Description
All internship durations include 4-, 8-, and 12-week options. Additional Eco Ranger Academy training packages are made available to 8-, and 12-week interns. Eco Ranger training packages require a minimum 6-, maximum 10-student enrolment per package. Twelve-week interns are provided student leadership roles and responsibilities whenever appropriate. IRAP students qualify to earn university course credit and receive additional services as outlined in the AGREEMENT OF COOPERATION BETWEEN TARLETON STATE UNIVERSITY AND RESEARCHWILD!
Includes:
Wildlife Protection (Ranger) – This AWS internship program developed by AWS and RW In Cooperation With Tarleton is designed to complement Eco Ranger Academy’s Eco Ranger Wildlife Education Program (Africa Ranger Safari).
Wildlife Healthcare and Nutrition – This AWS internship program developed by AWS and RW In Cooperation With Tarleton is designed to complement Eco Ranger Academy’s Wildlife Health Care (Wildlife Education Program II).
Wildlife Management (Warden) – This AWS internship program developed by AWS and RW In Cooperation With Tarleton is designed to complement Eco Ranger Academy’s Wildlife Management (Wildlife Education Program III).
Wildlife Capture and Transportation – This AWS internship program developed by AWS and RW In Cooperation With Tarleton is designed to complement Eco Ranger Academy’s Wildlife Capture (Wildlife Veterinary Education Program IV).
Game Ranch Operation and Hunter Education – This AWS internship program developed by AWS and RW In Cooperation With Tarleton is designed to complement Eco Ranger Academy’s Proud Hunter – Straight Shooter (Hunter Education ~ Africa Safari).
Eco Ranger
Wildlife Education Program I – Africa Ranger Safari
The 10 Day Safari is packed with knowledge, skills, practical’s, values and qualities to successfully fulfil the role as a dedicated Eco-Ranger that form the thin green line between our natural resources and extinction. The wildlife on the continent of Africa represents the last remain mega fauna of the Pleistocene Epoch. Africa is the only continent where people have managed to adapt and live alongside animals like rhino, lion and elephant.
The 10 modules that will be presented on a Private Nature Reserve in Africa:
- African and the basic ecological principals.
- African wildlife identification and their behaviour
- African People and Wildlife Conflicts
- Animal Track identification and how to track a quarry
- African Bushcraft and basic survival skills
- Approaching Wild Animals on foot (Non-dangerous)
- African Dangerous Game behaviour
- Wildlife Management techniques in Custodian and Manipulative Approaches
- Wildlife Ranger Duties and Task such as daily Patrols and Wildlife Monitoring and care
- Wildlife Economics – Pro and Non-utilization options
Practical’s
- Participate in a ‘skills transfer’ as a Wildlife-Ranger – Meet and learn from expert rangers, conservationists and Wildlife Managers. The expedition forms the basis of understanding wildlife ecology and the economics that is fundamental to the management and conservation of wildlife. Learn and experience a different side of conservation that can broaden one’s outlook and personal development.
Excursions
- Kruger National Park day excursion
- Game Drives in Open Safari Vehicles at Dawn and Dusk – Inclusive of “Puza-Stop” (Sunset Drinks) and a Night Drive to explore the nocturnal creatures.
- Sleep under the African Wild Skies
- Dinner around the African camp fire
Wildlife Health Care
Wildlife Education Program II
The 10 Day Wildlife Health Care – Safari is packed with knowledge, skills, practical’s, values and qualities to successfully fulfil the role as a dedicated Wildlife Health Care Ranger that form the thin green line between our natural resources and extinction. The wildlife on the continent of Africa represents the last remain mega fauna of the Pleistocene Epoch.
The 8 modules that will be presented on a Private Nature Reserve in Africa:
- Appropriate wildlife diets of Ungulates, hippotragines (Gemsbok, Roan, Sable), Tragelaphines (Spiral horns animals), Alcelaphine, Aepycertotidae, Antelopini, small antilopes and Predators diets.
- Provide Water for Wildlife: Patterns and behaviour of wildlife when drinking water, Appropriate water needs of Ungulates, hippotragines (Gemsbok, Roan, Sable), Tragelaphines (Spiral horns animals), Alcelaphine, Aepycertotidae, Antelopini, small antilopes, Type of Water Holes, Disease and parasite control at waterholes
- Parasitism and contagious wildlife diseases: Ectoparasites and endoparasites in vertebrates, most important contagious wildlife diseases, and the Prevention of related diseases, Common diseases in animals caused by ticks and mites, Basic disease control and prevention
- Nutrition: Digestive functioning of selected wild ruminant and non-ruminant herbivores, Spatial scaling of nutrients in vegetation
- Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology and Ethology of wild animals
- Locating and interacting with animals
- Evaluating the health status of the animal
- Execute prescribed veterinary care activities – Administer medicines and execute veterinary prescriptions and care taking procedures
Practical’s
- Participate in ‘skills transfer’ – Meet and learn from expert rangers and Wildlife Managers. The expedition forms the basis of understanding wildlife health care that is fundamental to the management and conservation of wildlife in Africa.
Excursions
- Daily Wildlife Encounters and Monitoring
- Participate in Sedating and tranquilise a Wild Animal
- Administer Vetinerary Medicines
- Biological Data collection and recording
Wildlife Management
Wildlife Education Program III
The 10 Day Wildlife Management – Safari is packed with knowledge, skills, practical’s, values and qualities to successfully fulfil the role as a dedicated Wildlife Warden that form the thin green line between our natural resources and extinction. The wildlife on the continent of Africa represents the last remain mega fauna of the Pleistocene Epoch.
The 8 modules that will be presented on a Private Nature Reserve in Africa:
- Wildlife Management
- Species as a biological unit
- Safari and Eco Tourism Industry
- Elephant Management
- Lion and Large Predator Management
- Human and Wildlife Conflict
- Trans Frontier Wildlife Initiatives
- Projects that aim at achieving sustainable natural resource management
There are two general types of wildlife management:
Manipulative management acts on a population, either changing its numbers by direct means or influencing numbers by the indirect means of altering food supply, habitat, density of predators, or prevalence of disease. This is appropriate when a population is to be harvested, or when it slides to an unacceptably low density or increases to an unacceptably high level. Such densities are inevitably the subjective view of the land owner, and may be disputed by animal welfare interests. Production focus on Game and managed by a Wildlife Rancher
Custodial management is preventive or protective. The aim is to minimize external influences on the population and its habitat. It is appropriate in a national park where one of the stated goals is to protect ecological processes. It is also appropriate for conservation of a threatened species where the threat is of external origin rather than being intrinsic to the system. Production focus on Wildlife and managed by a Wildlife Warden
Practical’s and Excursions
- Elephant Impact on vegetation and environment – Research Project
- Human / Wildlife Conflict – Research Project
- Up-Market Safari Lodge – Tourism Photographic Industry – Managing our natural resource for the sole purpose of international visitor enjoyment
- Manipulative management program
- Custodial management program
- World Renown Kruger National Park (North to South over various ecological terrains)
- Trans Frontier Conservation Initiatives (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique)
Wildlife Capture
Wildlife Veterinary Education Program IV
The 10 Day Wildlife Capture Safari is packed with knowledge, skills, practical’s, values and qualities to successfully fulfil the role as a dedicated Wildlife Capturer that form the thin green line between our natural resources and extinction. The wildlife on the continent of Africa represents the last remain mega fauna of the Pleistocene Epoch.
The 6 modules that will be presented on a Private Wildlife Reserve in Africa:
- Wildlife Veterinary Management
- Game capture methods and procedures
- Suitable method is selected per species taking in consideration the species, age, sex-ratio, numbers, terrain, finances, equipment, logistics, season, purpose, resources, infrastructure and equipment.
- Method of capture is influenced by value of animals, tameness to humans and vehicles, condition of animals, safety and skill of capture team and personnel, environmental conditions and behaviour and herd structure
- Different capture methods are prepared for including physical capture or restraint, hand capture, cage traps, mass capture with plastic boma, passive capture with boma traps, drop down or pop-ups, permanent passive capture structures and chemical capture or restraint
- Chemical Capture and restraint of wild animals
- Selecting of Capture drugs per specie
- Opioids – Knock Down Drugs
- Cyclohexylamines
- State of narcosis in animals
- Sedatives and tranquilisers
- Administering Capture Drugs
- Drugs in food
- Injection methods
- Pole syringe
- Darting – Handle and maintain a dart gun,
- Charges and dart weights
- Biological samples, scientific data and where required fit monitoring devices to captured game
- Tissue samples, blood samples, mucus swabs, parasites
- Special applications such as aging, teeth imprints, morphometric
- Measurements, telemetry equipment
- Monitoring devices, Transmitters and Receivers
Practical:
- Participate and Execute a wildlife capture – Chemical Restraint of wild animals
- Darting from a safari vehicles and helicopter
- Dart a Wild Animal with a Veterinary Prescription