ever had a cat knows how hard it is to get them into a cat carrier. On a volunteering placement, you may get the chance to help with the capture of cheetahs when required by the sanctuary; although not quite the same game as you will play with your own cat, some practice is better than no practice. You will also get the opportunity to feed these magnificent cats, something your own cat will definitely enjoy you working on! Finally, there may be an opportunity to assist in the hand raising of animals, so snuggle up on the sofa with your kitty and practice feeding them milk out of a bottle and brushing their fur. The cats you’ll be working with in South Africa may not be quite so tame, but you can bet they’ll be just as cute.
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Has your garden become a bit of a jungle over the winter months? Take this opportunity to start taking care of it, and measure just how interested you are in habitat and plant conservation. As well as working with animals out in the South African games reserves, you can do invaluable work in protecting the habitat that they live in. Selective bush clearing, parasite control and soil erosion control are all things that you could attempt in your own garden, before trying them out in the wild. If you really wanted to be prepared, you could even have a go at running your own guided nature experience in your garden, testing your field guiding skills from the start.
If after all this practice, you still like the idea of working with animals, then a wildlife conservation holiday will be an ideal opportunity for you to partake in an experience that will not change your life, but the lives of the animals that you help. Just be sure to find yourself somebody to feed the goldfish and look after the cat before you go.
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