Working Volunteers

The Care Centre focuses on the rehabilitation of primates, primarily the South African Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) but will also help other wildlife. If you are interested in volunteering to help us during the coming season (starting September 2009), please contact us. To get the most out of your visit you should consider staying with us for at least 4 weeks. However, volunteers who wish to stay for shorter periods will also be welcome.

Volunteer Accommodation.

There will be opportunities for volunteers to visit other Centres, which are reasonably local, to see what they do. These include the Centre for Rehabilitation Of Wildlife (CROW), Monkey Helpline (who do the majority of rescues) and Primates Africa (who co-ordinate rescues and do fund raising) in Durban. There is also the Tumbili Private Sanctuary for Vervets near Pietermaritzburg. It may be possible for those volunteers who are staying longer to visit the Wild Animal Trauma Centre and Haven (WATCH) near Vryheid and the Animal Protection and Environmental Sanctuary (APES) near Greytown. These are about 6 hours drive away. Other sight seeing trips can also be arranged.

If you do volunteer, a donation to the Care Centre for your stay with us is required for your accommodation, meals and other services. The required rates are set out in the table below. These are only for your stay with us and do not include the cost of your travel to South Africa. A 25% non-returnable deposit is required to secure your place and the balance is to be deposited in the Care Centre account two weeks before you arrive. Volunteers will be required to sign an Indemnity Form on arrival and must have adequate health and personal insurance before traveling. Note that although South Africa does have a National Health Service, it is not of the same standard as that in the UK or USA, although private hospitals are generally quite good.

Volunteers will be collected from and returned to Pietermaritzburg Coach Terminal or Durban International Airport by Care Centre staff.