Caretakers team or the animals.” 8. What about security? As wildlife crime has ramped up around the world, a few sanctuaries and orphanages have been raided by criminal syndicates in search of high-value species. Voluntourists have occasionally been hurt in these raids, so security is especially important if the facility houses valuable species such as rhinos, elephants, and big cats, says Trendler. See if a facility informs its volunteers of risks up front, she advises, and then “look for visible security like guards and fences. Are there security protocols and briefings for staff and volunteers?” Once you’ve decided on the type of program you’d like to join, you can research your options online or through an agency, but always be skeptical and check the basics: Can you find the project on a map or is the location vague? (Agencies sometimes fudge locations so they can do a bait-and-switch.) Are volunteer testimonials real or cut-and-pasted fakes? Are photos recent or out of date? You should also ask exactly what you will be expected to do, how many hours per day you’ll work, and whether you’re able to leave the premises or not; many voluntourists have found themselves effectively trapped in remote locations doing mind-numbing, round-the-clock manual labor. The Facebook group Volunteers in Africa Beware maintains an extensive list of voluntourism destinations. Using information supplied by volunteers themselves, it ranks destinations on a “Good, Bad and Ugly” list according to how ethical the group perceives them to be. Note that some of the venues are sanctuaries that deliver no conservation benefit because they don’t release animals into the wild as part of a reputable conservation program; they are rated “good” because they don’t trade their animals, hunt them, or allow interaction. (AFAR can’t endorse all the listed programs on Volunteers in Africa Beware, but it may be a useful resource and a good place to start.) Finding the right wildlife volunteer program can be a time-consuming process, but if you choose correctly, you could be rewarded with a lifechanging experience in Africa. www.afar.com/magazine/voluntourism-101-howto-find-a-reputable-wildlife-sanctuary-in-africa
Team Lioness from ifaw.org
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ince its formation in 2019, IFAW Team Lioness - a pioneering all-woman ranger unit in Kenya - has transformed its members’ lives. Under the auspices of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, this project has given each of its eight members a chance to gain economic and social independence. “My work before was to fetch firewood, taking care of a baby, milk the cow, and do house chores,” says Purity Lakara, who, with her colleagues, patrols Masai land surrounding Amboseli National Park (Kenya Wildlife Service tangers oversee the park itself.) “My community sees me differently,” says Lakara, whose income has paid for improvements to her family’s home. She also mentors girls in her village. The members of Team Lioness also take a more collaborative approach than the men who typically do this job. “We talk with our fellow women and they forget we are security guards. They give us useful information - who is going, the time the hunters usually come - and we set an ambush,” Lakara says. Offering the team’s capture of giraffe poachers last year as an example of the success. “W have a soft side that allows us to communicate with all types of community members. They will not tell the men these things.” Travel and Leisure Image credits: furtherafrica.com
31 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | Sept 2021
