Mashatu Research Extra Information
Be more than a tourist… be a conservationist. Assist experienced researcher in their work within this exclusive wildlife reserve:
Elephants… With Jeanetta Selier, who has been researching the elephant populations in the Mashatu Reserve area for over 6 years, volunteers will learn how to identify the reserve’s resident elephants, and will be supplied with data sheets that they will complete whilst observing the various herds.
The Central Limpopo Valley elephant population occurs in three different countries namely Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Management of the elephant population is different in the three countries according to their respective government policies. Planning is currently underway for a Tans Frontier Conservation Area in the region. It is therefore of critical importance to establish information such as:
- The current range of the elephants
- The size, age structure, social structure and sex ratios of the population
- Their movement patterns and what factors determine these
- What interactions between people and elephants are, what conflicts arise because of this interaction, and how to resolve these
- Determine how climate change will influence the long term dynamics of the central Limpopo Valley system
Leopards… Volunteers will join Villiers Steyn, Mashatu’s leopard researcher, and participate in tracking the three leopard females. Villiers has collared these three females with the aim of learning more about how to track leopard through telemetry, and leopard behaviour. The results of this study will be used in the future to promote better management of leopards and other large predators in the Northern Tuli Game Reserve. It will also help the authorities to make more educated decisions with regards to hunting quotas for the large carnivore species in Botswana. The use of satellite collars will also shed new light on leopard movements within their home ranges, since they will be monitored right throughout the day, instead of monitoring them just once a day.
An increase in knowledge on wildlife within the reserve area will help in formulating a management plan acceptable to all parties involved in the different countries and crucial to the formation of a Trans Frontier Peace Park. Information gained from these studies will also be used in future in-depth studies on specific aspects of the elephant and leopard populations.
Wildlife… Volunteers will also have the opportunity to participate in the various adventure activities such as horse trails and game drives offered at Mashatu, at an additional charge. Throughout your days with the researchers you will be exposed to the glorious varieties of the abundant game species within the reserve area.