Conservation through education – sustainable & conscious living
In just 7 days, on the 17th November 2016, conservation organisations and governments from around the world will meet in Vietnam for the Ha Noi Conference on the Illegal Wildlife Trade. This will be our next chance to close the domestic ivory markets. YOUR voice can help stop this terrible trade that is killing one…
With bonfire night approaching this weekend, we're all ready and prepared for the bright and beautiful lights and sizzling sounds of fireworks erupting in back gardens and designated parks. However, something that we don't usually consider whilst we are enjoying the colourful explosions is our pets and resident animals who don't quite feel the same…
Whilst browsing a retail store today I got chatting to the store manager about my adventures in Africa during the past few years. Upon saying that I had been working at a Lion Protection Trust in South Africa, her immediate response was "awwww so you got to play with all the little lions and tigers?!"…
An official decision was made today to ban all commercial fishing in Antarctica, and so creating the world's biggest marine reserve area. The area, which is more than six times the size of the UK, will protect 1.55 million square km of the Ross Sea, and has been hailed as a "milestone for conservation".…
It has been announced that the USA has banned the imports of lion trophies that have come from captive lion populations. Following the Cites results earlier this month, which refused to uplist lions to maximum protection, failing to stop the canned hunting industry, this new decision will mean that American hunters - who make up…
"When the (Kruger) Park was proclaimed by President Paul Kruger, attitudes toward wild animals were still based on a literal interpretation of the biblical injunction that God has given Man dominion over the birds of the air and the fishes of the sea. By the time the pioneers bowed out the world was coming to…
With a heavy heart and tears in my eyes, I am very sad to say that Cites chose to ignore our pleas, as today's vote meant that it has been decided that elephants will unfortunately stay listed as Appendix II, like African lions, meaning that they will not receive the protection that they so desperately need.…
Today's Cites decision brought disappointing news for lions as the call to up-list them to Appendix 1 was not agreed upon. The outcome of the discussions by Cites - the Convention for the International Trade in Endangered Species who decides upon the listings of each animal and plant, and therefore its level of protection worldwide…
This week brought incredible news for the critically endangered, and most illegally traded animal in the world, the elusive pangolin! The majority of people have never even heard of this mammal, and many of those who have think that it is an armadillo. But pangolins are in fact the most illegally traded animal in the entire world,…
The Tree of Life. The Mother Tree. The Listening Tree. It is said that Kai, the bushman creator of all things, gave the seeds of this tree to the hyena, to plant all around Africa. But hyenas are lazy. And in his indolence, he did not take the task upon himself, and this is why…
This week celebrated World Rhino Day, which is all about spreading awareness about the rapidly depleting rhino population! I recently attended a debate in London about the legalisation of the trade of rhino horn. An interesting and very often sensitive and controversial topic, I went in to the debate being firmly against the trade, but…
So what is wildlife conservation and how can we know if our money is going to the right place? With social media being at the forefront of most people's focus these days, it almost seems as if people are doing things with the sole initial intention of being able to upload the proof onto their social media…
Once again i find myself outraged but no more surprised at the carelessness of the human race causing the unnecessary end of a beautiful animal life. I am of course talking about this week's wildlife disaster that has set the internet on fire, and conservationists and animal lovers worldwide into turmoil, about the carelessness of the parents…
As I gazed at the young tawny lioness I saw how innocent she was. I saw that the world had not yet shown her all of its beauty, nor its potential dark side. I was watching her pad through the long, pale grass so carefully and silently, when suddenly a South African quail flew up…
I am extremely excited to announce the launch of a new project that I have been working on with my Producer for while - a new video-on-demand service (like Netflix) purely for natural history documentaries! The new and unique platform offers short films, documentaries and series for rent or purchase, and can be accessed worldwide. With an…
http://www.igobyplane.com/2015/06/19/where-can-i-pet-a-baby-lion-tiger-cheetah-big-cat/ I'm sure it comes as no surprise to you that reading this article got my blood boiling to the highest degrees - so much so that I had to take a walk outside before angrily bashing the keys to write this post. Aside from the fact that this guy is illiterate, he is absolutely the…
This image really speaks a thousand words. This is a collection of all of the snares that have been found on the Mbube reserve of the White Lion Protection Trust, where I am currently situated. Snares, made by looped wire, are used mainly by meat hunters in South Africa, and have been said to be…
It’s currently 16:31 and 32 degrees Celsius in the Timbavati, I haven’t spoken to a real human being in about seven hours, I’ve got a raging cold from being exposed to 20 hours non-stop air-con on my way here, mix all that with having been up and active since 4.45am, and I’m feeling pretty delirious.…
By now you should all know the name Tilikum. Tilikum is the beautiful big orca who has been a resident at SeaWorld, Orlando for the past 24 years. He is the star of the brilliant shows that you have indulged in with awe, whilst thinking how incredibly lucky those killer whale handlers are to work…
I've lost count of the amount of times that friends have sent me photos of people that I know involved in the terrible wildlife tourism trade that is in the media so much these days, and how many times that I have wanted to write ranting long comments on those social media photos, asking them…
Earlier this week I sat with my family to watch Davina McCall's new wildlife documentary 'Life at the Extreme'. Whilst the premiere received mixed reviews about Davina's capability of presenting a wildlife documentary, I thought it was good to see an 'ordinary' person immersing themselves in the wilds of Africa. Near the end of the…
Imagine a world where you drive through the rolling hills of countryside looking for the vibrant colours of the summer-blooming wild flowers, only to find that not a single glimpse of colour can be found for miles around - only brown and green. As you ponder the reason for this you stop at a café…
Staring at the TV I can feel the anger rising inside of me as the news report unfolds. This is the story that no doubt many of you have heard about since it was first reported yesterday. A man was killed by an elephant in Thailand whilst his daughter watched. Having studied journalism I know…
The more time that I spend with Africa's elephants, the more I fall in love with them and the more that my admiration grows as I discover new things that make these creatures such beautiful souls that I feel connected with. And so I will be running 10km to raise money for the protection of…
According to Jess 