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May 27, 2021

How to Start a Career in African Wildlife Conservation?

Written by Andy Martin
African Wildlife Conservation

Conservation efforts across the globe cover a diverse range of methods including anti-poaching to de-forestation and renaturation projects. Due to this, working in African Wildlife conservation can lead you on a huge number of career paths.

The sheer scale of the conversation efforts around the world, including habitat protection and wildlife rehabilitation (and repopulation) is awe inspiring. But it means there are plenty of career opportunities for anyone wanting to work in this field.

This enables you to qualify or train in the area of conservation that interests you much more easily. Since conservation is becoming a regular part of international discussion, career opportunities are increasing.

The work being carried out across the African continent offers a number of exciting careers. Ranging from the work to sustain the Okavango Delta in Botswana, to the elephant breeding programme of the Zakouma National Park, Chad.

Due to the differing levels of awareness, local political and economic challenges, conservation projects are of global importance Factor in the immense range of biodiversity in Africa, with the demand for conservation efforts, you have some of the most interesting job opportunities available to you.

African Wildlife Conservation

Conservation Efforts within Africa

The wildlife of sub-Saharan Africa faces unprecedented levels of threats from loss and fragmentation of habitat. African wildlife faces threats from poaching, hunting, climate change and human population growth on a daily basis. The African Conservation Foundation (ACF) works to protect African wildlife, by tackling the root of the causes. Since their foundation in 1999, their conservation team has protected over 20 million vulnerable wildlife, in over 25 areas across Africa.

The majority of African Conservation efforts are kept afloat by volunteers, due to the fact that most of the finance within these organisations is spent on conservation efforts on the animals. In South Africa, for example, Conservation Africais a project focusing on their rehabilitation and release.Made up of a team of qualified Zoologists and Conservationists, they are Southern Africa’s original conservation travel company. Offering placements across many different South African rehabilitation sanctuaries, with some of the continent’s most iconic wildlife.

Agape Volunteers are an organisation who supply volunteers to conservation efforts all over Africa. They have a team of committed local animal protection staff. They have dedicated their time to ensuring the safety of the lions, rhinos, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, buffalos, and hyenas of Marakele National park.

African Wildlife Conservation

Career Opportunities within African Wildlife Conservation

In African nations, jobs within conservation are diverse. The job market in this area is expanding constantly.

If you would prefer to contribute to anti-poaching initiatives, there are many programmes within Africa such as Rhino poaching awareness programmes. If you would like to support environmental education there are opportunities to work within local communities. There are a number of conservation outreach and education programmes that you can be part of. This opens the option to support fundraising efforts to pay for further research or new projects.

An alternative is to work as a Safari fFeld Guide within the tourism industry, potentially within the luxury eco-tourism sector. This job allows you to promote awareness of conservation efforts and highlight problems that African wildlife face every day.

Working in an wildlife rehabilitation centre is possibly the most common career for Conservationists in Africa. Wildlife Rehabilitators can work for various governmental agencies, non-profit groups, Aquariums, Zoos, and humane societies. Some rehabilitators choose to specialise in a specific field such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, or larger, more predatorial animals. Most rehabilitators gain experience with a wide range of species before focusing their interest in a specific area.

African Wildlife Conservation

What skills are needed to work in Wildlife Conservation?

To successfully work in African wildlife conservation, requires specific skills, experience and personal characteristics.

Firstly, one of the most important things is that you have a love for animals and their welfare. Without genuine care for wild animals and conservation efforts, this career path would be difficult.

To work in African wildlife conservation, you need to be caring and empathetic with a genuine desire to help. You would also need to be physically able, as working within wildlife conservation is a physically challenging role. Depending on your role you can find yourself handling, transporting and cleaning up after animals be that in a rehabilitation centre in a national park.

There is an analytical element to African wildlife conservation. This includes field data collection, data curation and analysis activities so you’ll need to have good attention to detail. The main role that this relates to is that of an African Wildlife Conservation Field Officer.

Another career that requires good attention to detail aWildlife Rehabilitator. You need to be able to spot behavioural changes in animals to before things digresses quickly. This role also requires an interest in helping, and the need to complete undesirable tasks.

African bird

How can I start my career in African Wildlife Conservation?

To work in African Wildlife Conservation, you do not need any formal qualifications, but most organisations would expect you to have some background knowledge of basic African wildlife conservation. You would also benefit from having some hands-on skills. Such as knowledge of wild animal behaviour, basic wound management and knowing how to use the basic medical supplies.

For most African wildlife conservation organisations, experience is desirable for potential employees. The most straightforward way of gaining experience is through voluntary placements. You could complete placements at places such as Zoos, Aquariums, or non-profit organisations. However, some animal related Ofqaul regulated qualifications  offer you a placement, such as the Levele 3 Diploma in Zookeeping.  This qualification offers you one week’s practical training within one of the UK’s most popular Zoos, gaining experience working with animals.

African Wildlife Conservation

Study Online

Stonebridge Associated Colleges is one of the UK’s leading distance learning providers, offering many animal care related courses. These courses provide you with the necessary background information to start your career in African wildlife conservation.

An African Wildlife and Conservation Studies Diploma will provide you with the knowledge and understanding of big cats, primates, birds, and exotic african predators. It explores animal study techniques, like Scat analysis and Waterhole counts, as well as teaching you the impact of human populations, deforestation, and poaching.

What’s more, these courses are entirely online. Allowing you to study wherever and whenever you would like to. Not only are you gaining essential knowledge surrounding African Wildlife Conservation, but you are also doing so around your already established schedule.

Now featuring the option to spread the cost of your learning over monthly payments, Stonebridge Associated Colleges can help you kickstart your career in African Wildlife Conservation today. Find out more by clicking below.

Wildlife Conservation

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