Walking with lions in Zimbabwe

Product Details

This is the only project in the world where you can take lions for a walk through a Game Reserve - a unique and unbelievable experience! Your work will assist in helping this project to continue and, over the long term, will also hopefully contribute to preventing the decrease in the lion population in Africa.

This Project takes place in an amazing environment - a 3,000 acre Game Reserve and tourist spot about 10 kilometres from Gweru. The main camp facility - made up of thatched African rondavels and buildings rests on the shores of a beautiful lake and is a Game Reserve with many species of wildlife and bird-life.

The Lion Project takes place in two locations, the second of which is based 5 miles from the magnificent Victoria Falls. Victoria Falls is one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles. This is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and has also been declared a World Heritage Site. The falls and much of the town of the same name fall within a 23,4km² national park that neighbours the 573km² Zambezi National Park.

At Victoria Falls, the project takes place within 3,000 acres of state owned land next door to the Zambezi National Park. This unfenced game reserve has been classified as a big 5 area. The local wildlife consists of buffalo, elephant, kudu, waterbuck, zebra, impala, wildebeest, eland, duiker, steenbuck, warthog, baboons and monkeys.

As heartbreaking as it is, the lions of Africa are decreasing at an alarming rate. Current patterns indicate that within a very short time there will be no lions left on this continent.

The project leaders who own this park feel passionately about Zimbabwe and the state of the lion population in Africa. As a result they run a Lion Breeding Programme with the express objectives of preserving the African lions by producing a quality gene pool and rebuilding the diminishing numbers of lions, and also reintroducing the offspring back into the wild in environments where they will have the best possible opportunity for survival and a good quality of life.

Having started with just six lions and run-down, only partially fenced facilities, they have built the programme into a magnificent Game Reserve and Lion Breeding facility. Since 1987 new bloodlines have been imported from Tanzania and various other captive breeding units in Zimbabwe and a strictly monitored breeding programme was commenced to ensure that no in-breeding took place.

DNA and TB tests were carried out with the assistance of a veterinarian attached to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the lions are regularly vaccinated against Rabies.

Some of the work on this project is quite unusual, to say the least. (Where else would you take lions for a walk every day to exercise them and to familiarise them with a game reserve environment!). On the walks, the lions are 'free roaming' - no leashes - they romp, they play and they stalk, and you may frequently be lucky enough to have a large cub sitting on your lap sucking your thumb.

There's also an opportunity to work with elephants and horses.

Travellers’ placements are very flexible and can be combined with any other Travellers placement and tailor made to your requirements!