Students spent two weeks in the Eastern Cape of South Africa with the Shamwari Conservation Experience. The group spent most of their time on wilderness safari rides and contributing to conservation work.
Dr. Jenny Harper, professor of biology, and Beth Thornton, assistant professor of biology, organized the trip over a year ago, planning the itinerary with activities contributing to the animals and communities in the area.
During the time spent in Shamwari, the group participated in multiple conservation projects. Each day’s expeditions were split in half with different hands-on learning experiences.
The conservation experience included going out on safari rides, tracking native animals such as elephants and lions, performing procedures on animals, experiencing South African culture, learning how to identify and clear invasive species, and cutting down trees. Anniston Hall participated in this conservation experience in Shamwari. “We sat in a classroom multiple times, but we went a step further than that and we were put to work. We had the ability to actually take part in the conservation work that the reserve offers and really got to see a day in the life of what the guides do every single day and the work that the reserve does for conservation,” Hall said.
The group also visited Shamwari’s Rehab Center where injured animals recover and find asylum. One species of animals at the center was the Cape Vulture. They had been severely injured and were even facing extinction. Students provided the animals with meals, nesting material, and cleaned enclosures.
The group spent their weekends in Port Elizabeth, experiencing the culture of the native people, going to the mall, and exploring the sights, such as beaches and piers.
Because going to Africa was part of study abroad, students took classes such as Conservation Management and Biodiversity and Animal Behavior and Conservation. The program required a final project based on their work done in Shamwari.
“We were presented with a village that was covered in trash houses with no electricity, no power, no running water and they’re not guaranteed food safety,” Hall said. “Being grateful for everything we’ve got and being able to work and interact with those people really helped all of us take away our gratefulness.”
Haley Vagelienti participated in this trip as well. She said, “We went to the community to build these cement slabs so these rainwater collectors because that’s how these villages get their water.”
“They have very corrupt governments over there who don’t give them the supplies that they deserve, and basic human rights that are being taken away from them,” she continued. “Everyone should have access to water at the end of the day.”
These powerful scenes highlight the benefits of study abroad programs overall.
Harper said, “It’s so much more than learning about content. It’s also learning about yourself and learning about other people—those things you can’t necessarily get in the classroom the same way you can when you’re immersed in another culture.”
Vagelienti said, “If I could help all of them, I would. I would go back specifically if I could just do community work sometimes because seeing how much we have versus how little they have really hits you. I know, like, when we got back that night from the community, no one wasted a single drop of food.”
The group’s culturally immersive experience allowed them to apply their knowledge by performing a procedure on a lion.
“There were four lions and a few females, and so one of the lions had broken away from the three other lions,” Harper said. “He was looking for the females to mate with because they had come into heat. They had realized that one of the lioness’s radio collars was not working, and so they wanted to find her so they could track her across the reserve.”
It took around five hours for the vets to find and tranquilize the lioness to safely proceed with the procedure, with students being able to participate in requiring students to use their acquired knowledge in the field. The procedure went safely for the lioness, providing the group a successful experience.
Harper said, “[Study abroad is] a wonderful way to strengthen your resume, especially if you need a little extra something here or there, which is really common for kids that are in college because they don’t have a whole lot of opportunities.” The group’s experiences in Shamwari will be carried throughout their future career and personal endeavors.
These experiences aren’t too far out of reach, with upcoming study abroad opportunities for students taking place in Australia and New Zealand in May 2025.
While the recent Shamwari trip was mainly targeted toward students majoring in biology, Harper explained that a variety of classes are offered, including world history, global issues, and different biology courses. In providing a broader range of courses, the hope is to accept students across all the fields of study at ABAC.
Interested students can reach out to Dr. Harper for additional information at Jennifer.Harper@abac.edu.