Shamwari Conservation Experience Blog

Meet Roy van Gompel, our Social Media Coordinator for Shamwari Conservation Experience.

Through a Shamwari volunteer experience social bonds are created and one gets to interact up close with natural environment. You leave Shamwari a happier person, more in harmony with yourself and your surroundings.

Meet Zaza! Due to South Africa’s high poverty levels, many bright young people like Zaza have a bleak future finding jobs, let alone getting into the career of their choice.

I was lucky enough to participate in this research project as a volunteer back in 2013 and feel it’s fitting to be able to personally communicate the substantial contribution Shamwari has made to this research.

It was with a combination of great anticipation and a bit of sadness that I took the last collar from our office. 15 months, 8 brown hyena and 9 collars later we successfully collared the last brown hyena for this project.

After removing the hyena from the neighbouring farm we then collared it and tried to track it after its release on to the Shamwari reserve, but couldn't find a signal at all.