Volunteer Position in the wilderness of the Okavango Delta,
Botswana
Position
Title: Volunteer
Interpreter
Short
Description: Elephant
Interpretation/ hosting of guests and general camp duties.
Detailed
Description:
THE
ELEPHANTS
We have 3 African Elephants;
Jabu, a 25 year old
bull; Thembi, a 25 year
old cow; and
Morula, a
34 year old cow. Jabu
and Thembi (female)
have been with us for
24 years and
we have had Morula for
about 18 years. They are all fairly easy going. Jabu is big for his age,
about 11 feet at the shoulder and extremely well natured. Thembi is very smart and
needs consistent,
competent handling. Morula is generally very relaxed. We currently
have just 1 local handler, who we trained, assisting us. We
manage the trio on a supervised free-range basis, which means handlers accompany them as
they forage in the bush
during the day. We guide, monitor, follow, call and direct them in their natural environment. At night they come back to
an
enclosure.
WHAT WE
DO
We have
two organizations.
1) Grey Matters is a business
enterprise which is
responsible for the daily upkeep of our
elephants through high end tourism. We work in conjunction with
Abercrombie & Kent/
Sanctuary Retreats Botswana, a worldwide travel company. Guests stay in one of two lodges in the area
and spend the morning with us participating in an interactive
educational elephant
experience. The
elephant trio
are the main
attraction
to the lodges.
2) Living With Elephants is a very
small NGO. Its main project is an educational one which brings local children to
our camp for
two days. LWE's overall mission is to encourage harmonious relationships
between people
and elephants. LWE is also charged with securing the
long term future of the
elephant trio.
THE ELEPHANT
ACTIVITY
"The "elephant activity" is an interactive educational
experience that takes place in the wilderness of the Okavango Delta with our
three African elephants. During this activity, international guests
from two eco-tourism safari camps observe, learn and interact with our elephant
trio. The successful candidate needs good communication skills
so as to be able to interpret elephant biology, conservation, behavior, and natural history to guests. Duties include
hosting, chatting
to and entertaining
guests on the activity and safely guiding, directing them around the elephants,
helping with service at
the picnic including hosting and entertaining and clearing the table. The elephant activity is
about 4 hours in
duration and is conducted an average of 5 days a
week.
OUR
LOCATION
Our camp is based in the southern
part of the world famous Okavango Delta, in a
Community Based Natural Resource Management Area called Ng 32. Our camp is 2.5 -
3 hours drive from Maun or 10 minutes by air. The scenery of this area is
typical of the Okavango
Delta, one of our planets most pristine and
beautiful natural wilderness areas, and it is rich in spectacular flora and fauna.
LIFESTYLE
The successful candidate would be working and living very closely with ourselves in a beautiful and isolated area and an ability to self entertain and a
fairly easy going disposition are essential in this unusual living and working
environment.
Current camp facilities are basic. We have limited electrical
power, generated by a small solar system from which we run lights, laptops and charge various batteries. We have a communal outdoor shower with wood heated water, long drop toilets and cook on gas in an open sided
kitchen area. Accommodation is in the
form of a large (3m x 5m) tent with comfortable bedding and equipment.
We have a fairly large
library that
the successful
candidate would be free
to tap into! The camp has limited internet connection but no
telephone
service except a
satellite phone for emergencies. You would need a laptop to access
it.
There is no access to shops while in
camp and goods come in
once a week by plane on
the weekly fresh and freight run, so as far as possible personal
items need to be brought with to camp.
Local staff in camp are not allowed
alcohol (this is std in the camps in the delta) so we don’t keep a lot of liquor in camp and don’t drink very
frequently.
Responsibilities:
a)
Hosting and interpretation of the elephant experience will involve
looking out for guest safety and comfort, imparting lots
of quality information, helping
with photography, liaising between
directors, handlers, guests and guides, directing guests (polite herding),
ushering, getting drinks, clearing table, moving program along and keeping group
focus
b) Assistance will also be required with the
following camp duties: washing dishes,
cooking food,
chopping veges,
cleaning
elephant boma,
picking up manure and
branches, collecting fodder,
cleaning fridge, placing
and receiving orders,
keeping
records, lighting fire for
heating shower water, washing laundry,
organizing and
cleaning cupboards and
storage container.
Reimbursement:
We would provide:
1)
tented accommodation
in camp
2)
food and
beverage in
camp.
Contact Information
Name:
Doug and Sandi Groves
Title: Directors
Organization: Grey Matters
Address: P.O. Box 66, Maun, Botswana
Phone: ++ 267 75502128
Please see below for further
background material!
1.
GM
Profile and Background
Grey
Matters was formed in 1994 as a commercial operation to provide tourists to
Botswana with the Elephant
Experience, and the opportunity to meet, interact, observe and learn about
elephants in their natural habitat.
The owners of GM, Doug
and Sandi Groves met and fell in love in
1990 in Natal, South Africa when Doug was training
and caring for orphaned elephants and other animals in a wildlife reserve and
Sandi was a graduate zoology student. Doug started his carrier in 1972 in the
USA where he had gained much experience working with elephants
in zoos and safari parks in Oregon, Washington,
California and elsewhere. He has worked under
some of the masters in the metier. His experience is broad, encompassing young
and mature, male and female, African and Asian elephants. He came to South
Africa in 1987 on a ship with a number of Africa elephants as the expert
elephant trainer to film “Circles In The Forest’’
filmed in Knysna, South Africa .
Doug decided to stay in Africa and make a future with elephants.
Doug and Sandi adopted
the two insecure orphaned elephant calves, Jabu and Thembi, from the
Karkloof Falls Nature
Reserve
and moved
to northwestern South Africa
where they launched various commercial endeavours with their elephants including
further
filming and advertising. The little bull, Jabu
(short for the Zulu word for “happiness”) and his female friend, Thembi, had
been orphaned during culling operations in the Kruger National Park. In
1994 Doug and Sandi also rescued a 17 year old elephant cow, now named Morula, who was otherwise going
to be destroyed. With Doug and Sandi, all
three elephants found much kindness, love, security, and leadership, and have
developed into remarkably contented and well adjusted family members, now fully
grown and very impressive and experienced elephant
ambassadors. Over the years Doug and
Sandi have developed, blended and honed a unique and soft but disciplined
approach with their elephants resulting in well balanced happy
elephants.
In 1994 GM were invited
to set up an elephant tourism project in Botswana and so they relocated there.
When that operation was disbanded after a few years, GM relocated to the East
side of the Delta and subsequently reached an agreement with Abercrombie and
Kent to provide their unique Elephant Experience to visitors to A & K’s
Sanctuary Retreats lodges: Stanley’s and subsequently Baines. This agreement
dates back to 2000 and remains in place.
It is noteworthy that in
addition to their commercial operations, Doug and Sandi have a not-for-profit
foundation called Living with Elephants. LWE is dedicated to
relieving conflict and competition between the African Elephant and human
populations in Botswana. They do this primarily by harnessing
the emotive power of their elephant trio in educational programs
which encourage a harmonious relationship between elephants and
people
sharing range. Doug and Sandi provide
local communities and groups of school children with the Elephant Experience
free of charge and accommodate and facilitate others engaged in this endeavour.
See www.livingwithelephants.org for more details.
2.
Current
Modus Operandi
GM have their own
separate, self-contained camp a few kilometres from Stanley’s Lodge. The camp
is simple. There is a small staff of assistant elephant handlers and labourers
accommodated in their staff camp. The elephants are confined to an enclosure at
night where they receive extra feed and mopane browse.
During the day, the
elephants are taken into the bush to feed, mud-bathe, and otherwise enjoy being
elephants. They roam freely accompanied by the handlers who guide and control
them with voice commands. When necessary,
handlers
ride on the elephants to cross water, avoid buffalo etc. The elephants are
usually brought back to the camp to give the handlers a break for
lunch.
A photographic safari
partner markets the Elephant
Experience
worldwide.
Visitors usually book the Elephant Experience in advance but can also book in
the lodges - depending on
availability. After breakfast, groups of up to 10 guests are taken by vehicle
into the bush to meet up with Doug, Sandi and the elephants. After initial
safety instructions, Doug teaches the guests about elephants in general and the
trio in particular. Guests are given the opportunity to meet and interact with
the elephants under Doug and Sandi’s careful supervision. They get to touch
them and observe details close up. A leisurely walk through the bush alongside
the elephants follows with opportunities to see other wild game, and for
Doug to
share anecdotes and his knowledge of the
environment and elephants. A licensed armed
guide
accompanies the walk in case of
emergencies. Photo opportunities are given along the way to the picnic site
adjacent to a lagoon. The lodge has prepared the table under the trees and an
excellent meal and drinks are served with the foraging elephants present.
After lunch and further interactions with the elephants, the guests are
collected by vehicle and taken back to the lodge.
The elephants require
care, watering, feeding excursions, behaviour reinforcing, and much attention
every day of the year. Very occasionally veterinary attention is required.
Doug manages all this. Sandi is also a very experienced and competent elephant
handler/ trainer with 20 years of experience.
GM have developed a
winning formula in the provision of an inspirational tourist experience.
International and local visitors (including 250 local school children a year)
often reflect that the experience shared with them is life-changing and the best
thing they have ever done. Many are so moved that tears are common. The
experience of walking through the real wilds of Africa with free elephants is
unforgettable especially with the emphasis placed on reverence, celebration,
connecting with, learning about, understanding and a general passion for
elephants. GM have over 20 years experience providing the above mentioned
experience to people.
Grey Matters is proud of
its impeccable safety record regarding both the humans and the elephants
involved in its program and are pleased to be able offer their elephants an
excellent quality of life with large amounts of relative freedom. GM value
their inter-species relationship, which is based
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