About The Cheetah Centre Project

Project Details

The Cheetah Centre is a non-profit organisation committed to the conservation of the African Cheetah and relies on public support for their education and public-awareness programmes. The Cheetah Centre aims to promote the survival of the cheetah as a free-ranging species by working with five ambassador cheetahs to encourage people to gain a greater understanding of these magnificent animals.

The school visits allow the children to gain personal experiences with one of the cheetahs, in the hope that the memory of stroking a cheetah will imprint a conservation message more deeply on the child's mind. Cheetah encounters are also offered to tourists at the facility which is also an important source of fund-raising. Other ventures such as photography shoots, film shoots and documentary work all increase the global awareness of the cheetah's plight.

Accommodation

Volunteer accommodation is in shared apartments in the historic town of Stellenbosch. This wonderful vibey town has ample to do and great entertainment with 17 000 students, over 80 restaurants and pubs and being based in the centre of the wine producing area, the recipe is fun, beauty and adventure!

What will you do?

The Cheetah Centre volunteer programme involves both local and international volunteers and the daily duties of volunteers include greeting visitors at the facility; informing visitors about the project and about the cheetah in general; food preparation; merchandise sales; cleaning (dishes, enclosures, shop floors, vehicles etc.). This will sometimes involve hard manual labour like fencing, carpentry, building gates, digging and all things needed for the general maintenance of the cheetah enclosures.

Please note that one of the main responsibilities of volunteers will be to tend to the guests and work hands-on with the public. This requires a person that is outgoing, confident and enthusiastic. The amount of time that a volunteer is able to spend with the cheetahs depends on the relationship that the volunteer builds with each of the cheetahs, and obviously this only comes with time and patience, and at the discretion of the handlers.

Pictures

Past Volunteer Comments