Intern

This 12-week program will give students a once in a lifetime opportunity. They will have exposure to a unique culture, not only of the South African Flora and Fauna, but also to the country and its people. They can expect to meet others from around the world as they gather together, to volunteer at Seaview, and interns will gain new social and communication skills from the practical experience of living and working together.

Students will be expected to have a committed work ethic, as they learn the responsibility of working as a team when caring for the various animals. They will have to adhere to strict rules and schedules, applicable to different species and age groups. They will learn the responsibilities of a caregiver and the different methods of treating animals.

They will take on various aspects of farm work such as dirt road maintenance and they will observe welding, and non-specialist repairing of equipment.

The students will also learn how to track animals. They will learn to read the signs of animal movement and behaviour.  Students will have an informative bush walk at least once a week, where they will observe and use their newly acquired knowledge. They will learn the different dietary requirements of the animals and will have talks on grasses and botany, and their uses. They will be exposed to the needs of conservation, water saving, avoiding soil erosion etc., and this will include alien encroachment and its removal.

In addition, the student will be given a weekly assignment related to their day-to-day work, which must be completed and returned to their mentor. They will be expected to read and research relevant subjects.

It will be the responsibility of the Seaview Lion Park to provide the students with the following:

  • Students will be picked up and dropped off from the airport by a Seaview staff member.
  • Transportation to town will be provided on days off.
  • Students will be housed in shared cabins, sleeping up to four in two bunk beds. The cabins are equipped with a fully functional bathroom, and storage is available for clothing.
  • Every student will be provided with an electric blanket.
  • They will be taken to their cabin and shown around the student area, before being introduced to other volunteers and staff members at the visitor and reception area.
  • A communal facility is located adjacent to the cabins. There is a fully equipped kitchen, TV/DVD, board games and books, available 24/7.
  • A laundry service is provided Monday through Friday and returned daily.
  • All meals are included. There will be an additional fee for canned and bottled drinks.
  • Students will be responsible for preparing their own breakfast and dinner. Lunch, will be provided by the kitchen staff.

On an Academic Level, students will be involved on a daily basis with:

  • Familiarising them with African wildlife and habitat.
  • Hands-on enclosure maintenance.
  • Care-taking of young and injured animals.
  • Promoting wildlife conservation to the public visiting the Park.
  • How Seaview Lion Park operates. The Park’s goals, how to achieve them, and how the public can help.

A professional mentor, with five years’ practical experience in the wildlife industry, will coordinate the program, and monitor the students. His National Diploma was gained from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and his degree and qualifications include:

  • All facets of African Wildlife, habitat and behaviour.
  • Field guiding.
  • Professional hunting from tracks and signs.
  • First Aid.

Students will be taught:

  • The do’s and don’ts of working hands on with wildlife.
  • How to interact with the animals.
  • How to carry out the daily tasks. The mentor will assess their understanding and ability before they are expected to perform daily responsibilities.

Students will be asked to keep a daily journal of work-related experiences. There will be weekly assignments set by the intern mentor, as well as weekly reports. For the weekly assignments, different topics will be given to each student. Interns will then be asked to give a short presentation to the group. The reports will include enclosure status updates, sanctuary and nursery animal updates, and important lessons learned along the week. The mentor will take interns on bush walks at least once a week. A final report will be due at the end of the internship program.

Students will gain:

  • The ability to read animal behaviour, as they work closely and hands on with our animals.
  • Learning to read the behaviour of the free roaming wild game as they are taken on bush walks.
  • Learning the different routines and the dietary requirements of the different animals and why.
  • Knowledge of how to interact and treat various animals.
  • Animal behaviour and group structure.
  • How to prepare the meals for the animals, what and how much they are given and why.
  • Tracking skills.
  • Orientation skills.
  • Conservation.
  • Bush management.
  • Alien encroachment and removal.
  • Fire precaution.
  • Road maintenance.
  • Soil erosion, control of, etc.
  • Knowledge of botany, grasses and the use of various local trees, identification of trees, shrubs and their importance.
  • The different biomes of South Africa.

Students will also achieve:

  • A greater sense of responsibility, as they will be the main caretakers of the animals in our sanctuary and nursery area.
  • Group and organization skills as they’ll be working with other students to organize their workload for the day.
  • Developing their social and communication skills, as they meet and volunteer with people from all over the world and our local staff members, exposing them to team work, different cultures and attitudes, as well as working with the public, promoting animal conservation, and information about the different species we have at the park.

Intern responsibilities and costs:

  • Students from all fields will be accepted but those who study a relevant subject will be preferred.
  • The internship will usually last 12 weeks. There is no need to get a visa ahead of time as you are given 12 weeks visitor permit automatically when you enter the country. A visa can be extended within South Africa if a student wishes to stay longer.
  • Work hours are between 5.30am and 8.30pm, depending on ages of cubs, (where this becomes onerous we will operate shifts).
  • Students work 6 days a week. Days off should be scheduled ahead of time with the mentor, but cannot be taken over the weekend.
  • Interns will be working here voluntarily and no payment will be given.
  • Interns will be paying for accommodation and meals, which will be provided by the Park for R3150.00 per week.

Job Description:

  • Bottle-feeding babies up to 6 times a day.
  • Helping cubs and other young animals to urinate and defecate, if they are too young to do it for themselves.
  • Meat preparation for older cubs.
  • Care-taking of any injured or rescued animal the Park may have at the time.
  • Cleaning enclosures by raking debris, (old bones, faeces and anything loose).
  • Cleaning all water receptacles and providing fresh water.
  • Maintaining enclosure fences if damaged or electrical faults are found.
  • Interaction with the public; taking tourists in with the cubs for 5 minutes of handling, a chance for them to get close to the cubs proving them with a better understanding of the animal, and its importance in the wild.
  • Giving guided tours of the animals to visiting schools.
  • Providing general information to the public about the Park, animals, and wildlife conservation when asked.
  • Rubbish removal.
  • Anti-Poaching checks; boundary fence monitoring and looking for snares.
  • Students will work in all areas of the Park; from farm work, to educating the public as they have interaction with cubs.
  • Start new projects e.g., providing for another species.

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