THEORY & PRACTICAL TRAINING
The course is designed to provide students with the necessary confidence and practical experience to successfully plan and execute a capture/chemical immobilisation operation. With a curriculum comprising 30% theory and 70% practical learning, students will be fully equipped to handle real-life scenarios. The course content includes:
• Basic pharmacology
• Applied pharmacology
• Stress- and capture-related deaths
• Safety and first aid in the field
• Principles of chemical and physical restraint of wildlife
• Helicopter types and uses in the wildlife industry
• Individual species requirements
• Drug-injection equipment
• Ballistic and projectile darting systems
• Dart projectors
• Other restraint tools
• Ancillary treatments in wildlife capture and care
• Capture methods and transport of wild animals
• Post-capture boma management
• Practical dart gun training
• Practical darting from a helicopter on a moving target
While the project cannot guarantee the availability of specific types of work or the number of captures due to varying seasons, you can still expect a thrilling and rewarding experience. The project offers a range of activities and opportunities to engage with wildlife and contribute to conservation efforts, including wildlife monitoring, research initiatives
EXAMPLES OF POSSIBLE EXPERIENCES
Explore some of the exciting experiences that students had during the 2022 program, which included net-gun captures of bontebok and darting buffaloes for TB testing and blood samples. These hands-on activities allowed students to gain valuable practical skills in wildlife capture and care.
• Net-gun captures of bontebok in order to earmark the antelopes, get DNA samples for purity tests, deworm them and administer vitamins and prophylactic antibiotics.
• Darting buffaloes for TB testing and collection of blood samples.
• Darting buffaloes for relocation, deworming, administration of vitamins and antibiotics; student-assisted ‘walking’ of the buffaloes.
• Net-gun capture of a wildebeest for relocation, deworming and administration of vitamins and antibiotics.
• Darting and treating a buffalo bull for pneumonia.
• Darting a buffalo breeding bull for collection and a microscopic examination of sperm.
• Postmortem examination of a golden wildebeest, impala and a springbok to determine cause of death.
• Darting of sable antelopes for treatment and relocation purposes.
• Darting zebras and relocating them to buyers.
• Net-gun capture of an ostrich and relocation to buyers.
• Dehorning and monitoring of seven rhinos for conservation purposes.
• Darting several lions to administer contraceptive implants and perform health checks.
• Darting cheetahs for DNA-sampling and relocation purposes.
• Emergency treatment of a warthog, including administration of fluid and supportive therapy.
• Darting several giraffes and relocating them; administering prophylactic antibiotics.
• Theory and practical roping techniques taught before a giraffe capture.
• Net-gunning of hundreds of antelope species (including waterbuck, kudu, gemsbok, springbok, impala, red rheebuck, grey rheebuck, scimitar oryx, bontebok, blesbok, black wildebeest, blue wildebeest, red hartebeest, and eland) for relocation, deworming and administration of prophylactic antibiotics, tick treatments and vitamins.
• Extensive helicopter safety training.
• Darting a moving target from a helicopter.
• Participating in mass capture operations of zebras and antelope species.
• Administration of intramuscular and intravenous tranquilisers during net-gun captures.
• Other illness treatment.
• Administering subcutaneous, intramuscular, and intravenous treatments under the direct supervision of a veterinarian.
Please note that the number of captures may vary between summer and winter courses.
OFF-DAYS ACTIVITIES
On weekends, you're free to explore the surrounding area or simply relax at the farmhouse. If you're interested in other activities, Hein or Josephine can assist you with booking or inquiries, which will be at your own expense. After you arrive, the team will discuss your interests to help tailor weekend excursions and suggested activities.
We recommend budgeting around R10,000 to R15,000 for the entire duration of your stay.
