Conserve Eden

09/06/2026

A warm welcome to Grant and Nicole who joined our Plett intern team last week! Neither is a stranger to Plett! Nicole did a Discover Eden Ecology field course through her University two years ago, and returned last year with Grant to complete a Discover Eden Marine Biology course, where they met some Conserve Eden interns who were with us at the time. Right away they knew they wanted to join and here they are!

They have slotted right in, enthusiastically joining fieldwork, learning the ropes and already working on a new app for one of our programs!

04/06/2026

Our Karoo interns spent the last few days (before the rain came!) learning rodent trapping and bird ringing skills, and some more telemetry and tracking practice. They also checked up on some Meerkat!

31/05/2026

A few snaps from the Karoo interns from the last few days - a night out finding scorpions, more tortoise field work, tracking Orion the Cheetah and doing browsing observations on Giraffe and Buffalo - plus a day off with a wood-fired hot tub and a nice cosy fire with smores!

28/05/2026

The Karoo interns have had a busy few days, learning some key ecology and management skills on the reserve. From searching on foot for tortoises and meerkat, to learning tracking skills, radio telemetry and just enjoying seeing some great wildlife!

26/05/2026

The Karoo interns had a great first day in the field today. They washed Sherman traps, learnt to set up camera traps and installed them, built and tested out some quadrats for vegetation surveys, familiarised themselves with iNaturalist and then began a tortoise survey - locating, marking and measuring 5 Leopard and 1 angulate tortoises. A great start to their time on the reserve!

25/05/2026

A HUGE welcome to Maddy, Jenn, Sam, Payton and Sarah who join our current intern program in the Karoo! Out this afternoon for their first game drive they managed to see Gemsbok, Springbok, Eland, tortoises and a puff adder!

23/05/2026

A massive thanks and farewell to Marco and Mattia, students from the University of Milan who have just completed their MSc placement as part of our internship program at Babanango Game Reserve.

Mattia utilised the extensive collar data from lions and cheetahs to assess conflict between these two predators and to assess lion avoidance behaviour by the cheetah.

Marco analysed collar data from the two elephant herds and solitary males to examine habitat preferences of these mega herbivores after being released into the reserve a few years ago. Watch this space as they complete their theses back home!

Thanks to both of them and the incredible research team at Babanango Game Reserve for a successful and productive internship!

22/05/2026

We are excited to be running a Pelagic Bird Trip again as part of the Plett Ocean Festival! Funds raised go to supporting the Plett Stranding Network.

21/05/2026

“I was only trying to help” Most people are.

But right now, many sick or struggling birds may not simply be “injured” or “exhausted.”

They may have avian flu.

That means that picking up, transporting or handling birds without proper protection can:

* put you and your family at risk
* spread the virus further
* expose pets and other wildlife
* make tracking and response efforts harder for professionals

⚠️ What should you do instead?

If you find a bird that is:

* unusually weak
* disoriented
* unable to stand or fly
* twitching or showing neurological signs
* dead without obvious cause

DO NOT TOUCH IT

Instead:
📍 Pin the location
📸 Take a photo/video if safe to do so
☎️ Report it immediately to the appropriate local stranding or wildlife response network

For Tsitsikamma/ Plett/ Knysna/ Sedgefield and surrounds contact the Plett Stranding Network 0794634837

Professionals have the training, equipment and protocols needed to respond safely.

🌍 Living With Nature

Wanting to help wildlife is a good thing ♥️

But during disease outbreaks, the safest and kindest thing we can do is let trained responders take over.

Let’s protect people, pets and wildlife

19/05/2026

Dear amazing Plettonians and friends far and wide. Please let’s rally together and assist this conservation partner of ours and the fantastic work they do for our wildlife.

The storms may have passed, but for many in Plett, the recovery is only beginning.

One of our Partners in Protecting Nature was hit quite badly.

Raptor Rescue suffered severe damage to infrastructure and had multiple large trees uprooted.

If you’ve been wondering how to help after the storms, this is one meaningful way.

They urgently need:
• Financial donations
• Fencing, poles, timber, wire mesh
• Cement, bricks, sand, stone
• Screws, nails, cable ties & general hardware
• Help with chainsaws, debris clearing, carpentry & construction

Even sharing this post helps connect support to the people doing the hard work of caring for injured and vulnerable wildlife in our region.

Donations can be dropped at reception or made via EFT:

Raptor Conservation NPC
FNB
Account: 63000514067
Branch: 210514
Ref: Storm Rebuild

Send us a DM if you’d like to join the volunteer WhatsApp group.

Despite the circumstances, the team remain available for wildlife rescues and emergencies:
📱 073 948 8371 / 078 135 3611