Volunteering with African animals in Zimbabwe

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. - Mae West ​

Arriving in Africa was quite a shock to the system—I never thought I’d actually get an opportunity to visit the continent, and here I was, about to take part in a one-month animal conservation programme called Imire.

I still remember everything about the first day. It was nighttime when some other volunteers and I arrived and made our way to our accommodation about an hour from Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. On the way there, I saw my first wild animal: a giraffe. It was just standing there, eating and not at all fazed by us. As I’ve now observed multiple times during my stay, giraffes are curious animals who look at you with deep dark eyes as if they are wondering what kind of creature you are. When we made it to the lodge, we all went to bed immediately, exhausted after such a long trip: Dublin — Dubai (7 hours), then Dubai — Harare (7 hours) plus another 2-hour drive.  

​Our incredibly rewarding routine of hard work

The next morning, we began our routine of waking up at 6 am to be ready by 6:30 am to start conservation work with the animals. We got to work with a vast variety of African wildlife such as giraffes, elephants, rhinos, warthogs, zebras, crocodiles, monkeys, lions and multiple African deer species. First up, we spent some time to bond with them, teach them new tricks and walk them back to the lodge. Walking with them, touching them and being so close to them in general truly is a life-changing experience, and it made me realise that there’s so much more adventure and excitement to life than what I was used to.

After our first encounter with the animals in the morning, we usually ate breakfast. The meals that were prepared for us by the locals were a combination of huge amounts of carbs and a bit of protein which provided us with plenty of energy for the physical work we were doing.

After breakfast, we’d be usually doing some kind of physical work like fixing fences, collecting barbwires or finding traps that poachers had placed to hunt the wild animals. Imagine doing this kind of work non-stop in the African heat! It might sound crazy, but the sweat running down my spine felt pretty good, almost like a nice warm shower in the cold mornings.

African sights and bucket list activities

What I enjoyed most about my trip were the activities I’d signed up for: crocodile cage diving, bungee jumping and zip lining over the Victoria Falls.

• The crocodile cage diving was astonishing. There was a medium-sized crocodile right next to my face when I turned my head, and it looked like it was smiling at me with that toothy, somewhat evil, smile. The second crocodile I saw was a huge albino Nile crocodile. It swam right underneath my feet, so I kept them up, just in case. I fed them and was surprised at their firm grip. They were jerking the stick I was holding like a dog that tries to play tug of war with you.
  

• I jumped off the bridge of Victoria Falls in Zambia, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves adventure and craziness. When I saw how high it was from where I stood on the ground, I got that sensation of fear burning in my chest and stomach. As I approached the end of the bridge, I started to shake more than ever. The two instructors held my hands up and began to count down: “5… 4… 3… 2… 1!” Then they pushed me, and I screamed as loud as I could so that even the locals could hear me in the town. At the bottom, the rope jerked me up and (as unpleasant as it sounds) I just kept swinging until the experience was over. When I was going to get my video from the kiosk, I was still shaking of adrenaline, but I’d never felt more fearless in my life. I think that bungee jumping teaches us to take a risk, don’t think about it too much, hold your head up high, clear your mind and then just go for it! I realised that if I could do this, then I can battle any challenge. What would life be without actually feeling alive? I would’ve never thought that I would ever do bungee jumping in my life. Adrenaline activities give us the power to become fearless!
  

• Zip lining was also a beautiful experience with a magnificent scenic view over the Falls. If you don’t mind heights, then I’m sure you would enjoy this one!
  

​Soaking in the experience of a lifetime​

Every Sunday at Imire, all the volunteers had the day off to do whatever they pleased. One day, some other volunteers and I went on a long hike around the park even though it was boiling hot. We hiked for three hours non-stop and saw some snakes and other African wildlife on the way. We then came across a place called “The Hippo Hideout”, where people look out for hippos in the river. As we approached the hideout, we looked over the lake, and the view was out of this world! The weather was warm, there was a cool breeze, and the sun reflected perfectly on the clear blue water.​

Just breathing in that fresh air was the best feeling I had in a long time because all I felt during that special moment was peace. Then, one of the managers came by, and we all had a little chat. He described his childhood, what it was like living there, how he’d lay under the stars and watch about twenty shooting stars zoom by every night because the night sky in Africa is crystal clear. He then gave us one inspirational piece of advice: “If you miss one moment, then you’ll never get it back”.

​The last two weeks were about savouring every minute we had left in this quiet and stress-free environment. Meeting the new volunteers and saying goodbye to the old ones was quite an emotional experience. I bonded with a few of them that were my age—the ones who were non-judgemental and just as crazy and open-minded as I am, which is something I don’t often find nowadays.

Going home

I always knew that travelling gives us a different outlook on life, but I never knew how much it could teach us. These special moments are the ones that really count and shape us into the people we become.

The night of that particular Sunday, I finally saw a shooting star and the night sky looked absolutely out-of-this-world. I just can’t find words to describe how beautiful that day was to me.

Leaving this place was a bit disappointing because going back to reality and leaving the incredible new worlds you find can be a real bummer, but I guess that’s part of it. What I experienced and wrote down is a SNAPSHOT OF LIFE. Travelling, meeting new people, getting out of my comfort zone and encountering new experiences—all of it together is what makes life worth living.

Author - Tiffany Nappi

Tiffany Nappi grew up in America. She has since lived in various places such as France, Ireland and Lithuania. She loves travelling, the unique things in life, and spending time with the people who mean a lot to her.