General Info
Kroonstad is a breeding park for Lions and Jaguars and other carnivores. You’ll have the amazing experience working closely with these majestic animals by feeding and caring for them, raising the cubs by hand and being involved in all the day to day activities of a lion park. This is a once in a life time opportunity. You will be working alongside people with years of experience and who are experts in the lion breeding and caring business.
Cubs need lots of attention and you’ll have the opportunity to be closely involved in raising them. The breeding park is 1100 hectares big. You will come face to face with lions, jaguars and tigers. It is an amazing experience being accepted by these wild animals. The breeding park is in constant need of assistance and you will be of great help to these cats.
This will be a most rewarding experience, working closely with African wild life. You will have the opportunity to travel and experience South Africa. You will also meet other volunteers from all over the world.
The surrounding
The nearest city to the Lion Project is Kroonstad. The population of Kroonstad is around 100,000. Kroonstad, situated on the banks of the Vaals River half way between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein, is an important agricultural and commercial centre and a railroad junction.
The town was founded by ‘voortrekkers’ (Dutch settlers) on April 20th 1855 and named after Kroon, the favourite horse of Sarel Cilliers, leader of the trek. As a staging point on the main north-south road it grew rapidly, and around 1900 was briefly the capital of the Orange Free State republic.
Kroonstad has preserved a number of handsome old buildings, including the old market hall, the town hall, the post office and the offices of the Standard Bank.
The town has shops, restaurants, swimming pools and a few other facilities. Within 1 hours drive you can find different parks.
Activities
You will be working for appr. 6-8 hours a day with lunch and other breaks. This will be flexible to suit the animal’s needs. Days off can be arranged with the project coordinator and will depend on the amount of volunteers at the reserve at the time of your stay. These off days can be used to enjoy some time in town or do some sightseeing. Transport to town can be arranged.
The first week will involve training to feed, handle and care for these carnivores. Your trainers have years of experience and they dedicate their lives to these amazing cats.
Your task will include the following:
• Hand feeding and comforting cubs (male and female)
• Cutting up carcasses to feed the slightly bigger cubs
• Being a caregiver to the cubs
• Playing with young cubs
• Cleaning enclosures big lions (twice a week)
• Pick up carcasses with the truck so the lions can eat!
• Feeding the lions, jaguars and tigers
• Improvement and maintenance of the lion enclosures.
• Taking day visitors on a guided tour to the lions.
• Assisting in all aspects of lion, jaguar and tiger care.
• Lodge management when needed
Newborn cubs (up to 2 weeks) need to be fed every 2 hours. From 2 weeks to 1 month old it is every 3 hours. After the first month they will need to learn to eat meat and you will be their “mother” teaching them.
Working with big lions is not 100% safe. So your main task is to take care of the cubs and other small animals and you have to understand that it is not possible to work with the big lions everyday. You will have occasions to work closely with the bigger lions.
Every Sunday at 16.00hr the project organizes a feeding tour for visitors.
IMPORTANT!!
Upon arrival you will need to sign an Indemnity Form as this project is at your own risk and no responsibility can be taken by the Project for any of your interactions with the lions or other cats. Your safety is the highest priority and is applied maximum to provide a safe environment for the volunteers.
Other activities
+- 45min drive from Kroonstad, it is possible to do a spectacular Game drive.
This trip includes:
- Pick up and return from project (they have a public license).
- Game drive - Lots of game, Buffalo and rhino..........
- A drink.
- Snacks on arrival.
- A guided educational walk in the fields of Vredefort’s dome.
- A meal (Lunch/Dinner).
Time period: 8- 14h or 14h till after dinner.
Please keep in mind that due to the remote location of the project, transport to activities can be arranged but availability can not be guaranteed.
When is the project starting?
The project starts and ends on Mondays.
Costs
The prices include accommodation and daily supervision.
The accommodation
The park is situated 15 km from the nearest town in the hart of South Africa. The area has superb bush and grasslands. It is easy to reach and to travel to other destinations. This is also a malaria free area. You will be staying in a chalet with a bathroom and kitchen, sharing with a maximum of 4 other volunteers. The chalet has an outside porch where meals can be enjoyed. Where possible; couples or partners will have a shared bedroom for themselves. The chalet is fully equipped with everything you’ll need, including a television, kitchen, etc.
There’s a swimming pool with bar for those warm African days. The best part is that the lodge is only 50 meters away from the lions. You’ll have the amazing time of lying in your bed and enjoying the African lion roar!
You can use your own kitchen (fridge and stove), together with your roommates. Once a week the project will organise transport for you to Kroonstad. There you can find any shop needed to buy food and other necessary items.
There are also cleaning ladies available, who can do your washing and dishes. When they are not there you need to do your own dishes of course. A fully stocked bar is there to buy cool drinks and beers.
