If you’re looking for a holiday that combines new experiences with ‘giving something back’ to the planet, why not think about a wildlife conservation holiday? They’re becoming increasingly popular with people of all ages. Here we’ll look at why.

Holidays – a Mixed Blessing?

The next time you’re in a meeting that’s overrunning, sitting at home waiting for the plumber who’s two hours late, or standing on a windswept station platform reading the latest feeble excuses for all the train and bus cancellations – see if your thoughts don’t drift at least once to your next holiday!

The annual holiday should be our great escape that allows us to temporarily live a different life and re-charge our emotional batteries. Sadly though, after all the dreaming and eager anticipation, when our holiday finally arrives the results can be a little disappointing.

After you’ve fought tooth-and-nail to secure a cramped space on a beach, or been trampled underfoot by the vast crowds milling around a popular tourist spot, you may find yourself wondering if this is quite what you’ve waited all year for. That’s where wildlife conservation holidays may have a role to play in spicing things up.

What are Wildlife Conservation Holidays?

Today, more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious. Some may have concerns over the ‘carbon footprint’ impact of their holiday and be looking to balance that off. Others may be determined to do something practical to help the wider planet around them. Yet others may have a great love of animals and would like to have a closer experience of working with them.

The wildlife conservation holiday can cater for all these demands and more.

There is a wide range of such holidays available, based in all parts of the world. Their aims are generally to:

- Give you the chance to learn about an animal or several types of animals

- Allow you the opportunity to work with the animals in their natural environment

- Encourage you to pass on your knowledge and awareness of the animals when you return home

- Help animals that may be in some environmental difficulties

- Expose you to very different cultures and ways of life in a non-tourist setting

- Ensure that you have a good time!

What Sort of Animals and Work are Involved?

The choice is potentially huge and based on almost any continent. You may be working to help aged elephants in Asia, taking beetle and insect surveys in Arizona, or helping to monitor and catalogue giraffe populations in Africa.

Let’s be clear though, these holidays are typically NOT the same as a safari trip or similar. If you’re looking for cosy recliners and cocktails served by waiters as the sun goes down over some carefully positioned token picturesque animals, then you need to look elsewhere.

On a wildlife conservation holiday you’re more likely to be up to your knees in mud clearing out a waterhole, or poking around in hippo dung to check for certain types of ‘product’ than living a luxury lifestyle. You’ll be working – but hopefully also enjoying yourself, learning, and contributing to a good cause.

The accommodation is typically clean and adequate but far from luxurious. Food preparation may be a collective shared task that can often be fun!

So, if the thought of another holiday jammed like sardines into an overcrowded hotel fills you with terror, why not think about a wildlife conservation holiday?

Mark Bottell is the General Manager for Worldwide Experience, an online tour operator offering extended breaks on wildlife conservation holidays and various adventurous gap years for adults.

Wildlife conservationists are battling alarming trends both in Britain and abroad to protect the future of endangered species. Already in 2010 there have been a number of important scientific press releases regarding the future of our animals and their habitats.

Tigers in the Wild

Like pandas and whales, the tiger has frequently been the poster child for wildlife conservation. This year, a report has emerged from China that their numbers in the wild could be as low as fifty.

China Country Program Director and spokesperson for the Wildlife Conservation Society, Xie Yan, described the situation as “depressing”. In surveys of the Chinese countryside they are now able to count provincial tiger populations in just double digits, with only fifteen animals spotted in the whole of Tibet, and ten in Yunnan. Furthermore, it is thought that these tigers are too isolated from other tiger populations for their numbers to recover.

Numbers are better in the northeast, however, where wild tigers are able to interact with others from Russia and wildlife conservation schemes have had some success. There is also less human interference with their habitat in this region.

Looking at a wider picture, the Asian population has fallen from approximately 100,000 to 3,500 in the last hundred years. Medicinal traditions and a market for tiger pelts and trophies have meant that tigers have been brought to the brink of extinction by hunting.

Galapagos Sea Lions

Wildlife conservationists at the Organisation for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Animals have reported an alarming exodus from the Galapagos Islands. The ORCAA scientists who monitor the waters around Peru have noticed an entire colony of Galapagos sea lions have moved their territory to the coast of northern Peru, some 900 miles away.

This species is one of many on the Galapagos that can’t be found elsewhere in the world, so this revelation is an important issue for wildlife conservation, which could indicate the start of a worrying trend of animals leaving their natural habitats.

There is concern that the colony’s abandonment of the Galapagos may not only upset the ecosystem of the archipelago, but could destabilise the ecological balance around Peru as well.

Over the last decade the sea temperature has risen in this region by an average of 6 degrees centigrade, matching the conditions around Galapagos. ORCAA scientists have suggested this may have attracted the sea lions to the area.

Welsh Squirrels

Our native red squirrels have been struggling in recent decades. They are such an iconic animal for our British countryside and heritage, so it is good to hear that there are now a number of governmental and scientific bodies looking into the problem. In February 2010, a Squirrel Conservation Plan was announced in Wales.

The numbers of red squirrels have dwindled owing to the invasion of grey and black squirrel species, disease, and some narrowing of their habitat – an issue that affects a variety of British wildlife. Conservation groups like the Wales Squirrel Forum are keen to get the new protection project up and running.

The plan will include surveying and monitoring populations, setting up databases, and investigating influence of climate change. This is a welcome initiative for the many wildlife conservationists already working to preserve the species for the future. Even DNA research has been used to identify regional distinctions between the pockets of red squirrels remaining in our British countryside.

Mark Bottell is the General Manager for Worldwide Experience, an online tour operator offering extended breaks on wildlife conservation holidays and various adventurous gap years for adults.

Some animals are constantly on the move, whether in the continual search for food or territory, or as part of a seasonal migration. This year, because of the intervention of wildlife conservationists, there are some animals on the move for very different reasons.

The Panda Express

A giant panda named Tai Shan made the news in February 2010 when he emigrated from the USA to China. He was moved from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC to join a breeding programme run by wildlife conservation experts at the Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya’an, Sichuan. Tai Shan’s intercontinental blind date and breeding plan is so high profile that he has even attracted a sponsorship deal from a car company.

A special FedEx plane was chartered to transport him and a panda called Mei Lan, from a zoo in Atlanta, to China, a journey taking fifteen hours. On the flight, dubbed “the Panda Express”, were about 18 kilos of bamboo, pears and apples to keep him occupied. He was not anaesthetized for the journey because expert wildlife conservationists allowed him to get used to his cubicle long before it was time to leave. He will be given a month to settle in before he is introduced to the Chinese public.

Tai Shan was born in America in July 2005 to Chinese parents. He is the first cub that the zoo has successfully raised to this stage of maturity. Scientists used artificial insemination in his conception with the help of Chinese zoologists who loaned his parents to the U.S. for that purpose. As part of the project, it was negotiated with the China Wildlife Conservation Association that he would stay for a term of about two years, but he proved so popular in America that his residency was extended for a further two years.

It appears that he will be fondly missed; to coincide with the panda’s departure, the zoo has launched a series of postage stamps bearing his image, the proceeds from which will go towards wildlife conservation projects like the one that has made Tai Shan headline news.

Monkey Business

About 450 km to the East of Tai Shan’s new home is Chongqing Zoo, where you can also find pandas. Chongqing Zoo looks after a number of endangered species such as Great and Lesser pandas and South China Tigers, which are being monitored and bred as part of wildlife conservation programmes. But in the first week of February 2010, it was not the protected animals that caught the attention of the visiting crowds, but those that escaped the protection of their enclosures and made a break for freedom.

Somehow, a few of the zoo’s more mischievous monkeys climbed out of their enclosure. The absconding primates wasted no time in causing a commotion, grabbing food from the hands of zoo-goers and running amok, even paying visits to the pens and cages of neighbouring animals. Tourists reported that they saw monkeys plucking an unfortunate peacock and topping up the fish pond with monkey urine. At the time of writing, it is not known whether they have been caught yet.

Mark Bottell is the General Manager for Worldwide Experience, an online tour operator offering extended breaks on wildlife conservation holidays and various adventurous gap years for adults.

Valentine’s Day has long been an internationally celebrated day of romance. Though the history of this occasion is shrouded in mystery, one of the more popular tales of its origin goes back to the rule of Emperor Claudius II. According to some historians, the Emperor was of the opinion that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and children. He therefore banned marriage for his young soldiers. However, the romantic Valentine continued to marry young lovers in secret. Many years later we remember this Saint with cards, chocolates and flowers, but perhaps this year you’d like to celebrate a little less traditionally. Why not enjoy a very different Valentine’s Day this year, by spending it with the animals on a wildlife conservation holiday?

Star Gazing

There is undeniably something particularly romantic about a starry night. One of the biggest perks of wildlife conservation is the opportunity to escape from the light pollution of the cities, and see a much clearer night sky. With astrology now an intriguing extra on a number of conservation holidays, you will get the chance to learn about the constellations, leaving you able to spot Orion, the Big Dipper and many other fascinating formations. So lie back in the long grass and listen to the wildlife around you as you enjoy a romantic evening of stargazing.

An Evening under Canvas

For many people, Valentine’s Day is about lavish hotels. If you should fancy a more interesting and intimate form of accommodation, then camping in the game reserve might be just what you are looking for. The Reserve will look completely different to you under the cover of night as you see the real Africa for yourself. For many people, camping trips are the highlight of a wildlife conservation trip, giving you the chance to get up close and personal with the natural habitat of the animals as you immerse yourself in the Reserve.

A Candle-lit Meal for All

The world over, restaurants are fully booked on Valentine’s Day with lucky lovers being wined and dined. On a wildlife conservation holiday you might just find that your romantic dinner is gate-crashed by very welcome guests. As you get more and more involved with the rehabilitation of the animals you are likely to find yourself feeding them their meals. So, rather than sharing a candle-lit dinner for two this Valentine’s Day, why not invite a few extras and let the animals share this special occasion with you.

A Night in With the Kids

Ordinarily, Valentine’s Day is the busiest night of the year for babysitters and Grandparents alike. However, when you’re involved in wildlife conservation, babysitters for the animals are somewhat harder to come by. One of the most incredible experiences you will enjoy during your time on the game reserve will be helping with the hand raising of animals before they can be released back into the wild. A wonderful experience whether you are alone or with your partner, this will be one of the most rewarding ways you can celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Though it is a special day of grand gifts and gestures, one Valentine’s Day can blend into another all too easily. Spending February 14th helping with wildlife conservation on a game reserve would certainly ensure that this Valentine’s stands out in your memory.

Mark Bottell is the General Manager for Worldwide Experience, an online tour operator offering extended breaks in wildlife conservation holidays and various adventurous gap years for adults.