VETERINARY
SCIENCE IN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION
2007/8 SAFARIS
This
safari takes you ‘behind the scenes’, giving you
the opportunity to interact with researchers, ecologists, vets
and guides while discovering the fantastic world of wildlife
in Southern Africa, from a Veterinary perspective. You will
also meet with colleagues from across the world, and share with
them on a professional and social level.
There
are also traditional activities and wildlife viewing included
in the programme, thus making the programme ideal for first
time visitors and non-vet partners too. You will come face to
face with the magnificent cheetah, the Cape Hunting dog, the
African elephant and much more.
Not
only will you have a fantastic time but your participation also
means donations to the various research projects, thus you are
helping save endangered species.
Guided
throughout by Dr Peter Brothers, Wildlife Veterinarian and registered
Tourist Guide, Dr William Fowlds, wildlife veterinarian, in
the Eastern Cape, researchers, and various local guides, you
will be given a unique and rare insight into the world of wildlife
in Southern Africa.
Join
us for a once-in-a-lifetime safari, while helping to conserve
Africa’s wildlife through your participation...
Day
1 - Sunday
Arrive
at Johannesburg International Airport by 9.00 am where you will
be met by a Brothers Safaris representative who will transfer
you to the world renowned De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre,
just north west of Pretoria (approximately a 1 hour drive).
Alternately,
arrive the day before and enjoy the night in a Johannesburg
Hotel. Enjoy breakfast and check out at your leisure. At 10
am you will be met by a Brothers Safaris representative in the
hotel foyer, and will then be transferred to De Wildt
Cheetah and Wildlife Centre, just north west of Pretoria,
approximately a 1 hour drive.
(Please note that the optional arrival day and transfers can
be arranged by Brothers
Safaris, but are an additional cost).
Check in
to De Wildt Cheetah Lodge and have an informal
introduction and discussion.
Enjoy lunch
at 12.00, at the De Wildt Cheetah Lodge.
Enjoy
a private afternoon tour of the breeding facility,
with the likely opportunity to get up close and have your photo
taken with one of the ambassador cheetahs - Dr Peter Brothers
will be your guide.
Sundowners (sunset drinks) are followed by dinner back at the
lodge.
Overnight at De Wildt Cheetah Lodge. Your stay
at De Wildt is on a full board basis (3 meals daily, excluding
drinks). Dr Brothers will not overnight with you during your
stay at De Wildt, lodge staff are available on the premises
should you need assistance.
De
Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre is renowned for its
breeding success of rare and endangered species. The very rare
King Cheetah was first bred here and similar success was achieved
in breeding the Wild Dog, Brown Hyena, Blue Duiker, Suni Antelope
and various species of vultures. Visitors to the Centre can
see most of these animals up close and learn interesting facts
about their nature, habitat and way of life when taking a tour
in an open vehicle, conducted by a knowledgeable guide. The
centre is a CITES approved cheetah breeding centre-the only
one in the world with this approval!
De
Wildt Cheetah Lodge is situated just north west of
Pretoria, in the De Wildt area. The lodge is set in lush green
gardens on an adjacent property to the breeding Centre, nestled
in the foothills of the Magaliesberg mountain range. This presents
a landscape of open veld (bush), many indigenous trees, and
a panoramic view to the north.
A renovated old farm homestead, the lodge has eight suites,
each individually decorated to highlight the species that are
bred at the Centre, or the environment. Each meal is a sumptuous
experience.
Day 2 - Monday
Early breakfast
at the lodge.
Transfer to the neighbouring De Wildt Centre
after breakfast, where we enjoy a morning observing, and where
possible, assisting with the immobilisation
of cheetah/wild dog, or other species at the centre that require
immobilisation for management reasons or disease control/treatment.
These procedures will be carried out by the centre’s regular
Veterinarian who will allow you to participate where possible/practical/safe.
Should you prefer, you are welcome to just watch and get those
close-up photos of a lifetime!
In the unlikely event that there are no procedures that
need doing, we will spend some time with staff in observing
and, where practical, assisting with daily management tasks
at the centre.
12.00 pm
Return to the nearby lodge for lunch.
12.45 pm
After lunch we transfer to the Elephant Sanctuary-approximately
20 minutes by road-where we will participate in a group afternoon
tour of the facility and meet the individual elephants in a
hands-on experience.
The Elephant
Sanctuary is not a rescue centre for elephants (although
most of its residents have been rescued) but a commercial centre
that accomplishes great work with the resident elephants and
guests, in terms of the experience and education they offer
through their passion for these amazing animals. A knowledgeable
guide conducts this “hands-on tour” on foot, and
you are sure to leave the sanctuary feeling enlightened.
Return
to De Wildt Cheetah Lodge early evening for
dinner.
Overnight
at De Wildt Cheetah Lodge.
Day
3 - Tuesday
After early
breakfast we transfer to the neighbouring De Wildt Cheetah Centre
to witness a “cheetah run”! The
ambassador cheetahs are exercised regularly, using a lure to
invoke their hunting instinct, as part of a new programme to
exercise them and in so doing hopefully also eliminate gastritis
which is an ongoing problem for captive cheetah.
After the run we transfer to the nearby Onderstepoort
Veterinary Faculty.
On arrival we enjoy a guided tour of the faculty and
hospital.
Afterwards
we have a talk by Prof B Penzhorn, “An
overview of the most important wildlife diseases”
1.00 pm – Lunch at Onderstepoort
After lunch
we transfer to a nearby (45 minutes) wildlife holding
facility/bomas for a
tour of the facility and discussion on the uses and merits.
Return
to De Wildt Cheetah Lodge for some leisure
time before dinner, and an informal discussion on the experiences
to date/the role of the wildlife vet in southern Africa.
Overnight
De Wildt Cheetah Lodge.
Day
4 - Wednesday
We check
out after breakfast and transfer to the Johannesburg International
airport for our flight to Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Province.
On arrival
we will be met by an Amakhala representative who will
transfer us to Amakhala Game Reserve.
Check in
and enjoy lunch and some leisure time.
Enjoy a
late afternoon/evening game drive (3pm departure
from the lodge) on Amakhala Game Reserve in an open Land Rover
in search of their wildlife - rhino, elephant, cheetah, buffalo,
giraffe, black wildebeest, zebra, tortoise and over 16 antelope
species, and watch the sunset with cheese and wine, before searching
for elusive nocturnal animals such as spotted hyena, lynx, porcupine
and spring hare.
Back at
the lodge we’ll review the programme for
this section of the safari, and prepare guests for tomorrow’s
activities.
Overnight
in Amakhala Game Reserve at Leeuwenbosch Lodge.
Accommodation here is on a full board basis (excludes drinks
and extras).
Amakhala Game Reserve began in 1999 as a joint
conservation venture and today has six independently owned lodges.
All are owner managed by the descendants of the original families
who arrived here with the British settlers of 1820.
Dr
William Fowlds, a wildlife veterinarian and our host
in the Eastern Cape, and his family own and run Leeuwenbosch
which consists of the Country House and Shearers Lodge.
Built in 1908 and set in its own lovely garden, the Country
House is a large and beautiful home, which offers true country
living in every sense. Both spacious and comfortable, it has
four en-suite bedrooms and a newly added suite.
Shearers Lodge was originally built in 1930 and used for shearing
and classing wool.
It has now been beautifully converted into four luxury en-suite
bedrooms, one with a private lounge. All the rooms open on to
a wide colonial verandah, overlooking indigenous gardens, rolling
lawns and the quaintly charming Leeuwenbosch Chapel.
For more information please visit http://www.amakhala.co.za/
Day 5 - Thursday
After early
morning tea and coffee we set out on a morning game
drive and river cruise on Amakhala Game Reserve. During
this time we will have an overview of wildlife management
on a private conservation area, and the role of the
veterinarian in this. This morning we also have an overview
of dart gun systems and darts and try our hand
at loading our own darts and darting a target!
Enjoy some
leisure time and lunch back at our lodge.
In the
afternoon we will participate in a veterinary procedure
relating to the management of African Wildlife – details
to be finalised nearer the time.
Return
to the lodge for dinner and to overnight.
Day
6 - Friday
After another
early start we head into nearby Addo Elephant National
Park today, a drive of 40 minutes.
We’ll
drive through the main park conservation area and focus
on aspects of wildlife management of national conservation areas,
as we go. We will discuss the different management aspects of
this exceptionally diverse reserve from Karoo through mountain
& thicket vegetation types, into coastal dune systems and
marine environments. We will also visit the bomas
in the park and discuss the hand raising of orphaned
rhino & elephant with park staff.
Return
to Amakhala late afternoon for dinner and an evening at leisure.
Overnight
Amakhala.
Addo
Elephant National Park lies deep within the shadows
of the dense valley bushveld of the Sundays River region of
the Eastern Cape. The original Elephant section of the park
was proclaimed in 1931, when only eleven elephants remained
in the area - today this finely tuned ecosystem is sanctuary
to over 420 elephants, 450 Cape buffalo, black rhino, a variety
of antelope species, as well as the unique flightless dung beetle,
found almost exclusively in Addo. For the first time in over
100 years, lion and spotted hyena were reintroduced to the park
in 2005.
For more information on Addo visit http://www.addoelephantpark.com/
Day
7 - Saturday
Today we
enjoy a guided walk on Amakhala as an opportunity to focus on
the finer details of the environment, culminating in a breakfast
in the bush...
The rest
of the day will be taken up with the following activities:
Tonight
we spend our last night on Amakhala.
Day
8 - Sunday
Check out
after early breakfast and transfer to Port Elizabeth Yacht Club
for a marine excursion into Algoa Bay (weather
permitting). This ocean safari will give us a chance to see
dolphins, whales, sharks, seals and the island home of half
the world’s population of African penguins. This part
of the bay incorporates the marine component of the
Addo Park.
After our
ocean safari we transfer to Bayworld (Oceanarium)
in Port Elizabeth. Here we interact with staff to gain an insight
into marine veterinary involvement, and participate
in a demonstration of blood sampling (sampling demonstration
subject to confirmation/availability on our day of visit).
After lunch
(for your own expense) we transfer to Port Elizabeth airport
for the flight back to Johannesburg.
Arrive
in Johannesburg late afternoon/in the early evening where your
trip ends.
If you
are flying out of Johannesburg today please do not book any
flights departing prior to 8.00 pm, to ensure enough time for
your connection.
Additional
days/travel plans can readily be facilitated through
Brothers Safaris on request.
EVERY
SAFARI THAT RUNS SECURES DONATIONS TO THE DE WILDT CHEETAH AND
WILDLIFE CENTRE AND OTHER FACILITIES WE WORK WITH
De
Wildt is a non-profit, non-government organisation and relies
on donations and support from programmes such as this to help
fund their crucial conservation work.
Costing:
ZAR 30
500-00 per person sharing.
Single supplements apply.
Second 2008 departure subject to cost increase.
This cost
is based on a minimum of 6 persons participating in total, and
allows for a maximum of 8 participants.
This cost
includes board and accommodation as laid out
above, all land transfers in a comfortable air-conditioned mini-bus,
your flight from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth and back in
economy class, guides (Veterinarian Dr Peter Brothers throughout
the safari, Dr William Fowlds in the Eastern Cape, and various
local guides and researchers), all practical work, tours, presentations
and activities as laid out above, donations to the various organisations
we work with, entrance fees, VAT and Government Tourism levies.
Not
included are drinks, lunch on day 8, items of a personal
nature, gratuities, medical travel insurance (compulsory) and
international flights.
Please
note that due to the nature of this experience, times
and plans may need to be adjusted slightly as we proceed. Please
bear with us should this become necessary.
Departure
Dates:
| 27 April
– 4 May 2008 - Inclusive |
SPACES LEFT  |
| 19 – 26 October
2008 – Inclusive |
SPACES LEFT  |
Tailor-made
departures and alternate dates are available on request.
Terms
and conditions for booking