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EWT / Orient-Express Wattled Crane ToursEWF flyer In honour of the critically endangered Wattled Crane specie: two exclusive 6 night journeys to the Okavango Delta which holds the largest Wattled Crane population. Scheduled for 5 – 11 March 2013 and the 20th – 26th of April 2013. Reservation enquiries: connie.neubold@orient-express.com T+27(21) 483-1600 Proceeds of this journey are in aid of the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s Wattled Crane project. I can honestly say that if I had not adopted Operation Smile as our beneficiary when running the length of the Great Wall of China in 2006, it is unlikely I would have finished that epic journey of 4, 218 km. When you do something for a purpose that benefits those less fortunate, it gives you extra strength, and you keep going. The China Run raised enough to fund the first ever Operation Smile SA mission where 54 children smiled for the first time. Now, six years later, as the Operation Smile SA ambassador and MyPlanet ambassador, I Read More About Operation Smile inspired me to Do One Thing: I would like to share the following email and letters with you: Dear Braam and Peter, It was wonderful meeting you both in London and we hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as we did. We trust you both got home safely and have slipped back into the way of life in SA. Both Hazel and I wish to thank you again for the kindness you showed in stopping for Team Centrepoint and helping them. True camaraderie and friendship right there in a nutshell. Below are the messages I sent to Jason and the Team(s) before, during Read More About FRIENDS THROUGH ADVERSITY DID YOU KNOW … There are about 780 species of dung beetle in Southern Africa and they play a vital role in the eco system. There can be a possible 15, 000 beetles in a pile of rhino or elephant dung! The group responsible for rolling the dung balls are the Telecopids. Sometimes it is merely a ‘food ball’ and other times a ‘nuptial ball’. Here, the male deposits the ball into a hole for the female where he will then mate with her. The ‘brood ball’ will have a single egg which is rolled and buried. The Read More About Get Connected My brother, Peter, age 47, died tragically on the 30th April. This has been a tough blow for me and my family for a number of reasons. We lost another brother, Marius, at the young age of 41 some years ago. Marius died from a drug overdose and Peter unfortunately, also died from substance abuse. He had apparently fallen and taken a blow to the back of his head. Sadly, he was left outside a friend’s home, while they were there and aware of his state, for over 24 hours and not taken to a hospital. According to Read More About CHANGE and CHOICE Today is day 33. The last time we worked on Thandi was 23 days ago and I was very apprehensive at what we might find under the gruesome exterior of her facial injuries. The Kariega team for today’s procedure consisted of 25 individuals on-site but with so many thousands willing her to get well and anxious for news of her progress, we feel like only one small component of this rhino’s support network. Thandi’s Team. As usual, we gathered before the procedure to go through the plan. An addition to the team today was Dr Gerhard Steenkamp Read More About Kariega update Tuesday 22h30 4th April As we direct all our energy into the care of Thandi, the tributes to Themba and the wonderful Kariega team just pour in. We are completely overwhelmed by the comments we have received and I must hasten to add here how important it is to realise that I am just one of many dedicated people who have thrown themselves selflessly at this task. In fact I only spend a fraction of my time on Kariega compared to the rest of the team. Most of what I do for these rhino is on the phone and behind a laptop, Read More About Kariega update Tuesday 27 March 11pm Themba’s passing has been desperately tragic and I know that everyone at Kariega is hurting badly having been so intimately involved in his personal struggle to survive. Having deliberated so much about putting him to sleep the day before, his inability to get himself out of the waterhole was a clear indication that he had grown too weak to manage even the simple things he was used to doing. As I said on day 23 the benefit of hindsight would be the judge of my decisions and now that all information has been revealed, I have to concede Read More About Kariega update Monday 27 March 11pm It is with a huge sense of grief that we regret to inform you of the passing of Themba this Sunday morning. In his compromised state he failed to remove himself from a waterhole he had been drinking at. In spite of efforts to assist him he passed away just after 9am. The whole Kariega team is devastated by this loss after such a dedicated effort to save his life. Our heart felt appreciation to all those that have extended their support over the past 3 weeks. We will miss him dearly and re-commit ourselves to keeping his Read More About Kariega update Sun 25 March, sad news … The weather on the way to Kariega today couldn’t have been more reflective of the atmosphere concerning the rhino in that place. Sharp rays of bright sunshine pushing through the gloomy dark clouds that came rolling in off the sea nearby. News of Thandi is consistently promising as she spends much of her time with the mother and calf she knows well. Photographic evidence of her facial status has been difficult to come by but her behaviour gives no indication of the need for additional concern. There is no doubt that all these animals whether poached or not, Read More About Kariega update Fri 23rd March 8pm |
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