Endangered Wildlife Tracking & Monitoring

Wildlife monitoring is essential to track population dynamics, movement patterns, health status, genetic diversity, and the threats facing wildlife in complex ecosystems. By collecting accurate and consistent data, we enable conservation managers to adapt strategies, prioritise interventions, and measure the effectiveness of their actions.

Without precise monitoring, endangered species like the African Wild Dog, Black Rhino, and African White-backed Vulture face even greater risks. Through our work, Wildlife ACT helps ensure that management actions are science-driven, targeted, and capable of delivering tangible conservation outcomes where they are most urgently needed.

Many African nature reserves and protected areas do not have the funds or capacity to run effective wildlife monitoring projects despite monitoring being an essential part of conservation. Wildlife ACT assists these nature reserves by providing tracking and monitoring services, and where possible, free of charge.

Wildlife ACT is unique in that we actively advance conservation by initiating, implementing and managing monitoring projects on reserves which do not have existing monitoring programmes in place, or by taking over existing monitoring projects on reserves that can no longer fund or manage them.

Wildlife ACT operates across some of southern Africa’s most important protected areas and nature reserves, focusing on landscapes that serve as critical strongholds for endangered and priority species.

Our dedicated monitoring teams are based in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, Manyoni Private Game Reserve, uMkhuze Game Reserve, and Somkhanda Game Reserve — protected areas that are vital to the survival of species such as the African Wild Dog, Cheetah, Black Rhino, Lion, Elephant, and Vulture populations. In addition to our core sites, Wildlife ACT assists with post-release monitoring and strategic tracking projects across a number of partner protected areas, ensuring that reintroduced individuals are closely supported during critical adaptation periods.

Beyond Zululand, Wildlife ACT is actively engaged in monitoring and conservation efforts in the Southern Drakensberg, where we contribute to the protection of endangered species such as the Bearded Vulture. Our reach also extends beyond the continent to North Island in the Seychelles, where we support terrestrial and marine species recovery efforts, including sea turtle monitoring, coral reef assessments, and the protection of critically endangered bird species.

Through an ongoing presence across these critical regions, Wildlife ACT ensures that conservation actions are informed by daily, real-world data and that endangered species are given the best possible chance to thrive in their natural habitats.

Wildlife ACT’s conservation volunteers form an integral part of our endangered and priority species monitoring efforts across protected areas in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Working alongside experienced Wildlife Monitors, volunteers actively assist in the daily fieldwork required to collect critical data that informs conservation management decisions. Volunteers operate as field assistants, supporting the systematic tracking, identification, and observation of species such as African Wild Dogs, Black and White Rhinos, Cheetahs, Lions, Elephants, Vultures, and Leopards.



Their involvement enhances Wildlife ACT’s capacity to maintain consistent, year-round monitoring efforts, ensuring a rapid response to emerging threats and changes in animal behaviour or health.

Monitoring endangered species requires detailed, daily data collection to inform adaptive management strategies. Conservation volunteers contribute to:

• Locating wildlife using radio telemetry tracking, spoor identification, and field observations
• Recording critical data including GPS locations, group structures, movements, and behaviours
• Capturing high-quality identification photographs to update and maintain species-specific identikits
• Supporting emergency interventions, such as responding to snaring incidents or wildlife breakouts
• Assisting with camera trap deployments and biodiversity surveys where needed

Monitoring activities are conducted primarily from 4x4 vehicles during the early morning and late afternoon sessions, with midday breaks aligned to animal activity patterns. Accurate photography and detailed data recording during each session form the backbone of Wildlife ACT’s contribution to species conservation strategies at local, regional, and national levels.

Through their involvement, Wildlife ACT’s conservation volunteers help sustain professional monitoring efforts that might otherwise be limited by funding constraints.


This model strengthens the long-term viability of endangered species management, enables swift interventions, and enhances the collective understanding of Africa’s threatened wildlife.

Wildlife ACT’s volunteer-supported model ensures that monitoring work remains consistent, ethical, and impactful, always rooted in science, collaboration, and a genuine commitment to protecting Africa’s biodiversity.