P.A.W.S

When I decided that I wanted to do some volunteer work with the time away from work I had I wasn’t really sure where to start looking. To be honest I think I got really lucky as I didn’t do much research but knew I wanted to do a project involving big cats. When I found the PAWS project and looked at the photos, it all looked great but I was careful not to go expecting too much of my 4 week placement. I shouldn’t have worried though, I had only been there 5 minutes and I already knew that I would want to come back. Clive and Roma really made us feel welcome and the camp environment is a real home away from home, the best thing being the amazing showers with a view. Every evening dinner is cooked on the open fires and the variety of meals is fantastic, also everyone gets an opportunity to get involved so it’s a great time for socialising with the other volunteers. The mixture of work in the morning and activities in the afternoon provides just the right balance. You certainly feel that you are making a difference and that everything you do to help is extremely worthwhile. In the afternoon you get involved in a range of activities such as leopard tracking, hyena tracking or a game drive. The afternoons are brilliant, there are so many amazing animals to see and if you like to learn new stuff then spending time with Clive driving around is going to leave your head bursting full of facts! I certainly hope that I will get back to PAWS in the next few years, it’s a really special place and I can’t recommend this project enough. Not only will you realise how worthwhile the cause is but you will almost certainly have the time of your life.