Interview with Jane Stanfield, C.A.R.E volunteer alum
GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with C.A.R.E in South Africa?
Baboons in the animal sanctuary
Jane: I had read an article about volunteer travel and then took a local class at Colorado Free University called Volunteer Vacations - Traveling on Purpose. From that information, I began compiling information and lists of projects to investigate.
My passion and education is with animals. My sister had seen a TV show about the CARE baboons and when I mentioned that I was interested in international volunteering, she gave me a few pages from their website. The pages showed a western woman holding an infant baboon wearing a diaper with a hole cut in it for the tail, and she was feeding it a bottle. She looked exhausted but radiant. At that moment I knew I wanted to work the the baboons!
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Jane with a baby baboon
Jane: The day starts at 5:30 when the wild troop outside wake and begin jumping on the tin roof of the dormitory. The evening before the next days schedule is posted so you know if you are needed at 7am or 8am. You make your own breakfast from the supplies provided and then begin. The 7am shift is either making the first round of bottles (around 75-100) or taking the 1 and 2 year old baboons out into their exercise area. After that is cleaning the one year old sleeping area, or handing out bottles.
8am begins the first shifts of "playground monitoring" for the under 1s, 1 year old or 2 year old which lasts around 1.5 hours. At 10am, a group prepares the fruit and veg for the individually housed adults, around 80 males and 20 females. (All the larger enclosures are fed by the local staff). Food prep means working with machetes and cutting food into small enough pieces to go through a chain link fence (about fist size).
11am is the second round of bottles and change of shifts in the play areas. You grab a lunch break when you can during gaps in your schedule or when you are assigned household duties at the dorm. The afternoon has two more shifts or playground duty, or perhaps an hour off, or troop monitoring. Each volunteer is assigned one or two troops to monitor and record what is going on for one hour. (Troops are between 12-20 individuals and you recorded feeding, playing, grooming and other activities.) The troops have almost no contact with humans as they were being prepared to return to the wild when the season and the maturity of the troop is right.
4pm is the last round of bottles, taking in the one and two year olds to evening quarters and cleaning out the under 1s, one and two year old play areas. By 5pm, there is a queue for the shower and the dinner team makes dinner. Dinner is around 7pm and then the clean up crew does the dishes and the rest talk, read, or listen to music until bed around 9-10.
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Jane feeding a baby baboon
Jane: I ADORED MY TIME WITH THE BABOONS. This was the project of the 14 I have done that delivered even more than I could have imagined.
It was challenging, invigorating, and at times exhausting (mentally), but I would not have changed one minute of it. I had one day off in 4 weeks and took a safari. It is remote and without a lot of luxuries, but it changed my life and showed me things in myself that I am very proud of - patience, compassion, wisdom.
The CARE project was a perfect fit for my interest, experience and heart. When I returned from my trip, I began speaking, teaching and writing about volunteer travel. The thing I stress most often when I speak, teach or work with individual clients is the value of picking a project that you cannot wait to experience. There are ups and downs when you travel internationally but when you are passionate about the project, they are blimps not mountains on your path.
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IF YOU LOVE AND LIKE TO VOLUNTEER WITH ANIMALS, CONSIDER CARE!
CARE takes in and rehabilitates orphan and mistreated Chacma Baboons. From as young as 6 weeks, to the mature former lab animals who are now permanent residents, it is life changing for the volunteers who come, learn, and begin to care for the baboons.
Daily routine begins at 7am with the first round of bottles for all the enclosures with under 2 year olds. The morning progresses with food processing for the mature solo adults and more bottle for the little ones. There are usually two rotations into enclosures with one and two year olds and then lunch. Afternoons include some general lodging cleaning, possibly cooking for the volunteer group, and more play ground monitoring for the baboons. The day ends around 5pm with final clean up, last bottles and putting the littlest to bed.
YOU WILL BE VERY REMOTE (one possible trip to town per week, and no TV) so evening activities include personal laundry, long discussions over dinner with the volunteers and staff, watching the sun go down, listening to the night animals come out, and reading. At times there can be unexpected things living close to or around you. If you require absolute cleanliness and not furry or crawling critters near you, this may not be the volunteer placement for you.
What you lack in nightlife is amply compensated by your endearing and mischievous charges during the day. The young baboons are delightful, infuriating, needy, confident, and as energetic as any two-year old who as been fed exclusively caffeine and sugar. Expect to have your hair pulled, pockets picked, clothes dirty with all manner of body fluids, nipped and totally enthralled with the baboons.
Also expect your heart to expand and become overwhelmed with the love and compassion for these little charmers who come to you for assistance with their fights, cuddling when they are hurt, naps in your lap and mutual grooming. (Luckily, they never found any nits on me or I on them!)
During the mandatory 4-week minimum, you can expect one full weekend day off and some afternoons. During that one day off, there is a chance for a game drive in the nearby Kruger National Park (for a fee) where you can see most if not all of the big 5.
At times, the work is more mentally taxing than physically.
Accommodations are single sex dorms with shared bathrooms and showers. Food if brought in weekly and you are assigned cooking and clean up on a rotation with all the other volunteers. Food was very basic, so most of our group sent a small amount of personal money with the shoppers for alcohol, treats like candy, and bottled water. The water on site was potable, but most of us preferred bottled water. There can be as many as 20 volunteers from North America, Australia, Europe and Africa, mainly women, but some men as well.
You are in the middle of a wildlife reserve with wild troops of baboons and other species free roaming in the compound. The buildings and animal enclosures have electrified perimeters, but at night, you are safe indoors.
You will be working with WILD ANIMALS no matter how small and therefore; common sense and awareness are your best guides for safety. You are trained and monitored as you begin to interact with the baboons and after they know and trust you, it becomes much easier for you and them.
You may see the full circle of life from copulation and perhaps death during your time among the baboons and the other wildlife in the surrounding area. Not every baboon that arrives is eventually returned to the wild, although that is the goal. Some injuries, mentally or physically, are just too deep, so be prepared for whatever comes up.
I rated it midrange on social impact and social networking because it is located so remotely and interaction with people other than the local staff is minimum. That in NO WAY detracts from the value of this volunteer program. As with many animal related non-profits, expenses are high for things like new enclosures, food and medical supplies, and the expenses for the local workers who do the BULK of the hard physical labor around the facility. For the FUN rating, FUN is in the eye of the beholder. I found it incredibly fun and fulfilling. I can't answer for you.
Would I do it again? You bet. Do I think they used my time and money well? You bet! Will I ever forget them? NO WAY!