Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Nova’s Legacy wildlife centre. Without volunteers we would not be able to do what we do today! We are looking for dedicated, open-minded, nature and animal loving people with a need for adventure. If you fit this profile you should carry on.
Your normal day will be from early morning to late afternoon, as those are our cats active hours. We prepare food at 8am and start feeding at 9am, feeding round is normally finished by 11am. This is when we start cleaning up the meat room and start other activities. However with animals you never know what emergencies might pop up, so these times may vary.
Depending on the length of your stay you might be doing any of the following tasks:
- Preparing raw game meat for the carnivores
Helping on the feeding round where we dish out the prepared meat to the cats - Cleaning enclosures
Helping with the daily maintenance or upkeep of the enclosures - Assisting the animal team in activities, such as the cheetah run or cheetah interaction
- Assisting the animal team in daily training session with young or tame cats
- Doing fence checks on the farm (enclosures and perimeter fences)
- Putting out Lucerne (special feed) for the free roaming game
- Doing general game counts, Giraffe identification, tracking and camera trap data.
- General farm maintenance. This could be cutting grass, fixing roads or any other jobs the staff will need assistance with.
A working week is from Monday to Friday, Saturdays are our cats starving day so if anyone wants to do activities in the area (at your own expense), this is the day to do it. Sundays are used for resting if you feel you need it, if not you are welcome to join in our normal chores. If your time with us is finished you will be taken to the airport on a Monday morning, if you are staying longer you will start a new week on the farm.
Our volunteers are currently staying in our volunteer House. At the volunteer house you will have a shared bedroom, a shared bathrooms, a living area and a kitchen area. The house & chalet has free Wi-Fi, accessible after working hours and during the weekends. There is a lapa for evening braais, the garden area is perfect for stargazing and a pool table and ping pong table for those competitive natured vols! We provide you with 3 basic meals a day. Breakfast, a light lunch and supper. The meals are accompanied with water, coffee, tea or juice. Our cuisine is mainly South African, which adds to the adventure and culture flare. However if you are a very fussy eater, like to snack during the day or prefer to drink carbonated drinks, we suggest that you bring some extra funds along to buy your supply in our shop. Our shop also stocks the typical souvenirs so it’s always a good idea to bring some ‘emergency’ money. If you have any dietary needs please remember to let us know in advance. We are 60km out of town so shopping gets done once a week.
