Ideas that Impact

Animals of Southern Africa

4/4/2013

Recently work brought me to Africa for the first time, I took the opportunity for a short trip into the bush in Botswana and Zimbabwe. Nature is my refuge and the bush in Botswana was deep nature. Magnificent and humbling to be in one's (vulnerable) place in nature's hierarchy.... and exquisite to see these beautiful animals in their element "on their turf." It was a brilliant place to experience the reminder of how powerful it can be to unplug from all devices for a week and just be where you are.

I feel fortunate to have seen black rhinos that are endangered and risk extinction from brutal poachers who tear their horns off brutally and just leave them to die. It's horrid. The rhinos in these pictures had their horns cut deliberately to protect them from poachers and yet they still risk being poached for the small horns that is left. The International Anti-Poaching Foundation is based in the reserve where I saw these and they are doing great work both to train locals to face poachers and to build sustainable economic opportunities for local people so that the high yield of poaching is not the only option for income. Check out www.iapf.org to learn more about this issue.

I made this short video with some of the animals that I saw for a friend's 7th birthday... Enjoy!
(Apologies for the wobble-- still learning how to use the video camera!)