Get Involved With Us
Start your day off with the roar of a big cat, and end your day
surrounded by likeminded people
that share your love and passion for animals.
Want to spend your Summer making a difference to wildlife conservation in South Africa? Then join us in one of our Volunteer or Internship Programmes at Cheetah Experience in Bela Bela!
Being part of our Volunteer and Internship Programmes gives you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get hands-on experience taking care of our cheetahs and other endangered and threatened species, something we’re sure you’ll cherish for the rest of your life!
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You'll be working with a number of endangered and threatened species on a daily basis, including cheetahs, leopards, male non-breeding lions, servals, caracals, Bat Eared Foxes, African wildcats, wolves, meerkats and a Siberian tiger. Our project takes in rescued animals from the local area, so we also have various animals from time to time, including a goat and antelope.
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Since our Volunteer and Internship Programme started in 2011, Cheetah Experience has seen over 1,000 hard-working, dedicated people from 33 countries. Come and be a special part of the Cheetah Experience Global Volunteer Family and contribute to conservation in South Africa.
Positions are filling up quickly for May - Sept,
A Day in the Life of a Volunteer at Cheetah Experience
The Cheetah Experience Volunteer and Internship Programmes are unique, where we give volunteers and interns a rare insight into animal care, and let you work alongside our family of experienced and knowledgeable staff and do the same daily work as they do.
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Cheetah Experience offers a number of Volunteer and Internship programmes that give you the freedom and flexibility to volunteer with us for as long as you like, from our ‘Volunteer for a Day’ program all the way up to extended Internship and Research projects!
To volunteer or intern with us, you don’t need any previous experience in animal care, only a big heart and love for animals.
We offer Internships and Work Placements year round in a wide variety of courses and fields, and encourage undergraduates and students in their final year to come to Cheetah Experience to complete their coursework.
During your internship, you will be supported and mentored by our experienced staff that have a background in your area of study, work alongside the team on a daily basis and get practical experience that you can apply to your coursework.
As a volunteer or intern, you’ll have plenty of time during the day to form special bonds with our animals, and our volunteers often comment on how rewarding it is when you take the time to sit next to an enclosure and build a really strong bond with an animal.
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If you don’t speak English fluently, don’t worry! We have volunteers from all over the world, coming to Cheetah Experience and sharing our passion and commitment to making a difference for conservation in South Africa.
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There’s plenty of fun social activities to do with volunteers and staff after a busy day, with local bars and restaurants only a short drive away.
You can help build fun enrichment objects for our animals to keep them happy and healthy throughout the day, and you might have the chance to build new structures and houses that they can explore!
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You can even spend a couple of nights in our ‘Lionhouse’, which is close by the big cat enclosures. Many volunteers have remarked that waking up to the roar of a lion was one of the highlights of their visit!
We are situated in an area full of game reserves, so there are plenty of different game drive options to explore!
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Our staff and volunteers frequently visit the Dinokeng Reserve which is less than 1 hour away, they always come back excitedly showing you photos of all the amazing things they were lucky to see!
