South Africa - the third excursion

Part of our humanitarian mission in Southern Africa is to end human trafficking by preventing it from happening in the first place. This heinous crime is happening worldwide, and the victims of this horrendous act are often our most vulnerable children. We aim to give an opportunity of hope for the futures of at risk teens and impoverished youth, a future in which they can stand on their own two feet with dignity and confidence. We want to give them hope for their future, and the future of wildlife, by equipping them with experience and skills in wildlife conservation. We believe that the conservation industry offers a life of abundance and aspiration, giving honest individuals the chance to lift themselves up, provide for their families, and take part in establishing a future for their entire country’s wildlife.

Through hands-on experiences in the natural world we will be introducing the kids to a possible career in wildlife conservation. And with continuing exposure to wildlife conservation and skills being shared by local guides and reserve teams, we will be able to start the youth on a path to completing nationally recognized qualifications like FGASA (Field Guides Association of Southern Africa). Which will then open the door to employment on local game reserves. 

Report from Enslin and Savannah Scheepers:

The morning was bright and alive with birdsong when we met up with the safe house. We all drove together, Enslin and I, two caretakers, and 12 kids aging from 8-19.

There was a palpable excitement in the shuttle, and any shyness felt by the younger kids quickly wore off. And the entire hour long trip was filled with constant chatting and much of exuberant singing.

Questions of what wildlife we would see were also a constant, along with exclamations of wonder and awe as we drove along the scenic route. From the the green forests, the high mountains in the distance, and the vast ocean before them, there was not a quiet moment in the trip.

And then we arrived at Botlierskop Private Game Reserve…

Here we were met with gracious staff who very quickly and professionally got the whole group onto the large game viewer to await the guide’s arrival.

When our guide Neil arrived he gave a good safety briefing, which the kids listened to intently. And after that, and a few requests to see cheetahs, lions, and, basically every other animal, we were off!

Almost immediately upon entering the game reserve, a call came in on the radio of a cheetah sighting! So we drove around the area, all eyes desperately searching through the fynbos foliage for a chance to “spot” the spotted pelt of the world’s fastest land mammal.

And then…we saw them.

There were four cheetahs, though the mother was hiding quite well. The three cubs however, where much more camera friendly. The kids could only stare in awe. And Neil gave them very insightful facts on cheetahs, which gave rise to many questions and observations from the entire vehicle.

After awhile, the young cubs went off in the direction of the thick undergrowth, and soon disappeared out of sight.

From there we stopped by the dark, flowing river where a flock of ostriches was busy foraging about, along with waterbuck and hartebeest antelope. All of these were very exciting for the kids, and they were not shy to ask questions, as well as give their own facts.

Continuing onward and upward, we crossed the river and climbed the great hills, ever higher to the tops of the slopes.

Everyone was amazed by the capabilities of the game viewer.

And as we drove along the top of the slope, Niel pointed out a little group of giraffes. For some in the vehicle, this was a very special sighting, as giraffes were their favorite. 

We spent a good amount of time with the giraffes, but the wind picked up and they eventually retreated further into the bush.

So we trekked on.

We came to the edge of the slopes, overlooking the valley below and the swaying forests. It was quite a view…but something else was causing a sway in the forest…it was a small herd of elephants!

They were grazing and foraging amongst the trees below, and although we could not get very close to them, the view was no less stunning for the whole group. They were seeing so much that they had never seen before, remarkable wildlife that, despite living in the same country as them, had always been inaccessible. 

Questions followed as Niel gave information about the world’s largest land mammal, and we all had a nice discussion on the subject. 

But there was still more to see.

So we left the elephants, who were slowly disappearing amongst the dancing trees.

Niel knew where another iconic animal was hiding…

We drove downwards towards an open area, and even from far, we could spot the rhinos.

The kids excitedly began pointing and calling out “There! There!” and we came into the grassy clearing, One of the kids whispered in awe, “Rhino…” 

We then were able to drive close to the rhinos to view them as they grazed. The whole group really enjoyed this, and it gave Niel a great opportunity to speak on the important conservation efforts with regards to rhinos in South Africa.

After the rhinos, we saw lots of impala and wildebeest, but there was one animal the whole vehicle was excited to see…lions.

So we headed up and up very steep, rocky slopes until we reached the top where we were greeted with a stunning view. All around us was a great plateau of grassland, overlooking the far off Outeniqua Mountains on one side, and the Indian Ocean stretching out to the unknown horizon.

Here we saw many zebra, springbok, ostrich, and wildebeest. But we were on our way to the section of the reserve where the lions had last been located.

Thankfully, lions are lazy, and we found them fast asleep where they had last been seen by other guides. There was one large male lion and two females. The sighting was great for all, and everyone in the vehicle was in silent amazement at the size of the great cats. Once more, Niel gave a wonderful description of the habits and behavior of lions, as well as the part they play in conservation and the ecosystem.

After the lions we started to head back to the lodge, where a gourmet lunch was waiting to be served to the kids. But along the way, we also came across a herd of cape buffalo, and thus the kids got to see all but one of the iconic Big 5. This was quite a proud accomplishment for them, especially since they had never had the opportunity to witness wildlife like this before!

We returned to the stunning Botlierskop lodge and everyone sat down at the beautiful restaurant. The kids were so excited to experience this fine dining, the nice sodas, and the gourmet burgers. The kids were an excited and hungry bunch, but by the time they finished their meal, they were exhausted.

After it was all over and we went back home, we were informed by the caretakers that, the entire group absolutely LOVED the whole experience, but particularly some of the older kids were extremely inspired by the experience and had had their eyes opened to the possibility of a future for themselves. This was very moving for us, as it was such a huge part of our goal for this project. We are excited to work more with all of these kids, and continue to mentor and inspire them towards a sustainable future where they can uplift themselves, their families, and their country’s wildlife.

With every moment we spend with these young individuals, and every excursion we take with them, we see HOPE become a living visualization through them.