A Shark’s Tale:
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Last month, our Training Consultant, Anni, travelled to Gansbaai in South Africa with fellow animal scientists to volunteer with GAP Africa and the White Shark Projects. The trip consisted of zoology lectures from the project’s resident marine biologists and seamanship training from the skipper and crew.
Duties included catch-and-release shore and snorkel surveys of smaller species, such as Shysharks, and boat surveys (including cage diving!) of larger species, such as Bronze whaler and Great white sharks! The team were shown how to collect and analyse their data, which will aid in the conservation of these very misunderstood animals.
🐠💡 Fishy facts: Did you know, despite being represented as blood-thirsty baddies in the media, sharks are usually quite shy and gentle creatures. Shark attacks on humans are extremely rare – in fact, statistically, you’re 75 times more likely to succumb from being struck by lightning than by a shark! Yet sadly, for every human accidentally killed by a shark, over two million sharks are intentionally killed by humans, meaning that a quarter of the world’s shark species now at risk of extinction! To lose such an important apex predator has a devastating effect on the rest of the food chain and the overall state of our planet’s marine ecosystems.
On the days when the weather did not permit any research, Anni and the rest of the team were busy working on other projects, such as assisting with the husbandry of the dogs and cats at the local animal shelter, BARC, and creating sensory enrichment for species such as lions and leopards at Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary. The group had also collected donations, including stationary and clothing, for the community “Swop Shop”.
This project works with local children to encourage them to collect recyclable waste, weighed in for points, which they can then spend on their favourite items in the shop. Every customer is also provided with a cup of soup to ensure that tummies are full and spirits are high when the bin wagons arrive!
On non-working days, other activities included; the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, whale spotting with Ivanhoe Sea Safaris and meeting the famous “whale crier” of Hermannus, swimming with crocs at Afrikanos Crocodile Experience, a trip to Two Ocean’s Aquarium in Cape Town, visiting the southernmost tip of South Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, as well as hiking, caving and swimming around Walker Bay Nature Reserve, and observing local wildlife such as penguins, seals, tortoises and lizards, spiders, weaverbirds, ostriches, zebra, baboons, and various types of antelope.
Does this sound like something you’d like to do in the future?
An apprenticeship with KEITS could be your first step towards an exciting career working with animals in UK and around the world!
Check out our vacancies page for all the apprenticeships currently available!
