I am SO excited to share this next story! Growing up in South Africa I was privileged to spend many a school vacation on ‘safari’ or ‘in the bush’ as South Africans say. I love animals and seeing them in their natural habitat is a privilege that many people will never have. This is, in no small part due to poaching of animals for their tusks, horns or skins; as well as habitat destruction other human activities. I greatly admire anyone who stands on the front-line to protect and care for our animals. This is where Ali comes in. I met Ali when on Safari in South Africa with some friends from the UK. She was our game ranger and when she spoke I was surprised to hear a British accent. I asked Ali how she ended up in that truck – it turns out she has an amazing story of following her passion. Here it is:
Take it away Ali:
I am a Safari Field Guide in South Africa (sometimes referred to as a ‘Ranger’). I work on Selati Game Reserve in Limpopo province for a conservation and research volunteering programme called Leo Africa (www.leoafrica.org). My job involves leading research game drives focussed on finding our lions and also specialized days which we spend on a quad bike tracking black rhinos to support our anti-poaching teams. I am also responsible for our Elephant ID kits and spend the time that I am not on drives, looking through camera trap photos in order to identify specific individuals, their relationships, behaviour and general numbers.
I love it for several reasons: Firstly I get to be close to nature, and spend my days outside in the bush. I love teaching people about the environment and seeing their enthusiasm grow as they learn more about the reserve, the birds and trees as well as general game! Secondly I am front line support protecting our Rhinos which is a subject extremely close to my heart. Our job is extremely unique in this regard and I feel very privileged to spend so much time with these incredible animals.
Did you always just know what you wanted to do?
Actually I didn’t! I have always been drawn to nature (as a child I wanted to be a vet) but after a short career as a Scuba Diving Instructor I ended up working in an Investment bank in London for 12 years! After about 8 years I knew I wanted to do something different – something that would take me outdoors but I didn’t know what to do and I was conscious that I also needed to earn enough money to pay the mortgage! It took a long time and a little bit of a push for me to make the leap and change my career.
What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge for me was leaving my friends and family behind and moving to a different country. Originally I had only intended to take a year out to do something different before returning to the UK and trying to find a different career, but the bush takes hold of you! After a year away I felt that I had barely scraped the surface of what South Africa has to offer and what I can learn and experience and I decided to stay longer. It isn’t easy being so far away from the people you love and missing what goes on in their lives on a day to day basis. I try to keep updated with everyone on FaceBook and my family use WhatsApp a lot to message each other. When we can we Skype, but the signal isn't often good enough for video.
Did you give up your day job to follow your passion? When did you know the time was right?
Yes I did. I originally took a 3 month sabbatical and spent 1 month of it in South Africa volunteering on a game reserve near where I am now. The experience was incredible and ignited something in me that desperately wanted to learn more about the environment and a passion for the South African wildlife. I was ‘lucky’ to be made redundant on my return and I saw that as I sign to do something different whilst I had the chance! One of the guides that I volunteered with had studied with a group called ‘Bushwise’(www.bushwise.co.za) that offer Field Guide courses and place you with a lodge or reserve for 6 months after your training. As soon as I was made redundant I signed up for the 12 month course, put my house up for rent, my belongings into storage and off I went!
What are you hoping to achieve in the future?
This is a really difficult question. Part of my plan at the moment is not to have one! Historically, I have always been very driven and known where I want to be in terms of promotion or materialistic gain, but part of following my dream was abandoning that to a certain extent. One thing I do know is that I want to continue learning and gaining experience in my industry and open myself up to as many new experiences that I can in the future. I’m learning to be more flexible and seeing where life takes me….
What do you love most about living your passion?
I really do learn something new every day. I hear a new bird or see an animal do something that I haven’t seen before. I meet new people regularly as our volunteers stay with us anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months. I love spending time with the Elephants and the Rhinos. Elephants have such amazing personalities and are so smart and emotional. Spending time with them you see how amazing they are and how protective the herd is over the infants. I could honestly sit and watch them for hours as the older ones teach the younger ones how to do things like stripping bark of a tree, or communicating with belly rumbles and touches of their trunks– it really is quite incredible. Our Rhinos too have such unique characters and are amazing animals. With the levels of poaching exceeding 1000 in 2013, there is no doubt that some people will NEVER see one of these animals in the wild. This is a tragic thought and I love that I am directly involved in protecting them and ensuring they have a long, happy and healthy life.
What would you advise someone who doesn't know what their passion is?
Take a break! Get away from your day job and do something different. If you are lucky enough that your firm offers a sabbatical of sorts then take it. Think about which country have you always been drawn to, or what you always wanted to do but never had the chance? For me I also spent 2 months travelling across Bali and Australia – meeting people along the way, some of which were following their dreams – which helped to open my mind to possibilities and explore solutions the obvious challenges of changing your life or your career!
Do you have any tips for people who share a passion for wildlife conservation and want to make it their living?
There are many ways in; you may want to do a degree in Wildlife Conservation and Management, Zoology or Ecology, or if you are interested in guiding you may want to follow the route I did by doing a FGASA Level 1 course which can place you with a wildlife conservation group like LeoAfrica. There are many ways to follow your dream, but you have to make it happen!
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