Africa Needs Lions

You know that feeling you have when you walk away from something great, that pit in your stomach, wondering if you are making the wrong choice and wondering if you return would it ever even be the same again. I seem to be very familiar with that feeling...leaving Texas, then leaving London and most recently, leaving Antelope Park in Zimbabwe. It is unsettling how attached I became to a place in just three short weeks. I say short because it went too fast, but it's a place that you settle into the routine by the second day. And it is a comfortable routine, one that is very easy to live by. The 6 am mornings don't seem so early after a couple of days, daily walks with lions start to feel commonplace, even scooping poo starts to feel like a privilege. It's a privilege because it is a necessary part of a much greater plan and because of the people who are there working alongside you with the same common goal, to save Africa's lions. Everybody associates Africa with lions and lions with Africa. But what very few people know is that Africa is losing its lions at an alarming rate. Fifty years ago the numbers were at 450,000. Twenty five years ago, 250,000. Today, just 20,000 wild lions left in the whole of Africa. Try and imagine an Africa without the lion. It could happen within our lifetime and it would be our fault. Trophy hunting, poaching, human encroachment on their land. It's easy for some to disconnect themselves from this issue or even not believe that it is an issue, but I promise you, if you ever have the privilege to look into the eyes of a lion, it's something you'll not soon forget.
When I booked my trip to come volunteer at Antelope Park I had high expectations for my time there, but what I didn't expect was how strongly this cause and these lions would take hold of me. Waking up at sunrise to the mist rising off of the river.




Taking the cubs on their morning walk, watching them stalk and chase impalas with only their natural instinct to rely on. Having a pack of horses charging head on, interrupting your volleyball game. Having elephants trunks poking and prodding you in search of a treat.




 Riding a horse into the bush within feet of zebra, giraffe and wildebeest. Having a bonfire with your new friends listening to the lions roaring into the darkness. Sitting just inches behind a chain link fence while seven fully grown male lions charge full speed straight at you in a battle of dominance to claim the largest pile of meat as their own.




Hand feeding cubs their vitamin A supplements and getting lion kisses on the palm of your hand.




 Riding in the back of a truck through the bush with the sun shining. Walking the cubs for 6 hours through the bush so they can become familiar with their natural environment and practice their hunting.







Taking the temperature of a full grown lioness rectally while she has been darted to take a blood sample to test for FIV.

Riding in the back of a truck with a dead zebra to feed to the lions.







Having an elephant kneel down so you can climb up onto its back and go for a ride. But best of all, watching a pride of hand raised lions, living on their own in stage two, taking down zebra like its a joke all while raising the 5 cubs they have produced, which are the future of this program and the proof that it is working and that it will work.

Antelope Park is magic in every sense of the word and I have no doubt that ALERT is the organization that will save the African Lion. It is a hard task to try and write my feelings about my time at AP and the things ALERT is doing there in one blog post, but it is easy for me to say that being a small part of it has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.

For more information on what ALERT is doing and how you can help please visit www.lionalert.org




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Reality Check

I leave in less than 17 hours...this is probably not good...

It's Official

Today I turned in my resignation from a great company that I have been with for over 6 years and has given my opportunities I never imagined which have literally changed my life in every way. 

I love to think back to moments in time that changed the course of your life without even realizing it. Six and a half years ago, I had a very dear friend who was going through a very hard time.  I was working at Target at the time and I was pretty unhappy sporting the red and khaki everyday, especially on the weekends. After I got off of work one night at about 11pm I decided to stop by said friends house to see how she was doing.  Another one of our mutual friends was there, who I hadn't  really seen in a couple of years. I was moaning about how terrible unloading freight trucks at 4 am was whilst being forced to wear red and khaki and this friend mentioned that she had just gotten a new job, they were hiring and she would try and get me an interview. I asked what she did. She said that she messed with numbers on spreadsheets. Easy enough.  Plus, I would get to work with fun, young people. Plus, I wouldn't have to unload trucks at 4 am. Plus, I got to sit. All day. Plus, I got lunches catered. Plus, they wanted to pay me way more. Plus, I didn't have to work weekends. Plus, not only did I not have to wear red and khaki, but I could wear whatever I wanted. Even pajamas. You get the point. 
Since that day six and a half years ago, my job has seen me form amazing friendships, travel all over the US on an expense account and pay me to move to London.  A city I have wanted to live in since I first came in 2003. I pretty much hit the jackpot. Sometimes I don't know how I got so lucky.  I have never been one of those 'charmed' people. You know the type, the ones who always get what they want or didn't even know they wanted. The ones who coast through life with no clue what life is really like for 'the rest of us'.  But these last couple of years I have had to literally pinch myself because I can't believe how freaking awesome my life is, for me.  I know I haven't always chosen the most 'traditional' path, but I have stumbled along, down a path that is perfect for me.

When I moved to London, I didn't know what to expect. I did expect that two years would be forever and I'd be on a plane home exactly two years later when my contract was up.  I wasn't worried about meeting people or having people to do things with. But I had absolutely no idea that I would meet people here who would be friends for the rest of my life.  It is cliche to say that when you are away from your family, that your friends are your family. But it couldn't be more true. You spend holidays, birthdays, sick days, bad days and good days with these people and they become something more than just your friends. 

So it is for those reasons, and so many more, why I am so desperately sad to leave London.  I love everything about this city other than it's proximity to my family and maybe it's lack of good Mexican food, but even that has become bearable. But after several years of saving, planning and dreaming; an idea that was planted in my head on my first trip to Africa back in 2008 by two Aussie backpackers on their gap year, will now become my reality. I'll be leaving London on March 5th, headed to Texas for family time, a wedding, the birth of my 3rd neice and then, sometime in April, I'll head down to South America and make my way East until I end up back in Texas sometime the following year. I'm pretty sure my parents are horrified, but they are doing a good job of being supportive, as they always are.  After the 'incident' last year in India where I went 'off the grid' for three days, I know this next year will be torture for them. Sorry parentals.

So here's to my last 5 weeks in London.  I'm going to try and blogercise a little more because I want to remember what these last weeks in my city feel like.