United Tansania Hyena Project – Volunteer for Wildlife Conservation at Lake Eyasi
Protecting Tanzania’s Most Misunderstood Predator
Step beyond the safari and become part of real wildlife conservation.
The United Tansania Hyena Project is a long-term conservation and research initiative dedicated to protecting both spotted and striped hyenas living around the beautiful Lake Eyasi ecosystem in northern Tanzania. Working alongside local communities, researchers and international volunteers, the project studies hyena behaviour, monitors populations and develops practical solutions that allow people and wildlife to live together peacefully.
Hyenas play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems, yet they remain one of Africa’s most misunderstood and persecuted predators. Through scientific research, education and community engagement, the project is helping to change perceptions while protecting these remarkable animals for future generations.
Why Lake Eyasi?
Lake Eyasi lies between the Ngorongoro Highlands and Lake Manyara, creating an important wildlife corridor where hyenas, leopards and other carnivores share the landscape with pastoralist and hunter-gatherer communities.
As human populations grow, conflicts between livestock owners and predators become more common. Understanding how hyenas move, hunt and interact with local communities is essential for developing conservation strategies that benefit both wildlife and people. The project focuses on reducing human-wildlife conflict through research, monitoring and education.
What Does the Project Do?
The United Tansania Hyena Project carries out a wide range of conservation activities, including:
- Monitoring spotted and striped hyena populations
- Setting and checking camera traps across the landscape
- Tracking hyena movements and identifying individuals
- Collecting ecological data and behavioural observations
- Recording predator activity within wildlife corridors
- Supporting local communities with conflict mitigation initiatives
- Delivering environmental education and conservation awareness programmes
- Researching ways to improve long-term coexistence between people and carnivores
Every piece of data collected contributes to a better understanding of these elusive predators and helps guide future conservation efforts.
Volunteer with the Hyena Project
This is not your typical volunteer experience.
Join experienced researchers in the field and gain hands-on experience in African wildlife conservation while exploring one of Tanzania’s most fascinating landscapes.
Whether you’re passionate about wildlife, studying conservation, taking a gap year, or simply looking for a meaningful travel experience, you’ll become part of a dedicated team working to protect one of Africa’s least understood species.
As a Volunteer You May Help With:
- Installing and retrieving camera traps
- Identifying hyenas and other wildlife from photographs
- Wildlife monitoring and field surveys
- GPS mapping and habitat recording
- Data collection and research support
- Community outreach and conservation education
- Camp maintenance and daily project activities
No previous experience is necessary. Training is provided, and volunteers work alongside experienced conservation staff throughout their stay.
More Than Conservation
Volunteering with the United Tansania Hyena Project is also an incredible cultural experience.
During your stay, you’ll have opportunities to explore the unique landscapes surrounding Lake Eyasi and meet some of Tanzania’s most fascinating indigenous communities, including the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers and the Datoga pastoralists. You’ll experience life far beyond the traditional tourist route while making a genuine contribution to wildlife conservation.
Who Can Volunteer?
We welcome:
- Wildlife enthusiasts
- Conservation students
- Photographers
- Gap year travellers
- Solo travellers
- Couples
- University groups
- Anyone with a passion for protecting wildlife
Whether you can join for one week or several months, every volunteer helps make a difference.
Why Your Volunteer Matters
Healthy hyena populations are essential for healthy ecosystems. As nature’s clean-up crew and skilled predators, hyenas help control disease, recycle nutrients and maintain ecological balance.
By volunteering, you’re contributing directly to research that helps protect these remarkable animals while supporting local communities in creating sustainable solutions for living alongside wildlife.
Together, we can help ensure that Tanzania’s hyenas continue to roam the landscapes of Lake Eyasi for generations to come.
Join the Project
Combine unforgettable travel with meaningful conservation.
Volunteer with the United Tansania Hyena Project and experience Tanzania from a completely different perspective—working alongside conservationists, supporting local communities and helping protect one of Africa’s most fascinating predators.
Your adventure can leave a lasting impact.
United Tansania – Hyena Project
