General tasks volunteers are asked to help with include the following:

• Helping us to look after our elephants. This can include preparing their food, changing their sawdust bedding, and mucking out their living areas including chewed branches and dung
• General maintenance which includes cleaning of elephant pens, camps and other areas, cleaning of water troughs, making sure clean bedding is provided where necessary and general cleaning, maintenance and painting
• Help with the development and production of items for the “AERU Shop”. These items are then sold to raise money for the various AERU research and enrichment projects
• Making delicious enrichments for the elephants to stimulate their minds and taste buds!

• Monitoring of behaviour – Following and observing elephants in the field, recording behaviours such as grazing, drinking, playing, dusting and walking
• Recording social interactions between elephants – how they relate to, and communicate with, each other using their trunks and bodies
• Night-time observations of elephant behaviour – what is a good night’s sleep for an elephant?
• Observing and recording interactions between elephants and tourists

• Botanical surveys of the park – relating plant diversity to grazing patterns and elephant distribution
• Studies of feeding behaviour and plants eaten by the elephants
• Collection of dung, urine and other samples for physiological analysis
• Assisting in the lab – processing of dung samples
• Data input and analysis

Booking a spot is essential. Depending on the programme, volunteers must book for 1 week only or then a minimum of 3 weeks. There is no maximum length of stay with the Walking with Giants programme.

• Volunteers for the Walking with Giants programme only arrive on MONDAYS.
• Airport pickups (George Airport) are only from 12h00 to 15h00 on specific dates.
• Volunteers who arrive earlier will need to wait till 12h00.
• If volunteers arrive after 15h00 or have missed their flight it is their responsibility to be in contact with AERU management in order for them to arrange alternative taxi transport. Volunteers will then be responsible for the cost of the taxi transfer and will need to have the cash available to pay the driver on pick up.

• Volunteers on the one week programme, arrive on SUNDAYS and are responsible for their own transport from the airport. AERU management can arrange for a airport transfer service on their behalf upon request.
• Bus services are also available between Cape Town and Plettenberg Bay. These can be booked online. Please book according to our arrival dates and times.

• Volunteers for the Walking with Giants programme depart on MONDAYS. Airport transfers for departures will be leaving the park at 09h30. Thus meaning all flights must be booked from 12h00 onwards as check in is 1 hour prior to departure and the airport is 95km from the park
• If flight departure times are before 12h00 it is the responsibility of the volunteer to arrange alternative transport or ask AERU management for assistance

• Volunteers on the one week programme can depart on SATURDAYS or SUNDAYS and are responsible for their own transport to the airport. AERU management can arrange for a taxi service on their behalf upon request

START DATES FOR 3 - 12 WEEKS:

START DATES FOR 1 WEEK PROGRAM:

Some important rules to be aware of when volunteering with AERU:

• For safety reasons there is no alcohol allowed to be consumed on the Park
• Neutral coloured pants (black, khaki, brown, olive or dark blue) of appropriate length (shorts no shorter than mid-thigh in length) and style must be worn during the working day (no bright jackets, hot pants or sequins please)
• You must always be accompanied by a member of staff whenever interacting with the elephants