Next offering May 2026 - stay tuned for more information!
Contact intdalac@dal.ca if you have questions or would like us to send you the application information for the next cohort when it becomes available. This course is usually offered only every other year - so next offering after the 2024 cohort is tentatively 2026. Note a minimum of 15 students is required to run the course.
Course Information:
**ANSC 3007 is eligible to count toward a general or ANSC elective for any B.Sc. (Agr) program. (A minimum of 15 sudents is required to run the course)
Run collaboratively by Rhodes University’s Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, South Africa. A group of 13-15 students will visit Rhodes and the Eastern Cape for an intensive 3-week course on African Wildlife Ecology based at the Amakhala Game Reserve. The students will be given lectures on topics such as anthropology, ecology, animal behaviour, palaeontology, and the climate and history of the region. They will also conduct short individual research projects, and will be taken on fieldtrips to surrounding areas to experience various ecosystems (including Addo Elephant Park and Mountain Zebra National Park).
Andrew Greene and Janessa Henry, students in the AWE 2016 pilot, discuss their once in a lifetime experience on page 9 of the Summer 2016 Issue of Agricola News.
$4500 - $6500CAD Included: airfare, accommodations, meals, local transportation. Excluded: course & tuition fees, required vaccinations and physician consults, personal purchases (souvenirs, alcoholic beverages).
Funding Assistance
Information about funding assistance and payment schedule will be posted as information is confirmed. Watch for updates on our social media and website.
Study/Work International Fund (SWIF) This course may be eligible to submit an application to the Study/Work International Fund (SWIF). SWIF was established by Dalhousie University as part of the Student Assistance Program, SWIF provides financial assistance to Dalhousie and King's students who want to take part in an international placement. There is a maximum award of $2,000 CAD per applicant. SWIF supports study, work, or practicum placements for which Dalhousie University will give a degree credit.
For more information on funding and eligiblity:
Contact Dalhousie AC International at intdalac@dal.ca or visit Dalhousie's International Learning ExperiencesFunding page for further details and eligibility information on SWIF and other funding opportunities.
A typical day during the AWE Course
The students can expect to be wowed by the sheer diversity of wildlife in South Africa, especially the larger mammals. We also have an amazing diversity of cultures and a rich political history which all culminates to set the scene for a highly dynamic and fascinating introduction to what it is like to conduct and be involved in wildlife research in Africa.
I would say that the student who will get the most out of this course is the student who is prepared to immerse her or himself fully into African natural history, and how the socio-economics and politics of South Africa colour the conservation landscape. Pre-trip reading is essential but so is active engagement with the issues and people on the ground in country. Work hard and you will reap the rich rewards.
A typical day in camp will start with a pre-dawn wake-up with just enough time to shower and get to the dining room for a 7AM breakfast. Breakfast is held as it is getting light, which makes for fantastic photo opportunities if the weather is good. During breakfast, faculty normally discuss the schedule for the day and it (and other meals) is a great opportunity for students to quiz both the South African faculty and our exceptionally experienced hosts at Amakhala. Trained field guides (dedicated to the group during the course) are also on hand and are always excited to discuss interesting and unusual wildlife encounters – they are a real treasure trove of information!
After breakfast, and depending on the schedule, it is out into the field to conduct group research. Generally, students are assigned to groups of about 3 or 4 to tackle a specific mini-research project during the course. These projects cover topics like small mammal diversity, bird diversity, antelope behaviour, camera trapping and habitat functioning, amongst others. Don’t despair though if you don’t get the project you “want” because all the groups rotate through the projects so that everyone gets an equal opportunity to get involved and exposed to the various techniques. Some of the projects involve driving out onto the “main reserve” area (in open-sided vehicles) with our qualified field guides to do project work amongst the wildlife, usually spotting a member (or two) of the BIG 5 along the way.
After project work, it’s back to camp for lunch and often a lecture from a visiting researcher or graduate student (sometimes we might have another lecture in the evening too). If the weather allows, lunch can be al fresco on the main deck which has a wonderful view of the surrounding grasslands – keep your eyes peeled for the lions trying to sneak up on an unsuspecting wildebeest!
Afternoon schedules vary (depending on the weather, mostly), but often we will do more fieldwork for projects, head off on a fieldtrip to a distant part of the reserve, crunch some numbers from the data we have collected or have group discussions. Afternoons can also be a good time to do some personal journaling, especially a formal biological journal for the trip, taking note of the places visited, the species seen and other interesting activities.
Dinner is back in the main dining area and is always a highlight after a long day in the field. On some evenings we arrange for a night drive through the reserve to try and locate some of the nocturnal animals who skulk away during the day. If not, then there is often time to journal (if there isn’t a lecture) or sit and discuss the ways of the natural world over a steaming cup of hot chocolate.
