Natural Philosophy

Natural Philosophy

There's no such thing as an "everyday" visit to The Rhino Orphanage. Photo credit: Lianna Nixon.
There’s no such thing as an “everyday” visit to The Rhino Orphanage. Photo credit: Lianna Nixon.

I’d like to take a moment to get real about myself, and my time here in South Africa. I’m 25 years old, which is special in no way, except for the fact that at this young age I have already lived and travelled in 25 countries. To be more specific, I have been employed or participated in academic programs: I have hiked to Machu Picchu, spent entire days at museums in Istanbul, volunteered in Croatia and worked in Mexico. I’ve enjoyed my freedom of movement thoroughly, and taken advantage of every opportunity to travel and see the world, when possibility did not conflict with responsibility. In recent years, however, even as my wanderlust has grown, my impressionability seems to have diminished. But there is something about this world, here, that is somehow all the more… breathtaking.Continue reading “Natural Philosophy”

The Matriarch

The Matriarch

Everyone needs a personal connection to wildlife in order to get involved. Since I was little, I’ve wanted to make a positive difference in the lives of animals: and here, I am sharing with you why I want to make that difference. I could list many reasons why elephants and rhinos are important and should not be eradicated from this earth, but unless you find your own connection, my words are lost. So, after reading, take a moment and figure out why you should care about the poaching crisis and please note that none of my grandma’s elephant souvenirs were made of ivory.Continue reading “The Matriarch”

The Black Backed Jackal and Me

The Black Backed Jackal and Me

So, I’m a romantic. I’m talking a hard-core romantic here. I’m talking visualizing my very own music videos to Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” where Prince Charming enfolds me in his arms and kisses me, passionately, in the forest, under the moonlight, on a unicorn.Continue reading “The Black Backed Jackal and Me”

To trade or not to trade in their horn, rhinos are subjects of a life.

To trade or not to trade in their horn, rhinos are subjects of a life.

An orphan's eye that has witnessed the brutal slaughter of its mother.
The eye of an orphan that has witnessed the brutal slaughter of its mother.

The debate on whether or not to legalize trade in rhino horn is largely a philosophical one that mostly takes place in air-conditioned rooms while the rhino slaughter continues to spiral out of control to a point where estimations say that we are losing at least 1 rhino every 9-11 hours. Philosophical debates are expensive and time consuming and whether you are anti- or pro- rhino horn trade there is an agreement that rhinos need to be conserved. This common ground is an ideal place to start when trying to protect rhino populations. But instead of saving these majestic creatures for their monetary worth or any other sort of value they may hold for the human race, why not conserve them for their inherent worth? Why not conserve rhinos, and all other wildlife, solely for the reason that they are subjects of a life?Continue reading “To trade or not to trade in their horn, rhinos are subjects of a life.”

In the Rough

In the Rough

The past few days have been pretty intense. I’ve been feeling a lot of things, sometimes feeling my way through the dark. First with the film classes: Marius Van Straaten has been teaching us his tricks, possibly all the tricks in the book, so we can get the best footage and the best shots to tell the story of the plight of critically endangered species in South Africa.Continue reading “In the Rough”

Everybody Poops

Everybody Poops

We’ve been so lucky so far. We saw four white rhinos the very first game drive, a circus of elephants (the technical term for a group) in the evening the next day, and a cheetah in the next morning. We’ve also been lucky with the people, who have taught us a great deal about poaching, animal behavior, and the birds and the bees. We have worked with three rangers so far, two of whom are called JP (no relation, except a jocular tendency and an unwillingness to wear full pants, even in 40 degree weather) and Trevor.Continue reading “Everybody Poops”

My First Day in the Bush–A Dream Come True

My First Day in the Bush–A Dream Come True

Today I entered the Bush for my very first time in what I know will be the first of many over the course of my life. I am lucky enough to be a part of a beautiful group, Youth 4 African Wildlife, that is spending 6 weeks deep in the South African Bush filming our majestic and perfectly orchestrated wildlife for the purpose of animal conservation. This is my dream. Hyenas are opportunistic hunters, and I am a completely opportunistic opportunity taker.Continue reading “My First Day in the Bush–A Dream Come True”

The not so obvious effects of rhino poaching.

The not so obvious effects of rhino poaching.

Shaka, the orphaned rhino calf.A day with orphaned rhino calves tends to get one thinking about how this scourge of poaching will affect the new generation of rhinos, those future adults who if the status quo does not change will be senselessly hacked to death for their horns. Perhaps rhinos will evolve to be aggressive towards people and end up defending themselves against poachers, but the current rates at which they are being slaughtered does not give natural selection enough time to work its magic and besides, there is not much evolution can do against a poachers bullet. Perhaps if we were dealing with orphaned human beings the effects would be easier to consider as these are well documented. Emotional attachment disorders, juvenile delinquency and bad parenting are some of the most quoted effects of being orphaned if you are a human being. Rhinos are however not as well studied and this makes predicting the effects of being orphaned slightly more difficult.Continue reading “The not so obvious effects of rhino poaching.”

From one Generation to the Next

From one Generation to the Next

Finally, we are on the road to the reserve. The ride has been fairly unremarkable. There have been no incidents and no drama, only continuous scenery of grasslands sparsely dotted with trees as far as the eye can see: with the exception, of course, of the mountain Fortunate told us about. The legend is that if you climb it you will never come back again. Which begs the question – was the crucifix placed at the summit for the climber’s faith and family, or for himself?Continue reading “From one Generation to the Next”