WALKS
Walks completed
Rhino Peak Challenge
Saturday 17 September | Underberg, South Africa
21km
I completed the first 21km of my Walk for Wildlife initiative by taking part in the Rhino Peak Challenge in which 42 participants tackled Rhino Peak in the Drakensberg, South Africa, all with the aim of raising as much money as possible for rhino and vulture conservation. As a team we raised over R1.4 million! Despite being very challenging, it was an incredible experience meeting so many supportive people, all of whom are so passionate about conservation. A fantastic way to kick off my Walk for Wildlife!
Leopard population density survey
Monday 3 October | Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa
5.8km
I helped to download camera traps in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park for a leopard population density survey being carried out in collaboration between Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Panthera and Wildlife ACT. This study is vital to help understand the distribution of leopards in Kwa-Zulu Natal and therefore to be able to better protect them.
Somkhanda fence walk
Saturday 15 October | Somkhanda Community Game Reserve, South Africa
7.7km
I walked along the outside of the Somkhanda Community Game Reserve fenceline with Zama, the Community Conservation Manager for Wildlife ACT, as well as with five Wildlife ACT Community Conservation Ambassadors; Zenzele, Thulani, Lindani, Lindi and Gqemfe. They are from the Maphambeni community near to Somkhanda. It was great to hear from these ambassadors about the outreach and community engagement work that they do and the challenges they face so that Wildlife ACT will be better able to support them.
Ghost mountain climb
Sunday 6 November | Ghost Mountain, uMkhuze, South Africa
3.5km
I climbed Ghost Mountain in uMkhuze with Sboniso and Dumsile, two of Wildlife ACT's community conservation liaisons. They taught me about the plants we saw along the way, their medicinal uses and which wild fruits you can eat - we even sampled some! They explained to me about the Zulu history of the area, how the uMkhuze river got its name and how they teach young people in their community about the importance of wildlife and conservation. It was a fantastic walk where I learnt so much about the Zulu culture and made two great friends.
Tshanene community walk
Wednesday 9 November | Tshanene community, uMkhuze, South Africa
4.5km
Sboniso and Dumsile invited me to walk with their conservation club in the Tshanene community. The members were so enthusiastic and chatted to me about what they have learnt at the club including the species of vultures found in South Africa, medicinal uses of plants we passed such as spotted aloe and sickle bush, and the threat of erosion. The club is a fantastic way for young people to become passionate about conservation. I loved the walk and learnt so much from them about the local wildlife.
Muzi Pan
Friday 9 December | Muzi Pan, uMkhuze, South Africa
14km
This time I walked with Makhosi and her Wildlife ACT conservation club at Muzi Pan, near uMkhuze. The members talked to me along the way about how they are working with local community members to promote sustainable utilisation of wildlife such as bark from the Fever Tree which is used in traditional medicine. They also explained to me about their hopes to build a hide at Muzi Pan to allow them to take guests on birding walks at the pan. It was great to see how enthusiastic they were and I can't wait to hopefully go and visit the hide in future!
Wildlife ACT is currently managing a new Fence Project on Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park whereby 10 members of surrounding communities have been contracted in 5 teams to each patrol and maintain a 5km section of fence. This aims to protect the animals inside the reserve, promote human-wildlife co-existence surrounding the park and create livelihoods. I patrolled 3 of the sections visiting the teams and it was great to see how much of a difference they are already making by detecting faults in the electrics, clearing vegetation and filling holes.
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park Fence Patrol
Wednesday 14 December | Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa
15km
University of Bath Walk
Saturday 17 December | Bath, United Kingdom
15km
I returned to the city of Bath in the UK where I completed my undergraduate degree. Although a very different walk to the ones I have completed so far, it felt important to me to complete one in the city where my whole journey started and to do it amongst friends who have been with me from the beginning. It was quite a lot colder than I have been used to with snow on the ground and the canals frozen but it was amazing to be doing it in a place that I know so well and that I called home for 3 years.
Christmas Fundraiser
Friday 30 December | Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
25.9km
To finish off 2022 with a bang I walked 25.9km (100m for every poached rhinos) with friends and family from home. What started as a group of 6 ended with 36 and which then finished with over 100 people attending a fundraiser at my house. It was amazing to have so much support from my family and friends and to be able to include them in something that is so important to me. Overall we raised £3881 (approximately R77,620) which just blew me away and I cannot thank everyone enough for their kindness and support.
Somkhanda Wild Dog Conservation
November 2022 | Somkhanda Community Game Reserve, South Africa
3km
In September, 3 new African Wild Dogs were introduced Somkhanda Community Game Reserve. Over the next 3 months I spent 235.5 driving 1407km monitoring the dogs and waiting for them to integrate into the main pack, which they finally did on 18 December! I walked a total of 3km, a short but very important distance. It was a rollercoaster of a journey but incredible to be so involved in the process of expanding the range of this critically endangered species.
Turtle Conservation
21 January 2023 | Bhanga Nek, South Africa
3km
I visited Bhanga Nek beach in Northern Zululand where I met some of the conservationists who monitor the loggerhead and leatherback turtles that nest on the beach there. In the evening I joined them on one of their monitoring patrols for an unforgettable experience seeing 2 nests of loggerheads hatch and make their way to the sea. Wildlife ACT also supports turtle conservation through their project in the Seychelles!
Somkhanda Patrols
January 2023 | Somkhanda Community Game Reserve, South Africa
35.9km
I joined some of the Somkhanda rangers on their patrols of the reserve. The rangers spend hours every week walking to check the security of the fence line, looking for snares and monitoring the animals. One of their particular focuses is checking on the rhinos; making sure they are in good condition, reporting if there are any new calves and who the mother is, and ensuring the see each individual regularly. They are so passionate about conservation and protecting their rhinos and I am so inspired by their dedication.
Vulture response
February 2023 | Zululand, South Africa
5km
Wildlife ACT has several community conservation monitors to carry out patrols outside of protected areas to report on any potential human-wildlife conflict incidents, including wildlife poisonings. Recently one of our monitors located a carcass which he suspected to have been poisoned. I joined some other members of our team to collect samples from the site to send for analysis to check for traces of poison. It was eye-opening to be part of this team and get on-the-ground experience in poison response and vulture conservation!
Rainy Zululand lodge circuits
February 2023 | Zululand, South Africa
95.1km
We have had some intense rain and flooding in Zululand for the past few weeks. I managed to do one walk on Pongola Nature Reserve with some of the Wildlife ACT team during one of the early downpours but it soon became apparent that I would have to change my planned walks. Instead, I have been walking circuits at the Somkhanda lodge to make up my final distance. Every time I started to get bored doing laps I reminded myself that 1 lap was equivalent to 1 poached rhino and that gave me the incentive to carry on.
Global Walk for Wildlife
3 March 2023 | Manyoni, South Africa
1km
I completed the final 1km of my Walk for Wildlife on World Wildlife Day accompanied in person by the Manyoni team. On the same day schools in South Africa and the UK, some of the other Wildlife ACT teams, old Wildlife ACT volunteers and friends joined in from around the world! It was incredible to have such a big group of people taking part and the support was incredible - what a way to end the Walk for Wildlife! Thank you to everyone that took part!
