"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
Help
CARE
C.A.R.E. is an incredible place to learn about wildlife, yourself and different cultures.
C.A.R.E. is in a nature reserve where wild elephants, zebra, giraffe, lions and primates roam freely.
The baboons awaiting release can teach us so much and we learn new things every day.
C.A.R.E. is ethical and professional and has a deep history of compassion, fighting for the baboons and research.
Volunteers Make a Difference
Volunteers like you make C.A.R.E. the success that it is. Make 2023 a year to remember and escape the lock-down / Covid-blues by coming to volunteer with us.
Volunteers have always been the back-bone of the centre, both providing funding to enable us to achieve our goals to rescue, rehabilitate and release and also providing passionate, eager helping hands.
We offer exciting volunteer opportunities to come and assist us with caring for all the amazing baboons at the centre, and any other little critters which might be in need too.
Generally we need help to keep the animals environments clean & enriched, make bottles for the orphan babies, prepare food, make enrichment, harvest seed pods & natural foods from around the reserve, assist with research & education, monitor the baboons & if we have orphan babies we will certainly need your help to care for them and introduce them to an adult female baboon surrogate.
In addition to you getting to know the beautiful baboons, you will be living in a Big 5 Nature Reserve; where elephants roam and you can hear lions roar as you fall asleep.
You can make arrangements to explore some of the beautiful local area from C.A.R.E. too.
At C.A.R.E. you will get dirty, probably get pooped on, work hard under the South African sun and sometimes feel exhausted, but you will be happy because every single moment of the day you can make a big difference to so many lives and your own will be changed forever.
Baboons have a way of getting under your skin... and it means that most volunteers find themselves returning quite quickly for another dose of baboon!
The smell, the sights, the sounds; you don't know what your missing & when you do, you won't ever forget it.
We do also need specialist volunteers, see the boxes to the right for more details & get in touch today!
Please note, we are a working rehabilitation centre, we do not offer luxury, we do not offer you a holiday, we offer you a chance to help, to make a difference, to make an impact, and make magical memories that will last forever.
They need you... fill out the form to apply today....
Orphan Niro with care-giver.
We have a few gorgeous rescue pups too!
Orphan Niro with care-giver.
Hands-on
Your hands will be kept busy preparing food, enrichment, milk bottles for orphan babies, collecting seed pods & natural foods from within the reserve, cleaning enclosures & if there are orphan babies at the time of your stay in Phase 1 Rehabilitation your hands will be needed to care and nurture.
Every day all the baboons are monitored & their body condition, oestrus swellings, injuries and demeanour are all noted & filed in a database. Additionally, we have our Research Assistant(s) train volunteers on how to collect behavioural data, introduce them to an ethogram & also provide basic training on how to use digital data collection apps.
You may be needed to collect data on mother & infants, the enrichment program, tool use, consort behaviour or more dependable on what is the research focus at the time.
Explore South Africa
On our doorstep in every direction, there are the most amazing & diverse things to see & do. The Kruger National Park borders our reserve & we can arrange a safari for you with a qualified guide, or you can explore yourself by hiring a car cheaply.
The Panorama Route along some of the Drakensburg mountain range is just an hour away too.
Additional to scenery, you can visit other rehabilitation centres; something we can plan for you from C.A.R.E.
Living Besides the Olifant's River (elephant's river)
C.A.R.E. is located in the heart of Grietjie Nature Reserve, which forms part of BALULE; there are no boundary fences between C.A.R.E. and the Kruger National Park, meaning animals such as elephants, lion, zebras, kudu, warthogs, buffalo & more have freedom to roam in their search for food.
C.A.R.E. is situated right on the banks of the world renowned Olifant's River, meaning elephant's river. We regularly see elephants, an array of antelope species, hippo & more. The Volunteer Village is within an electric fence, which birds have learned is a safe-haven for them & don't be surprised to wake up to a vervet monkey on the roof.
A wild troop of baboons call C.A.R.E.'s property home & the staff recognise them by name.
Some nights you will fall asleep listening to lions calling & whooping hyenas; others the crashing of trees as elephants feast nearby. This is the real Africa.... & it's all right on C.A.R.E.'s doorstep.