My love of animals and passion for travel came together in perfect harmony…
While volunteering at the Toronto Zoo I happened to hear about Animal Experience International (AEI). This Canadian organization’s sole purpose is animal conservation efforts around the world through ethical volunteer opportunities.
For me, the idea was exciting and seemed like a match made in heaven. I was not disappointed.
The idea of volunteering while–or as a means of–traveling has become hugely popular in the last few years. Baby boomers such as myself–often retired and empty nesters–find more time on our hands and the chance to dip into our bucket lists is a siren song to us.
I decided if I was going to try this travel-plus-volunteer gig I needed to ensure I was truly doing good (ultimately, for animals in my case), and not just becoming someone’s source of wealth. I researched the industry of ‘voluntourism’, finding that indeed the opportunity to jump on a cash-cow bandwagon has brought many less-than-ethical players into the field.
With research however, my opinion of AEI was different. A small organization (co-founded by Nora and Heather, two Canadian women who continue to be “the company”), AEI has garnered much respect in both the tourism and animal welfare industries world-wide.
They maintain a hands-on approach with the volunteers out on their ‘experiences’ (more on that later) as well as with the host organization (for example, an animal sanctuary).
Each experience offered by AEI is unique. Some are ongoing (for example, volunteering in an elephant experience in Thailand–watch for it in a future story as I’ve done it as well!), others only in certain seasons, while occasionally it is a one-time project opportunity.
Locations of experiences range from Canada, Australia, Croatia, Mexico, Africa, and more. If your travel calendar is wide open, you’ll have a hard time deciding which one to pick!
The description of each experience provides you with the details necessary to plan your adventure, and spells out what is/is not included with your cost…for example:
- generally it is your cost to get to the country or location (example, airfare)
- travel from the airport to the host may or may not be covered
- accommodation is usually covered
- some/all meals are usually included
These are just guidelines I’ve learned from reviewing the experience descriptions (always ready for another!), as each one differs. Details are also on their website about the type of accommodation, scheduling of work, etc. Again, as well as reading through the experience, Nora or Heather are only a phone call or email away to answer any questions.
Matching a volunteer with an experience is not done lightly. Telephone and Skype interviews and conversations give you multiple opportunities to ask every possible question about the work, host, conditions, etc.
Meanwhile…satisfied that my respect and love of animals is reflected in AEI’s business model for volunteering, I reviewed the opportunities–‘experiences’–to match up those of interest to me within the date range I had available for a trip. That is how it happened that, at age 59, I found myself signing on to a 10-day giraffe research project in Kenya at the Soysambu Conservancy. I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face for several days!
Once I had decided and signed up, I received a very detailed email pack from AEI giving information about not only the host and the experience but also information about the country and specific area I would be traveling to. What the people are like, customs, weather, food, tips about what to pack, maps…a complete dossier to ensure I was as comfortable as I could be, stepping into such an adventure.
We would be sitting in a truck, bouncing over the savanna or pushing through the forests, looking for giraffes. Sometimes we’d get out and walk, looking for wire poaching snares. It was hot and we drank multiple bottles of water. When we had the opportunity to help clear brush on a trail, I opted to go along, knowing I could handle it. Knowing also, I could stay back if it was too much for me.
Every day was a safari and my camera told the tale thousands of times over…zebras, waterbuck, gazelles, foxes, warthogs, lions, exotic birds, Cape buffalo, and yes, giraffes.
The land today’s Soysambu Conservancy is on was created thousands of years ago by volcanoes to the south sending lava towards Lake Elementaita, creating ridges, plateaus, and hollows.
Archaeological evidence on Soysambu speaks of our ancestors walking these lands far in the past.
The first European explorers, making their way across the continent, filled their journals with fantastical and exciting stories of the wildlife and people they encountered.
In 1905 Lord Delamere purchased these 50,000 acres from the British Crown and became the unofficial ‘leader’ of the European community in Kenya among the British settlers. He became famous for his persistence in trying to establish a working agricultural economy in East Africa.
If you are a movie buff, the character of Lord Delamere appears in Karen Blixen’s book “Out of Africa”, and in the subsequent movie starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
The Conservancy is still in the Delamere family, and the current Lord and Lady Delamere (seniors now in their 80’s) still live on the grounds.
A pastor and his wife currently live in the Mission House, running a mission as well as a hostel, which is where I stayed during my adventure. The patio area seen in the picture is where we had a daily delicious and authentic home-cooked breakfasts and dinners. All while enjoying stunning sunrises and sunsets.
The low stone wall seen in the picture is actually a large fire pit, where we sat and often watched the Kenyan wildlife come into the yard as evening came on.
The rustic but cozy cabin was my home-away-from-home while on the Conservancy. Shared with another volunteer, we had twin beds and running hot and cold water in a 3-piece washroom, only steps away from the main Mission House. Also in this area we had internet connectivity and were able to catch up on emails and messages from home. This wasn’t possible out on the Conservancy and communication was only available to our armed guards equipped with walkie-talkies for emergencies.
Also in this area was a barracks-like structure where the pastor and his wife could host larger groups…anything from researchers, graduate students, or missionary church groups.
When you travel so far from home (in my case), it only makes sense to see and explore as much as you can! Our small group of volunteers (four women, and we all happened to be from Canada!) took an excursion to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust just outside of Nairobi.
One of their most important conservation activities is the Orphans’ Project, a hugely successful elephant and rhino rescue and rehabilitation program. To date they have successfully hand-raised over 150 baby elephants. The Trust has accomplished its long-term conservation priority by successfully reintegrating orphans back into the wild herds of Tsavo. It’s even resulting in many healthy wild-born calves from former-orphaned elephants raised in their care!
A strictly enforced small number of public visitors are able to enter and see the orphans during a one-hour time window each day. One of the organization’s most important efforts is the education of the next generation about animal conservation and habitat protection, as can be seen by the students behind me in the picture above. They are given the same opportunities to interact with the animals as I enjoyed.
Another excursion we did was to the Giraffe Center, also just outside of Nairobi. The centre was founded in 1979 by Jock Leslie-Melville, a Kenyan citizen of British descent.
It is an educational institution combined with rescuing endangered Rothschild’s giraffes. The centre provides conservation education programs for Kenyan school children free of charge. It receives 90% of its funding from the entrance fees (of visitors like me), an on-site gift shop, and tea house sales.
Visitors to the Giraffe Center are provided with special giraffe food pellets (free of charge), if they’d like to feed the animals. Visitors are only allowed two handfuls to help control feeding.
The idea for the Giraffe Center actually came from Jock’s American wife Betty. She had heard of an 18,000 acre ranch in western Kenya where there were only 120 Rothschild’s giraffes left–and the ranch was scheduled for sub-division. Betty and Jock were able to bring two young giraffes to their property initially, and then raised funds to move another five groups of giraffes to different safe areas.
There are now over 300 Rothschild’s giraffes–all safe and breeding well–in different locations across Kenya.
That first experience, in Kenya, will stay with me for so many reasons. AEI gave me the chance to do something important to me and I am sincere in singing their praises.
It was an amazing opportunity to meet the people who lived on the land–the children walking the trails to mud-walled schools, the men and women farming cattle (and camels!), the researchers and scientists passionate about the wildlife and the future of this part of the world.
It was a privilege to play a very small part in that future.
If you want, you can see more of the many many pictures I took while on my adventure in Kenya. Enjoy!
– Marilyn