Wildlife Veterinary Programme
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Information Pack Nakavango Conservation Centre together with the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust proudly offers a Wildlife Veterinary Programme www.worldwideexperience.com Tel: +44 (0) 1483 860560 [email protected] Introduction The Nakavango Conservation Centre and Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust have teamed up to specifically offer a wildlife veterinary programme for veterinary students from across the globe! Students are hosted at the Nakavango Conservation Centre, which is based at the Stanley & Livingstone Private Game Reserve. The reserve is a mere ten minute drive from the town of Victoria Falls, home to one of the natural wonders of the world, the Victoria Falls. The Victoria Falls are recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Volunteers from across the globe are provided the unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in conservation management activities, research projects, and community development projects. During your experience, your knowledge of nature conservation and African wildlife will be greatly enhanced through your dedicated programme co-ordinators, and you will leave with a stronger understanding of conservation issues, and the knowledge that you have made a real contribution to nature conservation and local communities in Africa. Quick Overview Country & Area: Zimbabwe, Victoria Falls Nearest Airport: Victoria Falls International Airport Transfer Time: 15 – 20 minutes Duration: 21 days Minimum Age: 18 years* Minimum PAX per programme for this to go ahead: Six (6) Veterinary students Maximum PAX: 10 Dates: 09/06/14 – 29/06/14 www.worldwideexperience.com Tel: +44 (0) 1483 860560 [email protected] Nakavango Conservation Programme Veterinary programme students on the 21 day programme will also participate in the Nakavango Conservation Programme: The Nakavango Conservation Programme has five major focal areas: •Education •Conservation Management •Conservation Research Projects •Community Development •Sustainability EDUCATION Our student co-ordinators will ensure that our volunteers leave the programme with an excellent understanding of all activities and issues related to conservation management, African wildlife, important conservation issues and community development. Our volunteers are thoroughly briefed before each activity, particularly regarding the importance of the activity, and aspects related to safety precautions, as well as ethical and respectful conduct during activities. Volunteers will enjoy entertaining and interesting lectures on various topics, either delivered by our highly knowledgeable and qualified Nakavango team members and reserve manager, or guest speakers. Volunteers will also receive practical education throughout all activities. We encourage our volunteers to accept or propose a mini- project which they work on, either individually or as a group during off-time, which is presented on the final evening of your stay at Nakavango. Nakavango is in partnership with Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe. Museum post-graduate researchers are hosted at Nakavango for their field work studies , allowing volunteers the opportunity to interact with the researchers and shadow and assist the researchers with their field work. The museum curators also assist in the development and updating of our on site mini-museum on the property. www.worldwideexperience.com Tel: +44 (0) 1483 860560 [email protected] Nakavango Conservation Programme cont.... CONSERVATION RESEARCH PROJECTS The research projects are primarily aimed at gaining a better knowledge and stronger understanding of specific species, enabling more informed decision making regarding species conservation action plans. The projects may be directly or indirectly connected to a particular species or group of species, which have been identified as per the Red Data Species list as Vulnerable to Endangered. Research projects that our volunteers may be exposed to during their stay at Nakavango include: •Oxpecker monitoring •Ground Hornbill monitoring •Raptor conservation in association with EWT •Bird species data collection for Birdlife Zimbabwe •Freshwater ecosystem analyses along the Masuwe River, one of the tributaries of the massive Zambezi River •Monitoring projects for specific species: Elephant, Black Rhino, Buffalo, and predators SUSTAINABILITY All the facilities on the reserve, including the student facility, are committed to “green” operations in order to achieve balance with and minimise impact on the natural environment, and create greater awareness about our footprint on our planet. Our Green operation projects that students may get involved with include: •Vegetable garden upkeep – sustains lodge, student programme, and staff community •Indigenous tree nursery •Recycling initiatives CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT Volunteers can expect to get involved practically in conservation management practices, all of which are vital for the successful operations of the game reserve. Conservation management activities may include: • Alien vegetation removal • Applying soil erosion control methods • Vulture Restaurant maintenance • Fence patrols • Bush walks with IAPF • Waterhole creation, maintenance and monitoring • Game counts • Road maintenance • Upkeep of river crossings • Predator culvert checks • Reserve clean-up operations • Game capture in season • Game census counting www.worldwideexperience.com Tel: +44 (0) 1483 860560 [email protected] Nakavango Conservation Community Development COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT The Nakavango Conservation Programme is proudly associated with the Children In The Wilderness Foundation, one of Wilderness Safaris’ outreach programmes based at Victoria Falls. Volunteers can expect to assist, within the framework of the CITW programme and under the guidance of the programme's co-ordinator Sue Goatley, through the following activities: •Tutoring of children •Homework workshops for scholars •Sports coaching for scholars •Community clean-ups with the scholars •School vegetable garden and nursery maintenance with the scholars •Fundraising events for the initiation of specific community projects. Nakavango is excited about our latest community initiative , where we are in the planning phase of helping to set up a community recycling project in Victoria Falls. www.worldwideexperience.com Tel: +44 (0) 1483 860560 [email protected] Wildlife Veterinary Programme This is a sample itinerary of a type of program that may be implemented. Due to the fact that much darting of wildlife is opportunistic, we cannot guarantee what and when any darting may occur. Therefore activities may shift or move depending on any specific programs at that time of year. • DAY 1 Arrivals and transfer to Camp Nakavango Orientation of Camp and the facilities Opening Dinner Evening game drive • Day 2 Introduction to staff, projects and tour of lab facilities Lecture: Field Conservation Practical- Using your Senses Lectures: Wildlife Identification Practical: Traps and Snares Afternoon Game drive • DAY 3 Lectures: Basic Pharmacology and drug classes Overview of dangerous animals Practical: Tracking and Navigation Overview of Darting equipment Practical: Use of darting equipment, loading darts, etc • DAY 4 Lectures: Basic Physiology of each drug and the side effects in different species Safety and First Aid/CPR – including human response to drugs used in darting Practical- CPR Lectures: Physical capture techniques Practical: Practice darting • DAY 5 Lecture: Logistical Planning- drug’s boxes, equipment, and species specific info Lecture: Darting Carnivores Practical: Wildlife interaction- elephant and cheetah Lecture: Health and welfare darting Lecture: Ethics Bush Walk www.worldwideexperience.com Tel: +44 (0) 1483 860560 [email protected] Veterinary Programme Continued… • DAY 6 Lecture: Darting Hind-gut fermenters (elephant, rhino, etc). Lecture: Darting ungulates and equids Practical: Darting of donkeys (each group to take turns) processing of donkey samples in lab Game Drive • DAY 7 Lecture: Telemetry and its role in conservation Practical: Using telemetry equipment ½ Walk: Tracking and using telemetry ½ group: Tracking using telemetry via vehicle (groups swap) Lecture: Darting accidents and miscalculations DAY 8 Day off for activities- white water rafting, Chobe day trip, canoeing, etc • DAY 9 Tour of the Falls Talk on Livingstone and local history Afternoon off for activities • DAY 10 Lecture: Biodiversity, elephant, and wildlife corridors, KAZA TFCA Lecture: Poaching and current crisis of ivory and rhino horn Lab practical: PCR and the use of lab diagnostics and genetics for anti-poaching Game Drive- rhino tracking- Nakavango • DAY 11 Lecture: Wildlife diseases Practical- Post-Mortem and collecting of samples Lab: processing of samples and disease surveillance Lecture: Practical on the ground surveillance, setting up sampling kits, and Beauty and Beef www.worldwideexperience.com Tel: +44 (0) 1483 860560 [email protected] Veterinary Programme Continued… • DAY 12 Sampling of cattle at dip tanks and feed lots, intra-dermal TB test Return to lab and process bloods and all samples Lecture: Monitoring and control of diseases and parasites in wildlife and “One Health” disease prevention, FMDV • DAY 13 Lecture: Holding bomas and physical transport of wildlife Lecture: Sedatives and tranquilizers Lab: Completion of Gamma interferon test of blood samples, Begin FMDV testing Lecture: Wildlife orphans, nature vs. human interference • DAY 14 Visit to