WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:02.540 If you want to learn more about the topics of 00:00:02.540 --> 00:00:06.219 today's episode, visit the podcast website at 00:00:06.219 --> 00:00:09.339 naturessecretservice .com. Thanks for listening. 00:00:33.980 --> 00:00:37.079 Okay, everybody, listen up. Here we go. This 00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:39.439 is Nature's Secret Service, the podcast that 00:00:39.439 --> 00:00:41.820 puts you in the room with the men and women of 00:00:41.820 --> 00:00:45.299 wildlife law enforcement. I'm your host, Ed Newcomer, 00:00:45.340 --> 00:00:48.560 and today we have a amazing follow -up episode 00:00:48.560 --> 00:00:51.359 to our interview last week with Craig Spencer, 00:00:51.420 --> 00:00:53.939 where he talked about his work in Oliphant's 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:58.659 West in South Africa and with the famous black 00:00:58.659 --> 00:01:01.359 mambas. Today we're very fortunate to have with 00:01:01.359 --> 00:01:04.939 us two of the black mamba anti -poaching rangers. 00:01:05.560 --> 00:01:10.659 We have Nkateko Mazimba and Colette Ngobandi. 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:14.540 Thank you very, very much. They are both here 00:01:14.540 --> 00:01:17.079 in the United States. They're here for an event 00:01:17.079 --> 00:01:20.260 in Jackson, Wyoming, so they agreed to appear 00:01:20.260 --> 00:01:24.799 remotely with me today. And let me just say Colette 00:01:24.859 --> 00:01:27.439 And Kateko, thank you so much for being on the 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:28.859 show. We really appreciate it. It's great to 00:01:28.859 --> 00:01:32.260 have you here. And thank you for inviting us 00:01:32.260 --> 00:01:35.319 for this show. Thank you so much. Thank you so 00:01:35.319 --> 00:01:39.459 much. You bet. You bet. So listen, let's first 00:01:39.459 --> 00:01:42.040 talk about Craig. Craig talked to us last week 00:01:42.040 --> 00:01:44.060 a little bit about what the Black Mambas are. 00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:47.840 But if one of you could tell us a little bit 00:01:47.840 --> 00:01:50.640 about what are the Black Mambas and what's your 00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:55.340 role there? OK, the Black Mambas, we are 36 young 00:01:55.340 --> 00:01:58.200 women next to the reserve that we are patrolling. 00:01:58.719 --> 00:02:02.420 We are unarmed. We are the eyes and the ears 00:02:02.420 --> 00:02:06.140 of the reserve. We don't carry any weapon at 00:02:06.140 --> 00:02:09.680 all. We think of a long -term solution where 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:15.319 we work with 11 rural schools in the area with 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:20.560 2 ,500 kids, which we educate in their schools. 00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:24.659 So to add on that, Us as the Black Mambas, as 00:02:24.659 --> 00:02:26.620 we know that you are an aunt, we don't carry 00:02:26.620 --> 00:02:30.379 any gun. Every day in the morning we have to 00:02:30.379 --> 00:02:34.319 split into many teams. One do for fence, some 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:37.099 go for stripping, some do for roadblock and also 00:02:37.099 --> 00:02:39.800 house inspection. The reason why we do the fence 00:02:39.800 --> 00:02:41.560 line especially early in the morning we want 00:02:41.560 --> 00:02:44.099 to make sure that we gather any information in 00:02:44.099 --> 00:02:46.800 the fence line and in case we found that there 00:02:46.800 --> 00:02:49.099 is a hole there on the fence we make sure that 00:02:49.099 --> 00:02:54.020 we do 360 to find out like why we do have a hole 00:02:54.020 --> 00:02:56.419 in the fence and then If we find that it is the 00:02:56.419 --> 00:02:59.819 tracks of poachers, normally poachers, as you 00:02:59.819 --> 00:03:02.159 know, that some of them that the former soldiers, 00:03:02.419 --> 00:03:05.180 that the former rangers and former police, they 00:03:05.180 --> 00:03:08.020 know how to hide the tracks. So once we do 360, 00:03:08.139 --> 00:03:09.800 because on the first line, when they have to 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:12.180 jump out, they don't cut any fence. Sometimes 00:03:12.180 --> 00:03:15.000 they take advantage using that hole to go inside. 00:03:15.379 --> 00:03:17.560 And also when they manage to pass that fence 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:20.810 somewhere, somehow. uh they use some hoof of 00:03:20.810 --> 00:03:23.150 a buffalo to hide their tracks so that you cannot 00:03:23.150 --> 00:03:25.669 able to see that there is someone who's already 00:03:25.669 --> 00:03:28.069 inside but us as we've been trained on how to 00:03:28.069 --> 00:03:30.810 check the trends and all to identify the sole 00:03:30.810 --> 00:03:33.129 most special when it comes to tracking it's where 00:03:33.129 --> 00:03:35.650 you can able to see that someone is inside and 00:03:35.650 --> 00:03:39.150 also When you do the roadblock, we check that 00:03:39.150 --> 00:03:42.090 in case someone is inside, maybe because some 00:03:42.090 --> 00:03:43.789 other people, when they come to our reserves, 00:03:43.870 --> 00:03:47.250 they do some house renovations. So, some way, 00:03:47.250 --> 00:03:50.110 some how, to collect all their information, their 00:03:50.110 --> 00:03:54.069 IDs to check that there are good people or even 00:03:54.069 --> 00:03:56.550 a better people in our reserve. And also, when 00:03:56.550 --> 00:03:58.870 we do the house inspection, it's where we check 00:03:58.870 --> 00:04:00.710 that those contract that we already check in 00:04:00.710 --> 00:04:03.990 the gate, they don't go inside the bush to put 00:04:03.990 --> 00:04:07.180 the wires to have because those most especially 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:10.900 they eat unhealthy food so that's why we do a 00:04:10.900 --> 00:04:13.520 house inspection. When we go for sweeping where 00:04:13.520 --> 00:04:15.819 we go to the bush we make sure that we split 00:04:15.819 --> 00:04:18.519 more it's either four people or five people so 00:04:18.519 --> 00:04:21.579 that we can cover large area where we have to 00:04:21.579 --> 00:04:25.560 remove lots of wires, because a wire is the strongest 00:04:25.560 --> 00:04:28.459 weapon that poachers are using. If they can use 00:04:28.459 --> 00:04:31.439 a gun to shoot animals, definitely in a distance 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:34.399 going to hear the sound, but for the wire, we 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:37.579 cannot even hear any click of a wire. So that's 00:04:37.579 --> 00:04:40.579 why as every day we go to the bush and see to 00:04:40.579 --> 00:04:43.279 remove the wire that poachers are putting. And 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:46.199 up to so far that previously we used to remove 00:04:46.410 --> 00:04:50.029 plus or minus 200 wires per day. But now, as 00:04:50.029 --> 00:04:52.550 we're always putting more effort in the bush, 00:04:52.829 --> 00:04:55.449 we put more boots in the bush to show people 00:04:55.449 --> 00:04:57.769 that there is a rangers here. When the pushers 00:04:57.769 --> 00:04:59.910 came here to set up the wire, they can see that 00:04:59.910 --> 00:05:01.769 there is a number of strikes. They think they 00:05:01.769 --> 00:05:03.709 have to escape or to chase themselves out of 00:05:03.709 --> 00:05:05.610 the bush. Then we have to remove all the wires 00:05:05.610 --> 00:05:08.649 because we find that sometimes when they set 00:05:08.649 --> 00:05:11.730 up 50 wires, maybe 10 impact has been down. or 00:05:11.730 --> 00:05:14.170 50 impala is down. And when they take out the 00:05:14.170 --> 00:05:17.029 meat of the bush, they leave the wire still set 00:05:17.029 --> 00:05:19.649 in the tree. And any animal that's going to come 00:05:19.649 --> 00:05:22.670 through there is either a rhino or buffalo, any 00:05:22.670 --> 00:05:24.250 animal that's going to pass through, they're 00:05:24.250 --> 00:05:26.370 going to get caught. So that's how pambas we 00:05:26.370 --> 00:05:30.889 are doing each and every day. And then the reason 00:05:30.889 --> 00:05:34.629 why they hired all the women is because we are 00:05:34.629 --> 00:05:37.759 the primary caregivers. We are the role models 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:41.160 in our community. I used to say that we are the 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:44.639 front mirrors in our communities because it's 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:47.980 you men empowering where we are. And then in 00:05:47.980 --> 00:05:51.500 the beginning, when we started with this program, 00:05:51.779 --> 00:05:54.860 a lot of people never believed in us, especially 00:05:54.860 --> 00:05:58.439 men. They thought that the work that we are doing, 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:02.449 only the men can do it. while we are doing it 00:06:02.449 --> 00:06:05.089 exactly like they're doing it. It's just that 00:06:05.089 --> 00:06:07.629 we are doing it in the different morals, where 00:06:07.629 --> 00:06:10.269 we don't carry any weapons, because we believe 00:06:10.269 --> 00:06:14.990 that the poachers, they come from the same community 00:06:14.990 --> 00:06:18.589 that we are coming from. And our kids, they go 00:06:18.589 --> 00:06:21.970 to the same school with their children. their 00:06:21.970 --> 00:06:25.170 wives. We go to fetch water with their wives 00:06:25.170 --> 00:06:27.389 in the communities. So that's why we don't want 00:06:27.389 --> 00:06:30.569 to create any conflict in between us. We want 00:06:30.569 --> 00:06:33.329 to build the good relationship with the people 00:06:33.329 --> 00:06:36.670 in the community. Because we want them, we want 00:06:36.670 --> 00:06:39.829 to educate them why they need to conserve nature. 00:06:40.110 --> 00:06:43.029 Because nature, it is our heritage. We need to 00:06:43.029 --> 00:06:46.050 conserve this for our future generation. And 00:06:46.050 --> 00:06:49.009 then again, as you know that the women, we don't 00:06:49.009 --> 00:06:53.360 want to create where we are, if we have the problems, 00:06:53.579 --> 00:06:57.540 we want to solve it in the peaceful way. We always 00:06:57.540 --> 00:06:59.939 want to solve the problems in the peaceful way. 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:03.819 So that's why they hired the women. And then 00:07:03.819 --> 00:07:09.279 again, we are the future grandmothers. We'll 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:12.420 take care of our children. So we need to educate 00:07:12.420 --> 00:07:16.500 them. And then again, as women, when we get paid 00:07:16.500 --> 00:07:19.420 or when we get our salaries, we go straight to 00:07:19.420 --> 00:07:22.560 buy are things for our children, while the men 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:25.240 normally, when they receive their salaries, they 00:07:25.240 --> 00:07:29.800 want to spend it in their shabbings. So for us, 00:07:30.500 --> 00:07:35.079 I think it was a good solution of involving the 00:07:35.079 --> 00:07:39.180 ladies in conservation. because back in the days, 00:07:39.459 --> 00:07:41.560 the women, they were not more in conservation, 00:07:41.899 --> 00:07:44.720 but we managed to bring more women in conservation. 00:07:45.019 --> 00:07:49.120 That's why now we are sitting at 12 % of female 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:53.680 rangers globally, which we are their role models, 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:56.860 and we've empowered a lot of people all over 00:07:56.860 --> 00:07:59.800 the world. Excellent. How many Black Mambas are 00:07:59.800 --> 00:08:07.089 there? us as we don't carry any gun um i hope 00:08:07.089 --> 00:08:10.350 if we do carry any gun somewhere somehow i can 00:08:10.350 --> 00:08:12.509 shoot someone's life and then when they back 00:08:12.509 --> 00:08:16.110 home uh lots of people they will hate me they'll 00:08:16.110 --> 00:08:18.370 say like your members killed my father you killed 00:08:18.370 --> 00:08:21.029 my brother so we want to live in a village or 00:08:21.029 --> 00:08:23.149 in a community where lots of widows because of 00:08:23.149 --> 00:08:27.029 me lots of orphan because of me so we fight this 00:08:27.029 --> 00:08:30.810 badly with our mouth which is education so we 00:08:30.810 --> 00:08:34.250 try our best to make sure that whatever we have 00:08:34.250 --> 00:08:37.370 in our reserve will also involve the income community 00:08:37.370 --> 00:08:40.090 like we do the when we're engaging the community 00:08:40.090 --> 00:08:43.350 we we do so many things in the community because 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:46.299 I remember during pandemic, so many things were 00:08:46.299 --> 00:08:48.740 shut down. Us as the members were still selling, 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:51.720 but we managed to provide the food parcel to 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:55.259 the community. We also provided the center, which 00:08:55.259 --> 00:08:58.080 is make me allow anyone in the community to go 00:08:58.080 --> 00:09:00.879 and have an access of free Wi -Fi. They don't 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:04.240 pay anything. So by involving the community with 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:07.840 what we are doing, it makes us like we are investing. 00:09:08.329 --> 00:09:11.210 Now we also are happy because whatever they had 00:09:11.210 --> 00:09:13.070 in the community, like people want to come into 00:09:13.070 --> 00:09:15.429 our reserve. People used to give us, like, hey, 00:09:15.509 --> 00:09:17.769 members, be careful. We had someone to come and 00:09:17.769 --> 00:09:20.309 poach. So that's why we work together with the 00:09:20.309 --> 00:09:22.669 community. Whatever we had, we share with them. 00:09:22.789 --> 00:09:24.850 Whatever we had, we also give it to them. And 00:09:24.850 --> 00:09:27.289 also, we allow the people from the community 00:09:27.289 --> 00:09:31.480 to come to our reserve to spend a week. or a 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:34.299 month. We also have a BB camp where it's based 00:09:34.299 --> 00:09:37.440 in our bush where anyone who wants to come to 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:40.059 spend a week with us and then we take them. to 00:09:40.059 --> 00:09:42.740 the game drive. We are the guide. We can share 00:09:42.740 --> 00:09:44.820 with them the good information with them. We 00:09:44.820 --> 00:09:47.740 share lots of good things. And we wanted to make 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:50.279 sure that we are investing to the people, because 00:09:50.279 --> 00:09:52.500 some of them, they fail to go to university. 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:55.139 Most of the young ones, they want to become guide, 00:09:55.179 --> 00:09:57.580 they want to become ranger. But being educating 00:09:57.580 --> 00:10:00.620 them, being taking them to the bush, we are investing. 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:04.600 Some of them know that in future, they will be 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:07.179 the one who taking care of the animals that we 00:10:07.179 --> 00:10:10.070 have. Because if we don't do that, we will go 00:10:10.070 --> 00:10:12.850 instead when it comes to our animals. So that's 00:10:12.850 --> 00:10:16.070 why we try our best to work hand in hand with 00:10:16.070 --> 00:10:19.490 the communities. Excellent. And we mustn't forget 00:10:19.490 --> 00:10:22.769 that the children, they are our future leaders, 00:10:24.070 --> 00:10:28.389 instilling the knowledge at the early age. This 00:10:28.389 --> 00:10:30.990 is going to help us in the future, because these 00:10:30.990 --> 00:10:34.370 children will grow up knowing why they have nature 00:10:34.370 --> 00:10:38.570 next to them. why they have conservation next 00:10:38.570 --> 00:10:41.389 to them, why they have wild animals next to them. 00:10:41.570 --> 00:10:44.710 So these young children, they will grow up having 00:10:44.710 --> 00:10:47.289 the good knowledge of why we should conserve 00:10:47.289 --> 00:10:50.389 nature. And then these children, for investing 00:10:50.389 --> 00:10:53.230 on them, it's very good because you know the 00:10:53.230 --> 00:10:55.269 children when you tell them something, they don't 00:10:55.269 --> 00:10:57.730 keep quiet. Immediately when they arrive home, 00:10:57.769 --> 00:10:59.850 immediately when they arrive home, they will 00:10:59.850 --> 00:11:03.139 tell you that at school, They were the soldiers 00:11:03.139 --> 00:11:05.299 because they used to call us the soldiers because 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:08.759 So they will say at school. They were the soldiers 00:11:08.759 --> 00:11:13.580 they taught us that Wires that dangerous to the 00:11:13.580 --> 00:11:16.980 animals. Yes. It's very dangerous And then again 00:11:16.980 --> 00:11:19.659 when we go to the classes all the environmental 00:11:19.659 --> 00:11:22.580 monitors because in the in the program We have 00:11:22.580 --> 00:11:25.320 the environmental monitors which they go to the 00:11:25.320 --> 00:11:28.480 school every day. They have the hours in the 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:31.539 schools to educate these children. So they ask 00:11:31.539 --> 00:11:33.940 these children, what is your favorite animal? 00:11:34.440 --> 00:11:37.720 When you grow up or when you go to varsity, what 00:11:37.720 --> 00:11:40.139 do you want to do? So these children, they will 00:11:40.139 --> 00:11:42.700 tell you that, ah, my favorite animal is an, 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:46.419 cause we start at the small things, which is 00:11:46.419 --> 00:12:14.289 ants, trees, flowers. the right Exactly. Teach 00:12:14.289 --> 00:12:16.509 them from the early age, so then they understand. 00:12:16.789 --> 00:12:21.750 So do you think if you had the child saying that, 00:12:22.009 --> 00:12:24.710 I love rhino, if you are the poacher, would you 00:12:24.710 --> 00:12:27.710 go to the reserve and kill that rhino? No. Might 00:12:27.710 --> 00:12:29.889 make you think twice, yeah, definitely. Yes, 00:12:30.070 --> 00:12:32.470 because you think that I'm destroying the future 00:12:32.470 --> 00:12:35.470 of my child. Right, right. Getting this thing. 00:12:35.750 --> 00:12:40.120 So that's why we try our best. to educate these 00:12:40.120 --> 00:12:43.480 young ones because we know that changing their 00:12:43.480 --> 00:12:48.220 mindset, it will help us than educating them 00:12:48.220 --> 00:12:52.000 when they are maybe on their 21st, somewhere 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:54.460 there. But these children, they're the one who 00:12:54.460 --> 00:12:57.700 are helping us in the village to educate their 00:12:57.700 --> 00:13:00.679 grannies. And that's why we even have the granny 00:13:00.679 --> 00:13:05.149 program. It's a bush granny program. which we 00:13:05.149 --> 00:13:08.149 know that the old ladies, they are the ones who 00:13:08.149 --> 00:13:12.909 are taking care of their grandchildren. And then 00:13:12.909 --> 00:13:19.909 we want these grannies to change like what they 00:13:19.909 --> 00:13:24.080 have back in the years or how they lived. share 00:13:24.080 --> 00:13:27.299 this with the children that they're staying with 00:13:27.299 --> 00:13:30.279 at home. That's why we have, we give these grannies 00:13:30.279 --> 00:13:33.480 an opportunity to go to Kruger National Park 00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:36.759 or to our reserve to go for the game drive. So 00:13:36.759 --> 00:13:39.860 then they can be connected with the animals because 00:13:39.860 --> 00:13:42.559 we need them to be connected with the animals. 00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:46.399 Because in conservation, we need each other. 00:13:47.399 --> 00:13:50.159 If we want to win in conservation, if we want 00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:52.860 to win in conservation, we need each other. We 00:13:52.860 --> 00:13:56.200 need to educate each other. Yeah, there's so 00:13:56.200 --> 00:13:58.559 many things that are neat about the Black Mambas 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:00.580 and you've raised so many cool things. I want 00:14:00.580 --> 00:14:03.620 to ask you a couple questions here about some 00:14:03.620 --> 00:14:06.620 of the things you mentioned. And I guess I'll 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:12.440 start with, you know, I know that all of my listeners 00:14:12.440 --> 00:14:15.840 will probably be astounded at how brave you are 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:18.139 for being out there without weapons because normally 00:14:18.139 --> 00:14:20.960 they think about needing weapons for two things 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:23.799 protecting themselves against other people bad 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:26.519 people and then protecting themselves against 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:29.620 animals because what what i think uh and then 00:14:29.620 --> 00:14:32.580 i see in catechism shaking your head and i want 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:36.919 to talk about that but um you know All the fonts 00:14:36.919 --> 00:14:40.360 West is a what they call a big five game are 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:43.080 our nature reserve, which means that, you know, 00:14:43.220 --> 00:14:50.220 elephants, rhinos, hippos, lions, the big five 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:52.840 are there. Plus, there are real black mambas, 00:14:52.840 --> 00:15:03.350 which are like the snakes. No, they're not part 00:15:03.350 --> 00:15:05.190 of the big five, but you better pay attention 00:15:05.190 --> 00:15:09.370 to the snakes So, you know a lot of times we 00:15:09.370 --> 00:15:11.470 think of oh well, geez what if you got charged 00:15:11.470 --> 00:15:14.710 by an elephant or whatever but One of the things 00:15:14.710 --> 00:15:17.210 I really admire about the black mambas is that 00:15:17.210 --> 00:15:20.789 you're very skilled not only at dealing with 00:15:20.789 --> 00:15:24.289 human beings and Conflict de -escalation and 00:15:24.289 --> 00:15:28.090 and you mentioned some of that in that You know 00:15:28.090 --> 00:15:30.590 Craig Craig talked about this in that the Oliphant's 00:15:30.590 --> 00:15:33.750 West is a kind of a unique reserve in that on 00:15:33.750 --> 00:15:36.590 the east side is basically Kruger National Park 00:15:36.590 --> 00:15:39.629 and then the west side is there's communities 00:15:39.629 --> 00:15:42.149 right there right there's villages right there 00:15:42.149 --> 00:15:47.149 and Boy I don't want to jump around with my questions, 00:15:47.149 --> 00:15:53.029 but Okay, so let's start with So you we've explained 00:15:53.029 --> 00:15:55.309 why you don't have weapons because you because 00:15:55.309 --> 00:15:57.769 you're for human beings because you're you're 00:15:57.769 --> 00:16:01.690 about conflict de -escalation Building, you know 00:16:01.690 --> 00:16:04.169 education or deterrence through education and 00:16:04.169 --> 00:16:06.769 presence and viewing but let's talk about like 00:16:06.769 --> 00:16:09.429 How are you trained to deal with the animals? 00:16:09.450 --> 00:16:12.190 You might encounter their lions or elephants 00:16:12.190 --> 00:16:15.289 or a mad buffalo. How are you trained to deal 00:16:15.289 --> 00:16:18.450 with that out in the bush? Okay, I'll start in 00:16:18.450 --> 00:16:23.220 this way. Um During our training, it was a hard 00:16:23.220 --> 00:16:26.480 training. We've been in the bush for many days. 00:16:27.100 --> 00:16:30.080 So every day we normally go to the bush and show 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:32.500 us the tracks and then to know that this is a 00:16:32.500 --> 00:16:35.559 fresh tracks or this is an old tracks. And also 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:38.259 the behavior of animals that when you encounter 00:16:38.259 --> 00:16:41.279 with animals like this size or elephant or animal, 00:16:41.860 --> 00:16:44.440 what action you should take it because normally 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:46.580 when you come with big five, you don't run. You 00:16:46.580 --> 00:16:48.200 should make sure that you hide yourself somewhere 00:16:48.200 --> 00:16:50.919 somehow and then you can be safe. So for us as 00:16:50.919 --> 00:16:52.919 we don't carry any gun, we don't need any gun 00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:55.519 because the skins that we're having, it make 00:16:55.519 --> 00:16:58.539 us safe. Every day when we go to the bush or 00:16:58.539 --> 00:17:00.779 before we start going to the bush and sleep or 00:17:00.779 --> 00:17:03.700 on our fence line, I'm also like myself, I've 00:17:03.700 --> 00:17:06.140 been in Equatrain to learn more information about 00:17:06.140 --> 00:17:08.599 bees in the bush. I'm also sharing with my team 00:17:08.599 --> 00:17:10.799 like now, as we're about to go to the bush, what 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:13.539 we should do, let's start to read the bush before 00:17:13.539 --> 00:17:16.579 we go inside. Yes. My favorite animals is the 00:17:16.579 --> 00:17:18.059 giraffe because they're too tall and they can 00:17:18.059 --> 00:17:20.559 manage to alert the rest of the species. So I 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:23.940 can apply that information that I know to my 00:17:23.940 --> 00:17:27.039 team. Like now, you see the bush is open. The 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:30.180 bush is clear. There is no impala. There is no 00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:33.359 warthog. There is no deca. Why the animals are 00:17:33.359 --> 00:17:35.619 not there? Then it's always better to read the 00:17:35.619 --> 00:17:38.900 bush, checking the tracks down, starting to listen, 00:17:39.640 --> 00:17:42.410 observing so that we can manage to go. in case 00:17:42.410 --> 00:17:45.230 we find that there is a tracks of an animal normally 00:17:45.230 --> 00:17:47.890 we don't follow we just like report immediately 00:17:47.890 --> 00:17:50.750 then we change the direction because i know that 00:17:50.750 --> 00:17:53.269 somewhere somehow if it's a lion you can hear 00:17:53.269 --> 00:17:55.490 them maybe having a deep breath because they 00:17:55.490 --> 00:17:57.490 like to sleep especially during the day because 00:17:57.490 --> 00:17:59.390 they are active during the night right you can 00:17:59.390 --> 00:18:01.329 get a deep breathing like we know that they're 00:18:01.329 --> 00:18:03.690 sleeping somewhere you can hear their brain the 00:18:03.690 --> 00:18:05.690 broken branches which is an elephant they're 00:18:05.690 --> 00:18:07.869 pushing the tree somewhere then we can able like 00:18:07.869 --> 00:18:12.549 tim what we do now is change the direction. That's 00:18:12.549 --> 00:18:15.509 how we apply more in the bush and also the senses 00:18:15.509 --> 00:18:17.630 that we all have because we have got different 00:18:17.630 --> 00:18:20.470 senses. Some she's good on see, some she's good 00:18:20.470 --> 00:18:23.210 on hearing, some is good on smelling, some is 00:18:23.210 --> 00:18:25.950 good reading on the tracks. So that's how we 00:18:25.950 --> 00:18:28.509 apply those senses that we have it to make sure 00:18:28.509 --> 00:18:32.930 that all our members we are safe. I remember 00:18:32.930 --> 00:18:35.710 last time we encountered with the pride of lion. 00:18:36.029 --> 00:18:39.410 It was a mist that day. We were not even able 00:18:39.410 --> 00:18:42.390 to see a distance. But someone in a distance, 00:18:42.450 --> 00:18:44.990 because he hear us busy talking, because normally 00:18:44.990 --> 00:18:46.829 when it's too mist, we like to talk so that we 00:18:46.829 --> 00:18:49.089 can make any miles away from us because we cannot 00:18:49.089 --> 00:18:51.789 see clear. And then someone shouted as like, 00:18:51.890 --> 00:18:54.250 mambas, be aware, there is lion in your sight. 00:18:54.549 --> 00:18:56.920 Be careful. We said, we just only heard the sound 00:18:56.920 --> 00:18:59.319 and I said, thank you. Then we keep moving. We 00:18:59.319 --> 00:19:02.140 know that the weather was not favoring us, but 00:19:02.140 --> 00:19:04.440 we cannot skip our work because we know that 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:08.380 if we can skip our work, maybe we might not know 00:19:08.380 --> 00:19:10.799 that poachers are already inside or go out. So 00:19:10.799 --> 00:19:12.680 that's why we have to check our fence early in 00:19:12.680 --> 00:19:15.740 the morning. So that day we were moving and then 00:19:15.740 --> 00:19:18.240 we heard that someone is alerting us and then 00:19:18.240 --> 00:19:20.759 we keep on working. So somewhere, somewhere when 00:19:20.759 --> 00:19:23.460 the mist starting to disappear slowly, surely. 00:19:23.740 --> 00:19:27.319 then I was able to see 50 meters away from us. 00:19:27.460 --> 00:19:30.059 Then I started to see the male lion. Like, hey, 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:32.779 Tim, here is the male lion. Oh, that guy, he 00:19:32.779 --> 00:19:34.700 was reminding us that we must be aware of this 00:19:34.700 --> 00:19:37.279 guy. What we should do, as we are three of us, 00:19:37.299 --> 00:19:39.819 one must focus on that lion, and then as we're 00:19:39.819 --> 00:19:42.220 busy checking the defense, then we keep moving. 00:19:43.640 --> 00:19:45.779 That day, it was a bad day for us because it 00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:49.099 was mist. It was probably the best to focus more 00:19:49.099 --> 00:19:51.079 on the fence while someone was focusing on the 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:54.529 lion. But somewhere in the distance, We see something's 00:19:54.529 --> 00:19:57.049 playing on the road. And I say to my team, hey, 00:19:57.309 --> 00:19:59.349 I see something's playing. They say, ah, you 00:19:59.349 --> 00:20:02.349 lying. The thing that we should focus is that 00:20:02.349 --> 00:20:04.529 mirror that we saw first. And it was lying down, 00:20:04.710 --> 00:20:07.609 relaxed, meaning they're pushing us to the bright. 00:20:08.269 --> 00:20:10.710 Yes. Keep moving. We keep moving. I say to them 00:20:10.710 --> 00:20:13.369 like, ah, I start feeling something in my body. 00:20:13.809 --> 00:20:16.710 There is an animal that are playing in front 00:20:16.710 --> 00:20:18.970 of us. They say, ah, you lying. There's a big 00:20:18.970 --> 00:20:21.910 grass there. We don't see anything. We say, OK. 00:20:22.170 --> 00:20:25.670 I keep moving but I know that now my sense is 00:20:25.670 --> 00:20:28.250 about to leave me because I feel like the heart 00:20:28.250 --> 00:20:30.529 is out of my body. I see that my heart beating 00:20:30.529 --> 00:20:34.109 fast like, hey, we are going to die. The last 00:20:34.109 --> 00:20:35.910 word that I told to my team, I like now we are 00:20:35.910 --> 00:20:38.609 dead. They say we are dead because I see some 00:20:38.609 --> 00:20:41.509 things playing. It was four cups. the mother 00:20:41.509 --> 00:20:44.069 was hiding in the big grass and then the couple 00:20:44.069 --> 00:20:46.509 are busy playing on the road back to the grasses 00:20:46.509 --> 00:20:48.849 back to the road so the moment they go to the 00:20:48.849 --> 00:20:51.130 bush when they look they don't see anything but 00:20:51.130 --> 00:20:53.089 when they keep focusing on that one the baby 00:20:53.089 --> 00:20:56.049 comes and plays on the road exactly minus of 00:20:56.049 --> 00:20:59.069 10 minutes we are there where the babies were 00:20:59.069 --> 00:21:02.769 jumping in and play i was like hey look at in 00:21:02.769 --> 00:21:06.490 front almost five meter away from us wow baby 00:21:06.490 --> 00:21:09.759 busy playing playing them The mother as you know 00:21:09.759 --> 00:21:11.680 that the mothers are always protected to us to 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:14.720 their kids. They are jammed. There were two of 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:17.559 them. One jumped straight to the cuffs. Like 00:21:17.559 --> 00:21:19.599 she's thinking wanted wanted to take the baby. 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:23.119 And they growled, no doubt, right? They gave 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:25.440 out a nice growl that put a shiver down your 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:30.319 spine, right? They tried to show us the warning, 00:21:30.460 --> 00:21:32.180 you know, any month before they charged you, 00:21:32.220 --> 00:21:34.339 they always show you like, this is my wound, 00:21:34.440 --> 00:21:37.759 my place. Go away. They tried to show us the 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:40.940 signs. But the baby, because they were busy playing 00:21:40.940 --> 00:21:44.019 in front of us, mother kept chewing us. We started 00:21:44.019 --> 00:21:47.220 to reverse slowly while we were shouting, clapping 00:21:47.220 --> 00:21:50.180 hands, shouting, shouting. But the mother thinking 00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:52.200 like, no, these people are going to take my cubs. 00:21:52.619 --> 00:21:54.440 The last warning that we see, I say to my team, 00:21:54.460 --> 00:21:56.619 what we should do, no matter how we should run. 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:58.740 When I look back, I find one of my colleagues 00:21:58.740 --> 00:22:01.240 is down. And I cannot leave here running straight 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:03.460 to the mountain or to the tree. We should die 00:22:03.460 --> 00:22:05.460 together there already. Make sure that we're 00:22:05.460 --> 00:22:08.880 all safe. and then we turn back, we grab each 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:11.279 other, we run straight to the big trees there. 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:14.319 I find myself up in the tree, one of my colleagues, 00:22:14.500 --> 00:22:17.880 she was in the big rocks there with his head 00:22:17.880 --> 00:22:20.160 inside the big, while the legs is like trying 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:22.880 to talk like, help, help, while I'm busy shouting 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:26.859 out there. When I look down, I find that 12 lines, 00:22:27.799 --> 00:22:32.420 12. 12 came down below the tree. Yes, because 00:22:32.420 --> 00:22:34.359 they were following us. Because the baby was 00:22:34.359 --> 00:22:36.680 busy playing, moving around, the mother was shouting, 00:22:36.779 --> 00:22:39.579 and the whole group came to see what was happening. 00:22:40.059 --> 00:22:42.420 Yeah, yeah. That is how they communicate, especially 00:22:42.420 --> 00:22:45.579 the animals. And I find that 12 felons. Wow. 00:22:45.700 --> 00:22:47.779 We just manage to, you know, normally they know 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:49.900 that once mambas are in the bush, the people 00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:52.200 who are at the office or the manager or the supervisors, 00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:54.680 they're always opening their eyes in case of 00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:56.359 emergencies. And then they have to make sure 00:22:56.359 --> 00:23:00.279 that they help us immediately. You have radios 00:23:00.279 --> 00:23:03.819 to communicate with. We wanted to take the radio 00:23:03.819 --> 00:23:06.200 phone. We keep talking like we need help. They 00:23:06.200 --> 00:23:09.759 just only had the word help. Luckily, they didn't 00:23:09.759 --> 00:23:14.880 take me in plus or minus 15 minutes. It's a pride. 00:23:15.819 --> 00:23:19.980 Wow. Why did you decide to run? Because usually 00:23:19.980 --> 00:23:22.279 you're told never run from a lion because it'll 00:23:22.279 --> 00:23:24.930 trigger a chase, right? we've been warned for 00:23:24.930 --> 00:23:28.269 two times normally lions show us some sign like 00:23:28.269 --> 00:23:31.109 go back they threw out the sand we start to reverse 00:23:31.109 --> 00:23:33.529 slowly slowly but because of the cubs they were 00:23:33.529 --> 00:23:35.569 busy playing they didn't care that what was happening 00:23:35.569 --> 00:23:38.829 there and then they she came again to show us 00:23:38.829 --> 00:23:41.230 like sign like please go back like throwing the 00:23:41.230 --> 00:23:45.069 sand to us we try to to to reverse slowly but 00:23:45.069 --> 00:23:47.309 the last time that we've seen from the lion they 00:23:47.309 --> 00:23:49.569 jump and then show us the bread like and then 00:23:49.569 --> 00:23:52.440 yeah here we are to hell they show us three signs 00:23:52.440 --> 00:23:56.380 and then we are dead that's where we would turn 00:23:56.380 --> 00:23:59.839 back and run okay normally uh uh what they teach 00:23:59.839 --> 00:24:03.589 us they taught us that uh with the lions you 00:24:03.589 --> 00:24:07.230 need to give it a space or when you see it make 00:24:07.230 --> 00:24:11.529 a noise and then try to get yourself bigger while 00:24:11.529 --> 00:24:14.710 you are going back bit by bit so when you see 00:24:14.710 --> 00:24:17.269 that you are now on the safe place that's where 00:24:17.269 --> 00:24:19.970 you can run but you don't just run so this is 00:24:19.970 --> 00:24:23.650 what they did they give they give the lions a 00:24:23.650 --> 00:24:26.589 big space so when they manage to run that's where 00:24:26.589 --> 00:24:30.049 they ran And then moving back bit by bit. Because 00:24:30.049 --> 00:24:33.130 normally when we move, two or three ladies will 00:24:33.130 --> 00:24:35.809 look at the lions. The other ladies will look 00:24:35.809 --> 00:24:39.670 on the road and then direct us where to go, moving 00:24:39.670 --> 00:24:42.589 back a little bit. Right. So then when we are 00:24:42.589 --> 00:24:45.390 safe, we run. So normally what I can say, I can 00:24:45.390 --> 00:24:50.829 say we've learned the animal's behavior. They 00:24:50.829 --> 00:24:53.309 taught us the animal's behavior. This is what 00:24:53.309 --> 00:24:57.049 keeps us safe always. So you can recognize, you 00:24:57.049 --> 00:24:59.750 know, when and when the animal getting ready 00:24:59.750 --> 00:25:02.109 to commit to a charge or whether it's a bluff 00:25:02.109 --> 00:25:04.670 or that kind of thing, right? You know, it's 00:25:04.670 --> 00:25:06.890 almost like it's almost like tactical movement 00:25:06.890 --> 00:25:09.049 against lions, right? You have to learn how to 00:25:09.049 --> 00:25:12.049 be tactical around lions, right? So that's why 00:25:12.049 --> 00:25:14.410 now when I go to the bush, I know when I see 00:25:14.410 --> 00:25:16.410 the first trace or I see the line in the distance, 00:25:16.769 --> 00:25:18.609 we're always letting each other guys we have 00:25:18.609 --> 00:25:21.230 to give them the space. Yeah. If it's an elephant, 00:25:21.250 --> 00:25:22.990 we know that the reaction that is going to take 00:25:22.990 --> 00:25:26.680 the It won't be nice. So we have to give an Asian 00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:29.460 anything space because we know that we are in 00:25:29.460 --> 00:25:32.440 the habitant. We are wanted territory. We cannot 00:25:32.440 --> 00:25:34.759 take them out of the reserve so that we can keep 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:36.819 working. No, we are there to protect those animals. 00:25:37.059 --> 00:25:39.859 So that's why we apply all the senses that we 00:25:39.859 --> 00:25:42.200 have it to make sure that we are safe. Sometimes 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:44.460 we can smell even the dung that I'm good once 00:25:44.460 --> 00:25:46.319 we like, oh, this is the smell of an elephant. 00:25:46.539 --> 00:25:48.920 It is still fresh. Sometimes it will smell like. 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:52.220 the status of a lion, we know that this is fresh 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:53.680 and then we should have to take that and change 00:25:53.680 --> 00:25:56.200 the energy. So that's how we apply to measure 00:25:56.200 --> 00:25:58.759 that we save in the bush. So and then again we 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:01.740 have on the management early in the morning they 00:26:01.740 --> 00:26:04.519 listen for the game drives. So they listen for 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:08.059 the sightings of the animals, which help us a 00:26:08.059 --> 00:26:11.599 lot. because they will notify us that today because 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:13.859 the great reference that you're supposed to work 00:26:13.859 --> 00:26:17.440 it was this but change the great reference because 00:26:17.440 --> 00:26:22.460 the game drives people or they told us they are 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:26.119 lions or they are elephant today so even at r40 00:26:26.440 --> 00:26:29.079 on the reserve that we are patrolling. We are 00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:31.920 patrolling next to R40. So the people that are 00:26:31.920 --> 00:26:34.660 driving up and down, normally they even notify 00:26:34.660 --> 00:26:39.000 us. If they see elephants at front of us, some 00:26:39.000 --> 00:26:41.220 of them, they reverse back and tell us, hey, 00:26:41.240 --> 00:26:44.140 ladies, we saw elephant at this place. They were 00:26:44.140 --> 00:26:46.440 very close to the fence line. So then we change 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:50.000 the direction, join at front, and then we continue 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:54.259 with our patrol. Nice. Yeah, I think for US listeners 00:26:54.259 --> 00:26:56.980 to get a kind of mental picture of Olaphonse 00:26:56.980 --> 00:26:59.940 West. It's a very large nature reserve, but it 00:26:59.940 --> 00:27:03.400 also has, there's lodges there and there are 00:27:03.400 --> 00:27:07.099 tourists that go there to View wildlife so during 00:27:07.099 --> 00:27:10.339 the day there are these as you mentioned game 00:27:10.339 --> 00:27:12.859 drive vehicles moving around and they often communicate 00:27:12.859 --> 00:27:15.640 with each other About where wildlife is so they 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:18.420 can show tourists, right? But that's that's good 00:27:18.420 --> 00:27:21.380 to monitor that radio traffic because then you 00:27:21.380 --> 00:27:23.839 also know, okay We know there are elephants, 00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:26.839 you know two three kilometers ahead of our of 00:27:26.839 --> 00:27:29.160 us on our patrol route Maybe we should change 00:27:29.160 --> 00:27:32.839 our patrol route today, right? Very good. That's 00:27:32.839 --> 00:27:37.200 very cool I want to talk a little bit about this. 00:27:37.480 --> 00:27:39.160 Well, first of all, you know what, we talked 00:27:39.160 --> 00:27:42.039 about an encounter with an animal. Have you guys 00:27:42.039 --> 00:27:44.319 ever had a situation where you've actually, like, 00:27:44.319 --> 00:27:47.079 stumbled upon poachers in the bush? Like, there 00:27:47.079 --> 00:27:50.160 they were, like, right in front of you. How did 00:27:50.160 --> 00:27:51.940 you handle that? Because presumably they were 00:27:51.940 --> 00:27:54.680 armed. What happens when you guys do encounter 00:27:54.680 --> 00:28:01.109 poachers out in the field? Normally it happens 00:28:01.109 --> 00:28:03.849 mostly in the morning when we do the sweeping 00:28:03.849 --> 00:28:08.089 patrol. So we were four of us doing the sweeping 00:28:08.089 --> 00:28:10.910 in the buffer zone where there is no rangers 00:28:10.910 --> 00:28:13.630 there. So they deploy us there in the morning 00:28:13.630 --> 00:28:16.549 like go guys and search that area. We know that 00:28:16.549 --> 00:28:18.269 sometimes, some ways, somehow there's lots of 00:28:18.269 --> 00:28:20.789 threats because we are surrounded by the mine 00:28:20.789 --> 00:28:23.329 at our buffer zone. So normally people when they 00:28:23.329 --> 00:28:25.710 go there, they just do the transpassing, go and 00:28:25.710 --> 00:28:27.869 steal the copper to the mine and came back to 00:28:27.869 --> 00:28:30.279 our reserve. set up the way to get food for their 00:28:30.279 --> 00:28:32.980 families. So that day we find that there is lots 00:28:32.980 --> 00:28:34.900 of different tricks there which means there was 00:28:34.900 --> 00:28:37.799 lots of groups that was inside our reserve. Then 00:28:37.799 --> 00:28:41.519 we reported likely we have a single phone that 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:43.279 is helping us to collect all the information 00:28:43.279 --> 00:28:46.119 that we gather in the bush. So we report it immediately. 00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:48.019 We take all the pictures and we find it on the, 00:28:48.019 --> 00:28:50.279 on the, on down there. And then we send straight 00:28:50.279 --> 00:28:52.160 to the office and then we let them know that 00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:54.319 they should not call us because this is a fresh 00:28:54.319 --> 00:28:56.380 tracks and it's already in sight because they 00:28:56.380 --> 00:28:59.579 can keep taking like the, the loud of the way 00:28:59.579 --> 00:29:02.079 we can make some people aware that there is people 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:04.359 here. Likely work together with the office and 00:29:04.359 --> 00:29:06.690 then they say, okay, whatever we should do. use 00:29:06.690 --> 00:29:09.029 that phone to send a message in case you bump 00:29:09.029 --> 00:29:11.849 up something, then we say yes. Then we keep moving. 00:29:12.450 --> 00:29:14.329 Somewhere, someone started to hear like, you 00:29:14.329 --> 00:29:16.529 know, if people moving, you can hear some step, 00:29:17.109 --> 00:29:19.390 like someone is moving because there were more 00:29:19.390 --> 00:29:22.109 people. Then we start tracking and those are 00:29:22.109 --> 00:29:25.210 guys, what we should do, we must split among 00:29:25.210 --> 00:29:27.029 ourselves so that we can at least cover a large 00:29:27.029 --> 00:29:29.470 area in case someone maybe jump and then we can 00:29:29.470 --> 00:29:32.029 able to see that all these people. When we're 00:29:32.029 --> 00:29:33.890 busy doing that, normally we communicate with 00:29:33.890 --> 00:29:36.460 hands or or something to show that we are about 00:29:36.460 --> 00:29:39.480 to to all our sign languages and then go to the 00:29:39.480 --> 00:29:42.059 bush and then we started to hear that people 00:29:42.059 --> 00:29:45.559 are moving and then someone called on the radio 00:29:45.559 --> 00:29:47.619 and then they hear the sound of the radio and 00:29:47.619 --> 00:29:51.700 then they start running so one was a was carrying 00:29:51.700 --> 00:29:54.680 a lot of copper and a copper is a heavy thing 00:29:54.680 --> 00:29:58.339 so he dropped down the bag and then the rest 00:29:58.339 --> 00:30:02.039 of 14 they go so that guy he dropped down his 00:30:02.039 --> 00:30:04.440 bag and he find a big tree with a big grasses 00:30:04.440 --> 00:30:07.519 and then he go underneath the tree and he hide 00:30:07.519 --> 00:30:10.940 himself. So we keep moving we find that oh and 00:30:10.940 --> 00:30:13.420 it was five trees now it's four therefore it 00:30:13.420 --> 00:30:16.160 goes another side one way at the other one we 00:30:16.160 --> 00:30:17.799 start to do tricks and then we find that there 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:20.440 is a big big what we should do we just know that 00:30:20.440 --> 00:30:23.559 this bag is from someone then we take the bag 00:30:23.559 --> 00:30:26.309 we put information on the phone We continue with 00:30:26.309 --> 00:30:29.690 our 360. We find someone is hiding inside the 00:30:29.690 --> 00:30:33.190 grasses in the big tree there. So what we should 00:30:33.190 --> 00:30:35.769 do normally, we normally used to scare people 00:30:35.769 --> 00:30:38.750 like, hey, don't go, don't wake up. Don't kill 00:30:38.750 --> 00:30:40.950 them just to scare them. So as you know that 00:30:40.950 --> 00:30:43.509 they are afraid of rangers. They think that once 00:30:43.509 --> 00:30:46.150 they see us, they will call us, they will arrest 00:30:46.150 --> 00:30:48.450 us and all those things. And then we keep shouting 00:30:48.450 --> 00:30:50.910 like, if you stand up, we're going to kill you. 00:30:52.410 --> 00:30:55.710 no sorry so don't kill me don't wake up there 00:30:55.710 --> 00:31:00.450 and we jump we handcuff him wow like why do we 00:31:00.450 --> 00:31:03.230 train like myself i used to ask so many questions 00:31:03.230 --> 00:31:06.809 like why are you doing this why are you here 00:31:06.809 --> 00:31:11.009 so sometimes you find that people um are in poor 00:31:11.009 --> 00:31:13.809 like there because someone sent them to get food 00:31:13.809 --> 00:31:15.990 to get what they want so that they can get money 00:31:15.990 --> 00:31:19.569 and all those stuff but that guy he was in poor 00:31:19.569 --> 00:31:22.660 his family was in poverty was looking for help. 00:31:23.319 --> 00:31:25.839 So what I did, we communicate with our management 00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:27.559 like what we do because we already arrest the 00:31:27.559 --> 00:31:29.680 person and then he say this and that and then 00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:33.640 they call police to come and take him. So I was 00:31:33.640 --> 00:31:35.420 always communicating with the police to check 00:31:35.420 --> 00:31:38.279 us like when is he going out because I say to 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:40.619 him I wanted to go and see your family that you 00:31:40.619 --> 00:31:43.859 really really in need. So that they put him in 00:31:43.859 --> 00:31:46.240 our food ration that we give to people each and 00:31:46.240 --> 00:31:49.099 every month in the community. So the police say 00:31:49.099 --> 00:31:51.920 to me you will go home on this beach and then 00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:54.859 so that day that is supposed to go home there 00:31:54.859 --> 00:31:58.240 was a strong rain thunder and all those stuff 00:31:58.240 --> 00:32:02.099 so at his family because he was giving a wife 00:32:02.099 --> 00:32:06.000 and and and and took his the one month child 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:10.099 and also the three months baby three years baby 00:32:10.099 --> 00:32:14.000 and then they release him to go in and attend 00:32:14.000 --> 00:32:16.740 because that rain that was there at the community 00:32:17.039 --> 00:32:21.079 I was so strong and the house of his guys fall 00:32:21.079 --> 00:32:25.319 on top of his side and then he find that the 00:32:25.319 --> 00:32:29.220 sink cut the neck of that wife and then she died. 00:32:29.640 --> 00:32:33.819 So they need to go and bury his wife. That's 00:32:33.819 --> 00:32:37.259 why I get a chance to go and see him at his family. 00:32:37.859 --> 00:32:40.180 And then I find that he's already mourning his 00:32:40.180 --> 00:32:43.920 wife. And then the situation was very bad. Yeah, 00:32:43.920 --> 00:32:49.289 even worse. Yeah. Yes. So what I did, I asked 00:32:49.289 --> 00:32:51.190 permission to my boss, like I wanted to help 00:32:51.190 --> 00:32:53.549 this guy because now the situation is very bad. 00:32:53.950 --> 00:32:56.849 And even if I see the way you are, he told me 00:32:56.849 --> 00:32:59.109 previous time we arrest him, he say the same 00:32:59.109 --> 00:33:01.109 thing, like I'm in hell, but I need something 00:33:01.109 --> 00:33:03.869 to help my family because I'm coming from Mozambique. 00:33:03.930 --> 00:33:06.150 I don't have ID. Sometimes in South Africa, we 00:33:06.150 --> 00:33:08.609 don't have ID. It's not easy to get a job. So 00:33:08.609 --> 00:33:10.670 just do some piece job somewhere where you can 00:33:10.670 --> 00:33:13.809 be someone's house or doing something like different 00:33:13.809 --> 00:33:18.309 than what you think you can do. So Craig Spencer 00:33:18.309 --> 00:33:20.789 is a simple person. He said, if you can see that 00:33:20.789 --> 00:33:23.470 you can get a solution, go for it. And then I 00:33:23.470 --> 00:33:25.809 go to the shop. I take him to the shop. I buy 00:33:25.809 --> 00:33:28.950 food with my own money and I help. And then I 00:33:28.950 --> 00:33:31.089 asked like this guy, he must be part of our food 00:33:31.089 --> 00:33:33.190 regime so that he cannot go to the bush that 00:33:33.190 --> 00:33:36.160 he can support his kids. So that's the challenge 00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:40.279 that I face it. And I think like, I done something 00:33:40.279 --> 00:33:42.579 because now that guy doesn't want to see the 00:33:42.579 --> 00:33:45.440 push at all. What he's asking is like, how can 00:33:45.440 --> 00:33:49.119 you help me? How can you help me? So I'm struggling 00:33:49.119 --> 00:33:52.079 or we're struggling a lot because he's from far 00:33:52.079 --> 00:33:55.119 from that community where we used to give them 00:33:55.119 --> 00:33:58.460 the food person. But somewhere, somehow we we 00:33:58.460 --> 00:34:01.900 helped him. You know, that that's kind of what 00:34:01.900 --> 00:34:06.299 we talk about. Now that makes me want to talk 00:34:06.299 --> 00:34:08.559 to you about the whole community thing. Because 00:34:08.559 --> 00:34:12.000 in the US, what we have found is that when police 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:14.860 officers live in the community where they patrol 00:34:14.860 --> 00:34:18.860 or where they work, it's a much better working 00:34:18.860 --> 00:34:20.760 relationship. Like, you know, that there's more 00:34:20.760 --> 00:34:23.159 trust between the police and the people. And 00:34:23.159 --> 00:34:25.719 it's really hard sometimes just because of economic 00:34:25.719 --> 00:34:28.719 factors to get police officers to live in those 00:34:28.719 --> 00:34:30.699 communities because maybe the officers don't 00:34:30.699 --> 00:34:32.739 get paid enough to do that or they can't afford 00:34:32.739 --> 00:34:36.219 the housing but in your situations you know you 00:34:36.219 --> 00:34:38.099 mentioned you live in these communities where 00:34:38.099 --> 00:34:42.199 these people are and i want to just take a Grief 00:34:42.199 --> 00:34:46.199 second here to explain to listeners that in Africa 00:34:46.199 --> 00:34:48.579 and and you guys correct me if I'm wrong But 00:34:48.579 --> 00:34:51.219 I think I'm right that you you're encountering 00:34:51.219 --> 00:34:53.039 there's two different kinds of poachers that 00:34:53.039 --> 00:34:55.099 normally encounter There's the people that go 00:34:55.099 --> 00:34:57.360 in that are after the rhino horn the elephant 00:34:57.360 --> 00:35:00.099 ivory sure they're there They're there to sell 00:35:00.099 --> 00:35:02.920 that to other people that make money a lot of 00:35:02.920 --> 00:35:05.659 more money But then there's sometimes people 00:35:05.659 --> 00:35:08.480 who live in the periphery of these parks or outside 00:35:08.480 --> 00:35:11.480 the parks that are very very poor and sometimes 00:35:11.480 --> 00:35:14.659 hungry and They they sometimes go into the parks 00:35:14.659 --> 00:35:17.619 to poach But what what we normally call bushmeat 00:35:17.619 --> 00:35:20.360 and they're looking for food basically versus 00:35:20.360 --> 00:35:23.079 something they might sell and that's this was 00:35:23.079 --> 00:35:26.699 a situation where you had a person who was Struggling 00:35:26.699 --> 00:35:29.900 and they looked into the park as a food potential 00:35:29.900 --> 00:35:34.940 food source, right? Yeah, yeah, but now Being 00:35:34.940 --> 00:35:37.320 part of the community and taking that as part 00:35:37.320 --> 00:35:41.019 of your responsibility What do you think just 00:35:41.019 --> 00:35:43.519 both of you answer this one maybe in your turn? 00:35:44.199 --> 00:35:47.289 When you do something like that for someone Do 00:35:47.289 --> 00:35:50.289 you think it has an impact on on is it just him 00:35:50.289 --> 00:35:53.730 and his family or does does that act of compassion 00:35:53.730 --> 00:35:57.750 and kindness? Willingness to help or to show 00:35:57.750 --> 00:35:59.929 that the black mambas aren't just here to catch 00:35:59.929 --> 00:36:04.309 you but to help you Is that does that have? Benefits 00:36:04.309 --> 00:36:07.530 beyond just that one person and and if so, how 00:36:07.530 --> 00:36:09.969 how does that how does that extend to the greater 00:36:09.969 --> 00:36:14.050 community? Do you know what I mean by that question? 00:36:15.030 --> 00:36:19.579 Yeah, like um You say in this situation because 00:36:19.579 --> 00:36:23.920 we find the man who was a poor in our bush and 00:36:23.920 --> 00:36:27.559 then we gave him a food or gave him a food now 00:36:27.559 --> 00:36:33.019 she's in our program so like we according to 00:36:33.019 --> 00:36:36.619 us. We like I can I don't know how to put it 00:36:36.619 --> 00:36:39.980 but what I can say is that in our community. 00:36:41.619 --> 00:36:44.699 We are in our communities we have tribal authorities. 00:36:45.920 --> 00:36:49.659 so these tribal authorities or these elders they 00:36:49.659 --> 00:36:54.559 know the houses which are very poor so that's 00:36:54.559 --> 00:36:58.039 why we go to the tribal authority to ask permission 00:36:58.039 --> 00:37:01.340 or for them to give us the number or the names 00:37:01.340 --> 00:37:04.980 or the house of the people who are very poor 00:37:04.980 --> 00:37:09.780 so then we give those families the food rations 00:37:09.780 --> 00:37:12.619 uh -huh to keep them from becoming poachers in 00:37:12.619 --> 00:37:16.519 the first place So we are putting an impact in 00:37:16.519 --> 00:37:19.880 the community. Right. Right. Yeah, they're benefiting 00:37:19.880 --> 00:37:23.480 because whatever we get it, we will also share 00:37:23.480 --> 00:37:27.099 with them. So the food parcel is also helping 00:37:27.099 --> 00:37:29.119 them. And also inside the food parcel, there's 00:37:29.119 --> 00:37:31.480 seeds of different types of seeds where they 00:37:31.480 --> 00:37:34.960 have to plant it. And then the water, those veggies 00:37:34.960 --> 00:37:37.460 that are inside the food parcel, if it's grown 00:37:37.460 --> 00:37:42.059 enough, It's part of the impact because they 00:37:42.059 --> 00:37:45.619 can see that I was not having these things, but 00:37:45.619 --> 00:37:48.980 now the mamba stepped in my family or into the 00:37:48.980 --> 00:37:52.019 whole community. So they're not thinking of coming 00:37:52.019 --> 00:37:54.099 and pushing because we are helping them. And 00:37:54.099 --> 00:37:57.239 we also even do the march. We have a chance where 00:37:57.239 --> 00:38:00.159 we allow anyone in the community to do the march, 00:38:00.579 --> 00:38:05.239 like stop rhino pushing. So by doing those things, 00:38:05.659 --> 00:38:08.019 it's part of benefiting the communities. because 00:38:08.019 --> 00:38:10.760 they are able to understand like why as members 00:38:10.760 --> 00:38:13.139 we concerned with nature why are we protecting 00:38:13.139 --> 00:38:15.559 the animals because some of them they fail to 00:38:15.559 --> 00:38:17.920 go to university due to their situation but doing 00:38:17.920 --> 00:38:20.420 everything with them is part of benefiting that 00:38:20.420 --> 00:38:22.840 getting something from us and also as I was saying 00:38:22.840 --> 00:38:25.420 that we do have a center where we even cook food 00:38:25.420 --> 00:38:28.260 for the person to allow anyone to come and get 00:38:28.260 --> 00:38:30.679 food from the community we also even have a garden 00:38:30.679 --> 00:38:33.820 inside the center we also have any free wafer 00:38:33.820 --> 00:38:37.739 so that anyone can come and be busy with wifers. 00:38:37.840 --> 00:38:40.199 People that are in my age, when you talk about 00:38:40.199 --> 00:38:42.960 sometimes in in in potions and whatever, they 00:38:42.960 --> 00:38:45.000 will never listen. But when they come to our 00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:48.039 center to have a free wifer, they're busy trying 00:38:48.039 --> 00:38:50.639 to apply, they're busy doing whatever they want. 00:38:50.960 --> 00:38:54.239 We keep them busy. Yeah. Thinking of going to 00:38:54.239 --> 00:38:58.199 the bush and so which is part of benefiting in 00:38:58.199 --> 00:39:01.510 the communities. And it makes allies for you, 00:39:01.610 --> 00:39:03.789 right? So I imagine these people sometimes provide 00:39:03.789 --> 00:39:07.289 you with information or they become advocates 00:39:07.289 --> 00:39:09.929 where maybe they hear from someone else that 00:39:09.929 --> 00:39:12.409 who is thinking about poaching and they discourage 00:39:12.409 --> 00:39:14.809 them from doing it themselves without mambas 00:39:14.809 --> 00:39:17.809 even being involved, right? Yeah. And then again, 00:39:17.809 --> 00:39:20.809 uh, because in the north side where we are staying, 00:39:20.809 --> 00:39:24.250 uh, like a lot of bushmeat poachers, they coming 00:39:24.250 --> 00:39:28.199 from that communities cause in, um, In the south 00:39:28.199 --> 00:39:31.139 side, we have more programs that are educating 00:39:31.139 --> 00:39:36.480 people there. But in the north side, we are the 00:39:36.480 --> 00:39:38.860 first one who went to the community to educate 00:39:38.860 --> 00:39:41.900 them. So that's why we deployed more members 00:39:41.900 --> 00:39:47.170 from their community. Yeah, so it's like giving 00:39:47.170 --> 00:39:49.289 back to the community. So giving back to the 00:39:49.289 --> 00:39:52.449 community by hiring them from the community and 00:39:52.449 --> 00:39:55.630 work to the reserve that is next to the community. 00:39:56.230 --> 00:39:58.829 Right. How many Black Mamas are there now? We 00:39:58.829 --> 00:40:02.650 are 36, including the environmental monitors, 00:40:03.070 --> 00:40:05.889 which they stay in the community, waking up in 00:40:05.889 --> 00:40:08.230 the morning, go to schools to educate their children. 00:40:08.349 --> 00:40:13.800 Excellent, excellent. You guys mentioned so I 00:40:13.800 --> 00:40:15.639 think I said, you know We call that community 00:40:15.639 --> 00:40:17.840 policing in the US when you're living in the 00:40:17.840 --> 00:40:19.980 community and working in the community that you 00:40:19.980 --> 00:40:25.019 serve You guys mentioned, you know Women Rangers 00:40:25.019 --> 00:40:27.400 or women in the community or primary caregivers, 00:40:27.440 --> 00:40:30.039 you know, they might be moms. They might be aunties 00:40:30.039 --> 00:40:32.860 They might be crap grannies, whatever it is, 00:40:32.960 --> 00:40:37.579 right? Does that oh and one thing I read on your 00:40:37.579 --> 00:40:41.010 website you guys work what is it 21 days on and 00:40:41.010 --> 00:40:44.250 10 days off right and that means you spend 21 00:40:44.250 --> 00:40:48.269 days in the park right yes yeah so given that 00:40:48.269 --> 00:40:52.730 you are caregivers aunties to your you know children 00:40:52.730 --> 00:40:57.070 in your community what does that create any kind 00:40:57.070 --> 00:40:59.230 of challenge and when you're away that long or 00:40:59.230 --> 00:41:02.530 how do you balance work and your and your family 00:41:02.530 --> 00:41:05.900 personal life responsibilities To tell you the 00:41:05.900 --> 00:41:10.480 truth, I'll start by saying that in our compound, 00:41:10.980 --> 00:41:13.400 where we are staying, we have a lot of nests. 00:41:13.860 --> 00:41:16.860 We have rhino skulls. We have elephant skulls. 00:41:16.900 --> 00:41:19.079 So every morning before we go out on patrol, 00:41:19.760 --> 00:41:22.659 we call that area that is our motivation area. 00:41:23.500 --> 00:41:26.829 That place remind us. of why we are there to 00:41:26.829 --> 00:41:30.110 protect these voiceless animals. For us staying 00:41:30.110 --> 00:41:34.929 21 days, it's a reward to the animals. So for 00:41:34.929 --> 00:41:40.349 us going back home for 10 days to bond with our 00:41:40.349 --> 00:41:44.309 children or to bond with our families, I think 00:41:44.309 --> 00:41:47.730 it's enough time because our children, they are 00:41:47.730 --> 00:41:51.019 allowed to visit us during school holidays. great 00:41:51.019 --> 00:41:53.900 and during the holidays so our children they 00:41:53.900 --> 00:41:55.880 are more allowed to come and then we do the game 00:41:55.880 --> 00:41:59.380 drive with them uh we show them what we do but 00:41:59.380 --> 00:42:01.900 uh you know that sometimes somewhere somehow 00:42:01.900 --> 00:42:06.199 we miss our families but uh for me because when 00:42:06.199 --> 00:42:09.719 i'm home i don't rest i don't want to lie i don't 00:42:09.719 --> 00:42:13.179 rest at all and then sometimes like they give 00:42:13.179 --> 00:42:16.840 me a dig i think like no the 10 days it's more 00:42:16.840 --> 00:42:21.179 can i go back to work so yeah it's crazy you're 00:42:21.179 --> 00:42:23.619 just you're just as busy at home as you are at 00:42:23.619 --> 00:42:28.880 work yeah yeah and then and then again um for 00:42:28.880 --> 00:42:32.239 us to be away for our children this benefits 00:42:32.239 --> 00:42:36.059 them it is benefiting them because we are protecting 00:42:36.059 --> 00:42:38.780 the animals that they will see and that they 00:42:38.780 --> 00:42:42.579 see not in posters not in books not reading them 00:42:42.579 --> 00:42:45.739 but they see it on real life so it is benefiting 00:42:45.739 --> 00:42:48.539 our children and then again now and then when 00:42:48.539 --> 00:42:51.380 I go to my off -cycle because when I normally 00:42:51.380 --> 00:42:54.420 love to take pictures so when I go home to my 00:42:54.420 --> 00:42:56.719 children I show them the beautiful pictures of 00:42:56.719 --> 00:43:01.079 the rhinos elephants things like that so excellent 00:43:01.079 --> 00:43:04.059 great so for my side at the beginning it was 00:43:04.059 --> 00:43:07.059 not easy because being away from my family I 00:43:07.059 --> 00:43:09.900 don't have kids but I have many kids in my shell 00:43:09.900 --> 00:43:13.030 because I end up opening my own charity away 00:43:13.030 --> 00:43:15.789 from my charity like feeling like I I leave them 00:43:15.789 --> 00:43:19.909 behind yeah so but up to so far because they 00:43:19.909 --> 00:43:22.949 know that the reason why I'm away from them so 00:43:22.949 --> 00:43:25.489 that I wanted to help them if I can if I'm not 00:43:25.489 --> 00:43:28.179 waking i won't even manage to help them so but 00:43:28.179 --> 00:43:30.519 being me in the bush protecting all those animals 00:43:30.519 --> 00:43:34.400 uh it's make a huge um benefit from them because 00:43:34.400 --> 00:43:37.659 each and every month i take my kids in my charity 00:43:37.659 --> 00:43:42.639 to go to kruka to see animals for free so i do 00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:45.219 this because i wanted to develop to commit the 00:43:45.219 --> 00:43:48.820 way i i grew up on so i end up opening that charity 00:43:49.739 --> 00:43:52.119 I do so many things in my charity because what 00:43:52.119 --> 00:43:56.340 I'm doing in the place where I'm working, I apply 00:43:56.340 --> 00:43:59.360 it in my community where I'm staying. So that's 00:43:59.360 --> 00:44:02.460 really with me dealing with food parcels, clothing, 00:44:03.199 --> 00:44:05.360 anything that people are giving to me, I'm also 00:44:05.360 --> 00:44:07.099 giving back to them. So they end up understanding 00:44:07.099 --> 00:44:09.519 like even if you are away from us, we know that 00:44:09.519 --> 00:44:12.920 you are doing something to help my family to 00:44:12.920 --> 00:44:15.320 sleeping with something in their tummy. Sometimes 00:44:15.320 --> 00:44:17.179 if maybe the kid doesn't have a uniform to go 00:44:17.179 --> 00:44:19.599 to school, I also bought the uniform. for them 00:44:19.599 --> 00:44:22.679 so they make they know that uh go work so that 00:44:22.679 --> 00:44:25.679 you can help us that's why now they're so proud 00:44:25.679 --> 00:44:28.300 of me they're so happy on me i'm in love with 00:44:28.300 --> 00:44:31.039 my community i am a role model in my community 00:44:31.039 --> 00:44:33.239 where i came from that's why i'm fighting very 00:44:33.239 --> 00:44:35.320 hard to be more in the booth so that they can 00:44:35.320 --> 00:44:36.900 at least benefit because i don't want to see 00:44:36.900 --> 00:44:39.239 them or their families go to the bush and get 00:44:39.239 --> 00:44:41.460 impala get decad i don't want to see that thing 00:44:41.460 --> 00:44:43.860 so i'm blogging them or blogging their families 00:44:43.860 --> 00:44:46.840 to go to the booth so Right now, I'm so proud 00:44:46.840 --> 00:44:49.099 to be away from them. And they're so happy to 00:44:49.099 --> 00:44:51.780 see that she's away from us, but we know that 00:44:51.780 --> 00:44:54.300 she's coming back to see us. And we know she's 00:44:54.300 --> 00:44:57.239 doing good things, yeah. Exactly. So I know you 00:44:57.239 --> 00:44:59.639 have other things that you're doing. today and 00:44:59.639 --> 00:45:01.760 you're in the states for uh why are you in the 00:45:01.760 --> 00:45:04.440 states what are you guys doing you're in jackson 00:45:04.440 --> 00:45:07.300 wyoming did you you got to see yellowstone national 00:45:07.300 --> 00:45:12.699 park right that's pretty neat it's different 00:45:12.699 --> 00:45:15.900 very different than africa right yeah we are 00:45:15.900 --> 00:45:19.340 here to um to share our work that we are doing 00:45:19.340 --> 00:45:23.389 in south africa it was totally different So sharing 00:45:23.389 --> 00:45:25.809 and caring is good because they're also learning 00:45:25.809 --> 00:45:29.230 from us and also learning from them. And also 00:45:29.230 --> 00:45:33.429 to show that even women can work the job which 00:45:33.429 --> 00:45:35.809 the state is a man. Because I think here, lots 00:45:35.809 --> 00:45:37.670 of people that are working as a ranger who are 00:45:37.670 --> 00:45:39.929 taking care of the pack, I think is a man. So 00:45:39.929 --> 00:45:41.530 I wanted to show them that even though they can 00:45:41.530 --> 00:45:47.269 give a chance to women in the US to be part of 00:45:47.269 --> 00:45:51.739 the pack. Yeah, there there are many National 00:45:51.739 --> 00:45:54.300 Park Service rangers who are women Debbie met 00:45:54.300 --> 00:45:55.920 any while you were in Yellowstone. Did you meet 00:45:55.920 --> 00:46:00.679 any female Rangers? Okay, okay good good good 00:46:00.679 --> 00:46:03.619 good So I don't I don't want to keep you too 00:46:03.619 --> 00:46:05.800 long today, but let's wrap up Just tell me each 00:46:05.800 --> 00:46:08.559 of you kind of what do you think your long -term 00:46:08.559 --> 00:46:11.500 impact like? What do you hope what do you hope 00:46:11.500 --> 00:46:14.739 your legacy is in in having a career as a black 00:46:14.739 --> 00:46:18.440 mamba? What do you think your long -term impact 00:46:18.440 --> 00:46:21.960 is going to be on your communities, South Africa 00:46:21.960 --> 00:46:25.840 in general, wildlife? What do you hope to leave 00:46:25.840 --> 00:46:30.559 as your legacy? Okay, myself, I hope to leave 00:46:30.559 --> 00:46:35.559 people who can walk on top of my foot to protect 00:46:35.559 --> 00:46:40.119 these wild animals and then to make sure that 00:46:40.119 --> 00:46:45.159 we stop poaching before our animals go extinct. 00:46:45.519 --> 00:46:49.210 Right. That's my wish. Awesome. Like my wish, 00:46:49.369 --> 00:46:53.170 I wish that one day the government must take 00:46:53.170 --> 00:46:56.590 us into seriously because when it comes to rhino 00:46:56.590 --> 00:46:59.329 poaching, government doesn't take into serious 00:46:59.329 --> 00:47:01.510 because if you can arrest a rhino poach today, 00:47:01.869 --> 00:47:03.769 you find that within a week is out and then the 00:47:03.769 --> 00:47:07.269 second day is in. So I want that when we invest 00:47:07.269 --> 00:47:10.409 more good information to the young ones, I know 00:47:10.409 --> 00:47:12.690 that the one day those kids that we've been grooming 00:47:12.690 --> 00:47:15.300 them now, they would be working at the government. 00:47:15.480 --> 00:47:17.579 They would want that I can make sure that everything 00:47:17.579 --> 00:47:20.219 is good so that they can know that animals that 00:47:20.219 --> 00:47:22.980 we have in our reserve or in our parks is our 00:47:22.980 --> 00:47:25.840 heritage. We must try our best to take care of 00:47:25.840 --> 00:47:27.599 it. Like last time we heard that there was a 00:47:27.599 --> 00:47:30.380 dinosaur. I never seen even the dinosaur. But 00:47:30.380 --> 00:47:33.400 now in my age, there is a rhino. There is pangolin, 00:47:33.539 --> 00:47:35.320 there is elephant. Why do they might take care 00:47:35.320 --> 00:47:37.139 of those animals that they cannot go instead? 00:47:37.480 --> 00:47:40.179 So I'm grooming the young ones so that one day 00:47:40.179 --> 00:47:42.079 they can work in the government. They can be 00:47:42.079 --> 00:47:43.820 the one who working in the reserve taking care 00:47:43.820 --> 00:47:46.679 of the animal for the young, young, young generation. 00:47:47.440 --> 00:47:50.400 Awesome. You know what's interesting and reassuring, 00:47:50.519 --> 00:47:56.000 but also I find it really endearing is that during 00:47:56.000 --> 00:47:58.539 my podcast, as I talk to different people involved 00:47:58.539 --> 00:48:01.989 in law enforcement issues or you know countering 00:48:01.989 --> 00:48:04.750 wildlife trafficking or poaching there's so much 00:48:04.750 --> 00:48:06.929 we have in common regardless of where we live 00:48:06.929 --> 00:48:10.730 right um we may have different laws that apply 00:48:10.730 --> 00:48:13.289 we may have different you know realities in our 00:48:13.289 --> 00:48:16.050 local communities or whatever but in the end 00:48:16.050 --> 00:48:18.510 the people who are involved in this effort to 00:48:18.510 --> 00:48:21.650 protect wildlife around the world Really have 00:48:21.650 --> 00:48:24.949 very similar motivations, you know, like Everything 00:48:24.949 --> 00:48:27.630 you say resonates with me and and the things 00:48:27.630 --> 00:48:31.150 I hoped to accomplish during my career and the 00:48:31.150 --> 00:48:33.829 things that I cared about so it's it's just a 00:48:33.829 --> 00:48:37.769 very kind of neat way to Remember that on those 00:48:37.769 --> 00:48:40.650 days when things aren't going well There are 00:48:40.650 --> 00:48:42.650 people on the other side of the planet doing 00:48:42.650 --> 00:48:45.469 exactly what you're doing and just as passionate 00:48:45.469 --> 00:48:48.809 and maybe that helps us Push through those difficult 00:48:48.809 --> 00:48:54.269 times, right? Yeah, well listen, yeah for sure 00:48:54.269 --> 00:48:57.570 Colette and Kateko, thank you so much for your 00:48:57.570 --> 00:49:00.070 time I am so thrilled that you were willing to 00:49:00.070 --> 00:49:02.170 come on the podcast and talk to us just a little 00:49:02.170 --> 00:49:05.429 bit about the black mambas Anybody who's any 00:49:05.429 --> 00:49:07.090 of my listeners who are interested in learning 00:49:07.090 --> 00:49:10.929 more? I'll have the the link to the black mambas 00:49:10.929 --> 00:49:13.590 website on my website they can go and take a 00:49:13.590 --> 00:49:16.590 look and and read more stories and Contribute 00:49:16.590 --> 00:49:19.599 and support you if they if they can But thank 00:49:19.599 --> 00:49:21.639 you so much for your time. I hope you enjoy your 00:49:21.639 --> 00:49:23.380 stay in the United States. And thank you very 00:49:23.380 --> 00:49:26.679 much for the work you're doing in Africa. Americans, 00:49:26.679 --> 00:49:29.199 you know, they like to come to Africa and spend 00:49:29.199 --> 00:49:32.119 their money on on tourist activities. And they 00:49:32.119 --> 00:49:34.159 really all of us really appreciate that there 00:49:34.159 --> 00:49:36.980 are people like you protecting wildlife resources, 00:49:36.980 --> 00:49:39.559 not just for South Africans and people in your 00:49:39.559 --> 00:49:41.840 community, but for the whole world. So thank 00:49:41.840 --> 00:49:45.440 you very much. Thank you for inviting us. But 00:49:45.440 --> 00:49:48.929 before we close that, I would like to say Thank 00:49:48.929 --> 00:49:51.969 you to the listeners. Since the Black Members 00:49:51.969 --> 00:49:54.670 Anti -poaching Unit, we are a non -profit fund. 00:49:55.019 --> 00:49:58.280 We'll love to see people supporting us. And then 00:49:58.280 --> 00:50:01.420 we have the Black Members' Alliances, which are 00:50:01.420 --> 00:50:04.579 the ones who are paying our salaries or which 00:50:04.579 --> 00:50:07.139 are the one who are paying for the instruments 00:50:07.139 --> 00:50:10.440 that we are using. We'll love to see many people 00:50:10.440 --> 00:50:13.860 to join to our Black Members' Alliances because 00:50:13.860 --> 00:50:17.599 we are the rangers on the fold, but we need support 00:50:17.599 --> 00:50:21.559 from the people so then we can manage to run 00:50:21.559 --> 00:50:25.139 the program. Thank you. Absolutely. We'll make 00:50:25.139 --> 00:50:27.380 sure that all that information is on the Nature 00:50:27.380 --> 00:50:30.900 Secret Service website so that people can contribute 00:50:30.900 --> 00:50:33.860 in whatever way they can. Yeah. Thank you. Thank 00:50:33.860 --> 00:50:36.559 you so much. We appreciate you having us in the 00:50:36.559 --> 00:50:39.099 Zoom. And to all today listeners, thank you so 00:50:39.099 --> 00:50:41.539 much. I hope one of you will come to South Africa 00:50:41.539 --> 00:50:43.980 and see the Black Mamba's life, not to see on 00:50:43.980 --> 00:50:46.480 the Zoom. Oh, you know, you know, I'll be back. 00:50:46.519 --> 00:50:48.980 I'll be back to see you guys again. Yeah, I love, 00:50:49.059 --> 00:50:51.619 I love visiting and Craig and I've already talked 00:50:51.619 --> 00:50:54.559 about it. I'll be back to see to see the Black 00:50:54.559 --> 00:50:58.059 Mambas soon. Okay, that brings us to the end 00:50:58.059 --> 00:51:00.820 of another great episode of Nature's Secret Service. 00:51:01.260 --> 00:51:04.659 I want to thank our guests today, Nkateko Mazimba 00:51:04.659 --> 00:51:08.780 and Colette Ngobeni, both of the Black Mambas 00:51:08.780 --> 00:51:11.880 anti -poaching unit in South Africa. It was such 00:51:11.880 --> 00:51:13.920 a pleasure to have them on the show. I hope you 00:51:13.920 --> 00:51:20.679 guys enjoyed it. We'll see you next time. and 00:51:20.679 --> 00:51:23.880 is co -produced by the DHTV team here at California 00:51:23.880 --> 00:51:26.639 State University Dominguez Hills. Follow us on 00:51:26.639 --> 00:51:29.800 social media and connect with us online at naturessecretservice 00:51:29.800 --> 00:51:30.400 .com.