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As you will be able to see and follow on my facebook page, I have recently done and completed a course in South Africa to become a qualified Nature Field Guide, or Ranger as most of you will know it to be called. But I need help to be able to continue doing this.
My time in South Africa has opened my eyes to a new world and also to a new life as a Ranger and a conservationist. I have seen how big the problem of poaching is and I have also seen how the poaching is being fought to try and stop it. Keep in mind that Rhino poaching is only one of the problems. In 2012 the toll was approximatle 700 rhinos that were poached . We are now in April 2013 and the toll is already at 203! There are only about 17,000 white rhino left and it doesn’t take a genius to calculate how long it is going to take to wipe them out.
Lion poaching is also on the rise and sadly there are even less lions left in Africa, only about 12,000!
Almost every lodge and reserve has their own anti-poaching units. These guys work for peanuts! They are paid very little but put their lives on the line every night when they go out to patrol the reserves where they work. One of the anti-poaching guys I work with was even stung on his elbow by a highly venomous scorpion. He was rushed to hospital but was back at work the next day, even though his arm was still weak and sore. That is how dedicated these guys are. They don’t do it for the money, they do it for the passion and love they have for the bush and the animals there. It’s the same with my fellow Rangers. We don’t get big paychecks and it certainly doesn’t make you rich financialy, it does make you a millionaire as far as experience, fullfillment and satisfaction is concerned.
I have done a lot of different jobs over the years but absolutely nothing has given me more satisfaction than being able to guide people into the bush and inform them on everything we encounter, discuss the issues on poaching and what the possibilities are on countering it. There is no greater feeling than when people actually say that they had forgotten how wonderous the bush is and I have helped then regain that feeling or when they agree on how to tackle poachers.
Being a Ranger is, in my opinion, the best job in the world and I want nothing more than to get back to South Africa and get back into the bush to do what I love and believe in. To get back to educating people on the issues at hand such as poaching and maybe even get into an anti-poaching unit. The best part is that the Mabula Game Reserve has offered me a permanent position as a Ranger.
The issue here is that there are finacial requirements for getting the visa for South Africa. I am not going to beg or just ask for money, I would like to request an investment in nature conservation. Yes, it will be used to get me back to South Africa, but that means I could get back into the world of Nature preservation and do my part in preserving wildlife for our future generations. There is no substitute for seeing the wildlife in their natural environment. Seeing those animals in a zoo is not the same thing, those animals are conditioned and do not act naturally.
Please, any contribution to me is a contribution to nature and an investment in conserving the natural evironment for future generations! The visa requirements for South Africa say I need to make a 750 Euro deposit, I need to get the ticket and I need at least 1000 Euro's as savings to prove I can sustain myself there. I don’t mean to preach or beg, but if you do want to help then please contact me personally so I can explain the situation and hopefully I can count on your help.
Thank you
Kind regards
Erik Lessing
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