Photo Story: The three amigos
By Caroline Edmonds
I recently visited the Kruger National Park with fellow director Rodney Nombekana. For people who don’t know Rodney, he is one of the foremost rangers in southern Africa and with him guiding the way, brilliant leopard and lion sightings are guaranteed. Rodney’s knowledge is so vast that what he doesn’t know isn’t worth worrying about. On a chilly morning, Rodney drove us to the Chongwe with one goal – to find some male lions who hang out in the area and are sometimes seen away from the rest of the pride. To our delight, we found them. It would seem these three friends were on a boys’ day out, engaging in typical male lion activities – languishing in the open, unthreatened, chilled, not a care in the world.
A time capsule back to 2000
Thinkpiece
Imagine it is the year 2000. The world is celebrating a new millennium. We have survived the hysteria of Y2K; another “end of humanity” conspiracy passes us by … Phew.
Incredible India: A fascinating chat with our family-in-wildlife
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” – Mahatma Gandhi
India and South Africa have more than you think in common. Both countries were colonised by the English, and both were, at times, home to Mahatma Gandhi, whose role in non-violent resistance to apartheid between 1907 and 1914 was later to inspire the passive resistance movement in India of 1946–48. In 1926, while Paul Kruger (former apartheid president and Gandhi’s nemesis) was opening the famed Kruger National Park, Gandhi was enduring a year of silence back in India in a non-violent protest against the oppression of his people. Gandhi’s beliefs and actions also influenced the 1952 Defiance Campaign in South Africa. Led by the African National Congress, it marked the beginning of an era of mass resistance to apartheid in the country.
The dogs that live next door to lions
One good thing that has come out of lockdown is the huge increase in pet adoptions worldwide. Our supporters may know Kevin and his crew as some of the world’s biggest “cat people”, but the truth is, we are all avid dog lovers too. So when a thin and scared female pit bull cross was found sniffing hungrily around the fridge area, hearts melted amongst the staff. This little woof was in bad condition, full of ticks and fleas and clearly surviving however she could.