African wildlife is one of the magnetic forces that draws travellers to South Africa; there’s a wealth of animals here that are found on no other continent. Sadly, some of the species are endangered so to really connect with the country and make a difference, you can’t beat volunteer work. Working with animals is such a privilege that many people are willing to do it for free. Being able to regale future generations with your work to save endangered animals is a sure-fire bucket list tick.
The World Wildlife Fund has classed black rhinos as critically endangered, wild dogs as endangered and the African elephant as vulnerable. You can work with all these species through voluntourism operator Aviva in a program that sees guests monitoring the location of species as well as observing their behavior, the pack dynamic of wild dogs in particular. Volunteers also set up camera traps and help identify specific animals.