MAIN RESEARH CAMP
Join Our Research Team in the Heart of the African Bush.
Siyafunda’s Main Research Camp offers an authentic, hands-on experience in the African wilderness. As an assistant Field Ranger, you'll become an integral part of our research and monitoring teams, actively contributing to vital conservation efforts within the Greater Makalali Nature Reserve.
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Our primary focus is on some of the reserve’s iconic and keystone species—elephants, lions, hyenas, and leopards. You’ll also play a crucial role in monitoring both free-roaming buffalo and those within our breeding program, assisting with their reintroduction into the open system. Habitat assessments and ecological monitoring are key components of this work, helping us understand and manage the reserve's delicate balance.
Spanning over 25,000 hectares, the Greater Makalali Nature Reserve is a vast Big 5 reserve located in South Africa’s Lowveld—the country’s conservation heartland. Your contributions here directly support the effective management and protection of its wildlife.
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Data collected at the camp is shared with students, researchers, and several national conservation initiatives, ensuring that your efforts have a lasting and far-reaching impact.
Live the Wild—Not Just Observe It
Whether you're out on a monitoring drive, tracking wildlife on foot, or quietly watching from a waterhole, every moment in the field is guided by our experienced field rangers. Each activity is purposeful, with specific conservation objectives—meaning you're not just viewing wildlife, you're actively participating in their world.
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There’s nothing quite like sitting in the stillness of the dark beside a resting lion, waiting for that deep, echoing call to pierce the night—or standing silently as a herd of elephants surrounds you, each one revealing unique personalities and intricate family bonds.
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As the sun sets on another unforgettable day, you’ll return to camp to swap stories around the fire, under a canopy of stars. Then, drift off to sleep with the wild sounds of the bush as your lullaby.
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Join us for the experience of a lifetime.
WILDLIFE MONITORING
Elephant Monitoring
Makalali welcomed elephants to its reserve in 1994 and 1996, becoming the first reserve to have intact family groups relocated. Additionally, it was the pioneer in participating in the Elephant Contraception Program led by Dr. Audrey Delsink from the Humane Society International, aimed at managing the elephant population recognizing the significance of alternative population control methods beyond culling and translocation, the program, initiated in 2000, is the longest-running of its kind and serves as the standard for all similar initiatives.
This groundbreaking study highlights the need to consistently monitor the elephant herds, as Makalali boasts the world's most comprehensive and longest-running database on elephants undergoing contraception. Our monitoring process includes tracking their movements to analyze daily and seasonal range. Additionally, we observe and document long-term behavioral traits, particularly herd/bull associations and mating behaviors. Elephants are a keystone species, necessitating ongoing data collection for informed management decisions.
WILDLIFE MONITORING
Lion Monitoring
We monitor our lion population to evaluate their movements, behaviors, and interactions with predators and prey As keystone species, lions, like elephants, need ongoing observation in limited wild habitats to support necessary management interventions. These interventions aim to enhance genetic diversity within the population and regulate its size.
Makalali has engaged in various methods and research related to population control. The contraception of lions has been implemented and studied in this reserve. Lions are for their high reproductive rates, and between 1995 and 2007, 89 lions were born at Makalali. However, the population must be maintained between 20 and 30 individuals.
WILDLIFE MONITORING
Hyena Monitoring
The Makakali Reserve is home to both brown and spotted hyenas. The spotted hyena is more numerous and plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecosystem by cleaning up carcasses. We keep track of den sites and monitor individual activity to study their interactions and behaviors.
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Additionally, we assess the ratio of scavenging to hunting and its effects on prey species. Sightings of the brown hyena are particularly thrilling for observers.
WILDLIFE MONITORING
Leopard Monitoring
We closely monitor the locations of leopards to determine territory extent as well as creating and updating ID kits to monitor individuals and determine total population size.
As with all predators, we also monitor prey selection
and reproductive behaviour to effectively assist the reserve management.
In 2014, Siyafunda teamed up with the Panthera Leopard Research Project, who are monitoring and determining
the leopard population in the area. This project is planned
to continue for the next 10 years. Working in conjunction
with the Endangered Species Project you will assist with
the setting and monitoring of camera traps during the key
months of February and March.
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WILDLIFE MONITORING
Buffalo Monitoring
Makalali Game Reserve has not had free roaming buffalo
on the land for over 100 years. In 2009 the reserve
re-introduced 8 disease free buffalo into a 400 hectare breeding camp, 10 years later in 2019 the population
has grown to 52 buffalo. They were released into the open system in June 2019. Siyafunda will be monitoring
the buffalo very closely as they integrate into the larger reserve and will be interacting for the first time
with predators. It is an exciting and nerve racking development. Greater Makalali now has free-roaming big 5.
WILDLIFE MONITORING
Camera Trap Projects
& Habitat Work
Siyafunda deploys camera traps through out the reserve
to monitor leopards and the other more secretive animals
that in habit Makalali Nature Reserve. We work with Panthera
for the leopard survey , we deploy our own cameras and Wildlife Protection Services smart AI cameras.
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Habitat Rehabilitation: Volunteers will have the opportunity
to assist in ongoing habitat rehabilitation initiatives in the reserve, including erosion control, the construction of rock gabions,
brush-packing and re-seeding.
"In Africa, the Game Ranger goes by many different titles - Field Ranger, Game Warden, Conservation Officer, and many more,
yet all are essentially the wildlife managers and the field force
in Africa, working at the "coal face" of conservation. In Africa the prime responsibility of the Game Ranger is to ensure the territorial and biological integrity of the conservation area under his/her management.
Their tasks are multi-faceted and include; ensuring the day to day health and well-being of the wildlife, research and monitoring,
game capture and introductions, population management, burning programs, infrastructure and equipment maintenance, public relations, environmental education, and, crucially, local community relations, liaison and involvement. Added to these are the normal
day to day financial controls, human resource planning and administration, which must also be carried out." - GAME RANGERS ASSOCIATION OF AFRICA, https://www.gameranger.org/
When you join our Field Ranger Experience at Siyafunda you are joining us at the "coal face" on Makalali Nature Reserve, helping
meet all the challenges we face daily managing our reserve
and the animals that call it home, while helping us meet the
financial burden that comes with keeping them all safe.
WHAT
IS A FIELD
RANGER
PROJECT OUT-LINE
Duration
Siyafunda Makalali project has
a minimum duration of 1 week.
Start Date
The project start day is every Monday throughout the year, we do our shopping in Hoedspruit and drop off and collect our participants.
Typical Project Week
Monday: Project start day. Town trip to pick up our Participants and restock supplies.
Tuesday: Early start setting out on a set route drive
as part of our game counting program to determine populations of general game. In the afternoon we depart for a monitoring drive to locate one of our key species of interest; lion, elephant, leopards or hyena.
Wednesday: Waterhole monitoring in the morning
to determine species utilisation of the area. We set off for a drive in the afternoon to the breeding boma
to monitor the buffalo, Livingstone eland and nyala.
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Thursday: Habitat work; we could be busy with exotic plant removal, erosion control or bush clearing. In the afternoon or evening, we head out on hyena monitoring and night patrol.
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Friday: Early morning start and we will be out locating the elephants as part of the ongoing research into the elephant contraception program. The afternoon we will set out to monitor bird species on our way to a sleep out under the stars with the Endangered Species project.
Saturday: Habitat work in the morning, followed by
an afternoon monitoring drive focussing on our lion population. On return in the evening, we may head out to the local pub or have a typical South African braai (BBQ).
Sunday: Either an outing can be arranged for you
with a local tour company or you can hire a car for self drive tour or it will be a free day for volunteers to relax.
In between activities, volunteers will receive a series
of presentations on the work of Siyafunda, or how
to approach dangerous game on foot, or possibly history lecture. This time will also be used to transfer all data collected onto the computers and compile
the weekly research report, as well as helping out with vehicle checks and cleaning.
ACCOMODATION
Your home during your stay will be the Siyafunda Main Camp, in the heart of the reserve with all the wildlife on your doorstep, quite literally! There are twin beds
in the rooms with shared bathrooms and all meals are prepared by the group.
In the evenings, while sitting around the open fire, you can listen to the nightly calls
of the lions and sounds of the bush while doing some star gazing and sharing stories
of your day.
SIYAFUNDA Main Camp
- electricity and hot running water (solar panels: on overcast days it can sometimes run out)
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- Internet / WIFI at the base: R100 per week is charged to connect using your own computer, smartphone or tablet
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- Reasonable cell reception at camp. You can easily buy a south-African SIM card (MTN is best) at the airport or in Hoedspruit.
- Comfortable lounge area: library with books and magazines, TV, DVD players,
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- Swimming Pool, volleyball,
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- Braai / BBQ area
