Desert Elephants Project, Namibia, Volunteer Feedback

Ex-Volunteer Feedback Extracts

Blog Report from the Wildside - June 2010

Hello again from the wildside, I say it every time but again we have had an amazing 2 weeks. This time the team consisted of Katrin and HR from Switzerland, Sue and Clare from the UK, who are here for 8 weeks, Kelly from Belgium, Claes from Sweden, Pua-Noa from the USA, Tito from Chile and Silke who is from Namibia and is of our very first Namibian volunteer! Again Mattias from EHRA was with us for the two weeks and he is settling in really well! I must say a big thank you to everyone for being great, full of laughter and for working so hard, which makes my job/life so rewarding!

Building week found us back in the Khorixas area on a new project - a farm called HALT-POST 1, where 2 walls will be built to help the farmers there. The elephants in this area had already knocoked down the windmill which the farmer replaced with a diesel pump but the elephants are still causing a bit of hassle by pulling up pipes and playing around with the pump. We started with the wall around the pump and the volunteers found out what it was like to sweat in the African sun! We got a fair amount done and our next team will continue with the project.

We returned to camp on Friday and a long relaxing weekend was had by the team. Camp was a busy place with John Leach's group from Emory University in the USA sharing with us. The team travelled to Uis with Mattias on Sunday to enjoy a swin and a meal and to collect our supplies for patrol while I took John's group elephant tracking for the day.

We headed out on patrol on Monday planning on going down to the wetlands but tracks of the Ugab Small herd stopped us short on the road, I thought they were heading for the 1st wetland so we proceeded there but only found old tracks, so we tracked back to the Ugab river and picked up fresh tracks. We have chase and caught up to them 500m from our base camp!! We can now confirm that this herd has a new calf, only about 3 weeks old and a little shaky on its feet and wondering what this long this is hanging off it's face! We think it could be a bull calf and the team gave him the name Popeye. The herd spent the afternoon around base camp, we watched them have their sundowners from the rocks above the elephant drinking pool and make their way off at around 17.00, so camp was called in base camp (another night of 'luxury' for the team!!)

We headed out on Tuesday in pursuit of the same group, around Midday we located a bull who was with the Ugab Small Herd the day before but was now on his own, we got settled into watch him for a bit and try and get ID photos, when he promptly decided we were boring and lay down under a Mopani tree and fell asleep! So we did the same, grabbed some lunch and siesta! After lunch we watched the bull and got our ID photos then headed out to an area where we don't know the herds, this area is about halfway between our base camp and Khorixas. The plan was to camp next to a dam for the ngiht and follow any fresh tracks. Camp was set up and a rota made with the team, the idea was to sit up and hopefully try and count any elephants if they came to drink. All I can say is 'WHAT A NIGHT!' we counted 36 animals, apparently the elephants heard of our plan and decided it was a good one! Watching the elephants come past our camp and drink from the dam was an amazing, awesome experience. We will for sure do this again!

We had 2 herds come down during the night, made up of 17 and 12 animals respectively with the rest being bulls in ones or twos. On Wednesday we tried to track the herds, but with no luck as the herds in this area retreat into sharp inaccessible valleys during the heat of the day, so it was a day of following tracks and learning the area. Camp was made out in the bush and I think everyone enjoyed a solid nights sleep. On Thursday morning there were no fresh tracks so we headed back to base camp where during lunch we were welcomed back by the bull elephant we had seen on Tuesday, a great way to end the patrol!

Thank you to everyone for your amazing hard work and the amazing experiences. I hope to see you all again and hope you enjoyed your time out in the bush. See you on the wild side! Neil

Feedback from Aaron Sohi, 27 yrs old from the UK, June 2010

Namibia is a beautiful country and it was a pleasure to be there. In the course of the tracking week we were given the oppurtunity to explore more remote parts of the country and I found this an excellent experience. The country was crammed with interesting flora and fauna and I would happily come back in future.

The work was certainly valuable. The amenities at the camp were good. Everything required was there. Anything more and it would be too much like a hotel. I feel the facilities were in keeping with the environment and the food was generally excellent throughout.

3 positives - the level of knowledge displayed by Neil in particular and the other trackers of the animals, area and habitat was truly impressive and added to my enjoyment. The hospitality of the team as a whole was first class and we encountered many amazing animals in the course of the project, getting close enough so as to be truly exhilerating but never dangerous (or anymore dangerous than such is possible when dealing with wild animals).

The management of the project was 1st class, the costs were very fair and I had an allround excellent time!

Hope this helps

Regards
Aaron

Feedback from Maria Hannis, a Beauty Therapist from the UK who spent 8 weeks from March to May 2010 on the project

Hi Victoria I had a fantastic time in Namibia and would recommend this project to any other volunteers.

1. Namibia was a beautiful country with fantastic scenery and sunsets.Swakopmund was a really nice little town with plenty of amenities and a internet cafe which I used frequently. The Villa Wiese hostel was very comfortable and welcoming and breakfast was good. Kuckis restaurant we went to alot and the food was excellent there. Base camp was my favourite place very relaxed and comfortable and had an excellent view.

2. The work was very tiring but enjoyable working with a team of people and we always had plenty of rest breaks. It was always satisfying to see a wall finished and the farmers were so grateful for what we did.

3.At base camp the facilities were basic but good the food was excellent always had something different and took it in turns to cook. Sleeping areas were really nice and you could have a choice of where to sleep.

4.Positives: Seeing elephants so close, meeting interesting people from all over the world, Working to help the community and farmers Negative: Mopane bees very irritating

5.Neil the project manager was really nice and looked after us all well everyone got along well for my whole 8 weeks and I am still in touch with them all now, even on weekends back in Swakopmund we still did things together.

6. I thought the cost was reasonable for what you gained from it and the food was much better than I imagined it to be.

7. I came very prepared even took too much luggage which I didnt need. The information you sent me was very good and helpful.

8. Headtorch was one of the most important things to have on you and very useful in the evenings. Wet wipes.

Extracts from Nigel Skill's feedback, aged 56 yrs old from the UK - February 2010:

Relationships at all levels were excellent conducted with support, empathy and understanding throughout. Damaraland was enchanting in all respects, the remoteness, the environment rudimentary & basic and great because of, the base camp location was fantastic, the climate was very hot but not at all oppressive. i) very well organised throughout, ii) superb staff who communicated well and motivated all involved iii) excellent food and catering arrangements.

The work was hard & physical but very rewarding and the direct interaction with the natural wildlife was very special. The work pace was well organised and brought out the best in all involved. Living conditions were very basic and all the better for it, likewise the food however the evening meals were wholesome and superb

I definitely benefitted, whether we accomplished any long term benefit for the locals is questionable. Project cost was very reasonable; spending during the project was minimal.

Recommendation - go for it, it's satisfying, worthwhile and in a stunningly beautiful location. As you can gather I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience with all of the fellow volunteers being such excellent companions. The ability to escape all of modern life's trappings and go back to basics left a deep impression on me.

A visitor at EHRA base campA few weeks after the first volunteer group finished the first part of our old base camp under the giant acacias on the banks of the Ugab River, the camp had a visitor.

Fleeing the blazing white desert light, an old elephant bull plunged into the dappled pools of shade. He picked his way past the bohma, sniffing the newly constructed fireplace. Then he softly made his way to the tree we used as our kitchen area and stood there resting from his long desert road. His trunk probing the corners where we used to sit and talk over a steaming plate of food. Warm gusts of air, creating puffs of dust on the ground, then a deep inhale to taste the traces of scent we left behind.

It looks like he stood there for a long time thinking, before he gathered his saggy old trousers and ambled off looking for water. What could he have thought, standing alone under that tree? I wonder if he knows what we do.

I don’t know, but what I do know is that he did not touch one hut we built, or pushed over any of the newly constructed pole walls barring his way. He gingerly picked his way around all of the obstacles we put in his way, and only left us a steamy heap of dung as his as his sign of approval.

See you in the desert. Joe.

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