In my profession and in my passion for traveling I get to meet alot of people, some I like, some I don´t like and some I get the honor to call my friends. During my first trip to South Africa I met Niall, a friendly and a bit crazy guy from Irleand. He was also going to do volunteer-work, but with Rhino Conservation at a place called "Wild Heart Conservation".
I have since then seen amazing pictures of rhinos, the gentle giants that will soon go extinct if projects like this one didn´t exist.
I asked Niall if he would do us the honors of answering a few questions about what it´s like to be a volunteer at this project, you can read the answers below.
Why did you want to go to South Africa in the first place?
It has always been a dream of mine to go to South Africa and to see the wildlife there in their natural habitat, and to see how they overcome the problems that they encounter on a daily basis. Problems like drought, habitat loss, predation, food shortage and human interference are a part of these animals day to day life.
Why did you choose to volunteer with rhinos?
Before I worked with rhinos I didn´t know much about them, even though they are a part of the Big 5. By finding this rhino conservation program I made it my mission to go and learn as much as I can about them, the challenges they are facing and what I can do to help.
Describe a typical day at Wild Heart Conservation
A typical day starts at around 5.30-6.00 am where we head out into the reserve with bales of hay and track the rhinos with the help of telemetry. Once we find them we feed them and observe them to make sure they seem happy and healthy. We then head off on a drive through the reserve to check on the rest of the wildlife. between 9.00-10.00 am we head back to the camp for breakfast and some relaxing until 16.00 pm where we head back into the reserve to track and feed the rhinos again. If there is a ful moon then a fence check is done early in the morning and late at night to see if there is any unwanted activity such as poachers (they use the clear moonlight to be able to poach without turning on lights of their own).
Why is this important to you?
It´s important to me because these animals as well as alot of the wildlife in the world needs our help, they need us to be their voice and help them to be conserved and to stay on this planet as they have every right to be here and not to be used for humans interest in money!
Where do you see yourself in the future, is this something you would want to work with?
In the future I want to get in to some form of conservation, working with preserving the most vulnerable of animals and making a change to keep the species alive!
What would be the dream?
My dream would be to make a difference in the animal kingdom for the species that need it urgently and to get more poeple involved and start a chain of making a difference. The extinction rate is rising at an alarming rate for a lot of species which needs to change. That is my dream!
So there you have it guys, thank you so much Niall for your contribution to helping the wildlife that we all love!!
And if there is anyone that wants to check out the volunteerprogram dont hesitate to contact me and I will put you in contact with the organisation!
In a few days we will get an interview with the man behind it all, with the biggest heart for conservation - Mr. Francois Meyer, so stay tuned folks!
Love / F
A chilly winterday in South Africa last year I met Niall, here we are on the top of the Soweto Towers!
The lovely rhinos Niall help protecting - what an amazing opportunity!!
Niall looking out over the wild South Africa - looking for his beloved rhinos!