Conservation through education – sustainable & conscious living
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…
My name is Jess. And I #jointheherd According to the calendar, this Chinese New Year is the year of the monkey, but we want to make 2016 the first ever #yearoftheelephant. As the human race are responsible for the decline of elephants, from 1.3 million just 40 years ago in Africa to only 400,000 left…
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…
I am so proud of myself. I passed all of my exams, practical assessments and presentations and am now officially a qualified nature guide! And so marks the end of my time at Nature Training in Zululand - It’s been an absolute rollercoaster and I’ve had some of the most incredible times of my life.…
Nature is the purest base of life. And nature is what makes this life naturally beautiful. The power that created the natural environment that we live in is so far beyond a concept that we could ever possibly grasp; yet it is within all of us. Whilst I was sleeping in the middle of the…
There is no other feeling in this world quite like falling asleep in a tent to the creaks and croaks of frogs and toads, watching the milkyway through your mesh window, knowing that there is the most dangerous animal in the world grazing right outside the zipper of your khaki home. True african bliss. 7am…
I do not wish for no hard times in my life. Don't get me wrong, I do not wish for heartache and pain and suffering, but I do not waste time praying that I don't experience any of these things because for everyone, they are inevitable. When I was a child, I lost my favourite…
Prominent American television network MSNBC is set to premiere previously mentioned canned hunting exposé Blood Lions on the 7th of October. Blood Lions follows the journey of environmental journalist, Ian Michler, and American hunter, Rick Swazey, as they expose the multi-million dollar canned hunting industry. Despite the worldwide outrage following the death of Cecil the lion, I was…
I cannot believe that it was exactly two years ago today that I first went to South Africa. It was two years ago today that I ventured out by myself, and travelled across the globe having no idea what to expect, and knowing there would not be a single person that I knew within 12,000km.…
I doubt there is a single person reading this post that hasn’t heard about the unlawful killing of Cecil the lion. As we await the outcome of the trial of the hunters, here are 10 things that you should know about the majestic king. Cecil was 13 years old and Zimbabwe’s most famous lion –…
Continue reading ➞ 10 things you need to know about Cecil the Lion
I am an animal lover therefore I am a hunter. I just enjoy watching things die and having fun killing a lion. Back in May this year I attended a talk in South Africa by environmental journalist Ian Michler about his new documentary ‘Blood Lions’. The documentary follows on from the topics discussed in my…
Continue reading ➞ I am an animal lover, therefore I am a hunter
After revealing the truth behind my lion selfie, I received a fantastic following of over 320,000 people from all around the world. I now want to take this opportunity to set a few things straight from my previous article, and give you more of an insight into my experiences undercover, and what you can do…
As I apprehensively shuffled into the caged box, my gut clenched and my heart stopped…I immediately knew that I was in a bad place, and I desperately wanted to run straight back out and find comfort in my friends hiding out in the car. But something stronger told me to carry on, something told me…
After a 28 hour journey I have made it safely to South Africa. And I'm pleased to say it all went preeeeetty smoothly. 🙂 After arriving at Heathrow, eager to get this show on the road (literally!) I joined the BA queue, residing with a lovely looking smiley young girl who's obviously so efficient that…
Only six weeks after returning from South Africa, I am venturing the 8,800 miles back there today! During my three weeks there I will be joining a film crew to shoot the pilot episode of a new documentary titled 'Volunteering for Wildlife'. The idea of the documentary is to give viewers an insight into the…
Just a quick review on a creative book that I found with a really unique take on writing. I absolutely love to write, but often I don't because I remember that every time I sit down to write I am met with, what is essentially, 'writers block'. This leads me to think that I am…
So I arrived back in London in the early hours of the English morning. The past month of my life in South Africa has been absolutely amazing and I would not change a single thing that happened. Aside from my previously posted experiences, obviously the primary reason that I went to the glorious Western Cape…
According to Jess 