Trading Christmas for Conservation

I am trading in Christmas for Conservation this year to give something back to this incredible place that we all call home. After all, aren't the holidays all about giving? I will be working at an animal sanctuary in the Guanteng Province of South Africa. The sanctuary manages lions, and leopards and other wildlife that, due to being born into captivity, neglected, or injured by poachers and hunters, cannot be released back into the wild. I will be working to educate local youth on the dire importance of conserving the lions, rhinos, giraffe, elephants, leopards and all creatures and preserving them for future generations. Then when I return to the U.S. I will be educating people in my community about the awful practice of canned hunting*(see bottom for definition). The sanctuary is an avid supporter of banning this sickening and inhumane practice that is very prevalent in South Africa.

I will be volunteering alone over the holidays because that is when I am able to have enough time off of work to do this. Being gone before, during and after the holidays will be tough for my family and myself, but we are a global community and we all need to take care of one another. We need to work together to protect those animals who are simply unable to speak for themselves.

I know I am only one person, but my hope is that maybe, someone else will see what I am doing, maybe that someone is you, and be motivated to volunteer some of their time, or a young girl will learn my story and say to herself; "Wow, if she can do that all on her own, then I can do that too." I am reminded of a quote by a very smart man we have all heard of: "The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing." -Albert Einstein.

I cannot continue to look on and do nothing as I see and hear about the war that our wildlife is fighting everyday. I feel passionate about this cause. We all have causes that ignite a spark in us and we all need to do our part to pursue those causes, even if it feels like you are very small on a very big planet. All of the small efforts add up to making a big impact.

So, please consider donating to help me pay for my volunteer program and flight costs. You will be a part of something bigger than yourself all for the cost of one small Christmas gift, or one little soon-to-be discarded stocking stuffer, or two cups of your morning coffee.

This is an extremely reputable sanctuary, unlike many who contribute to canned hunting, but hide behind a mask of conservation. For more information so you know you are contributing to a great cause, or so you can get involved and volunteer too, please feel free to visit:
http://www.lionwhisperer.co.za/index.php/wildlife-sanctuary/mission
http://www.cannedlion.org/ethical-volunteering.html


"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

*Canned Hunting: A canned hunt is a trophy hunt in which an animal is kept in a confined area, such as a fenced-in area so that the hunter doesn't have to work to kill it. This industry begins with the cubs being taken from their mothers when they are merely days old so that the mother will be able to have more cubs sooner. Then tourists and international volunteers, with good intentions, raise these cubs for this disgusting industry when they pay their hard earned money to bottle feed, cuddle and walk them until they are about 18 months old (then they get too big and dangerous for untrained humans). Then when the cubs aren't cute and snuggly anymore they are kept in small enclosures and listed online for hunters to literally select the one they wish to kill. Then the lion is put in an enclosure, sometimes baited with food, then the hunter kills him or her so they can mount their head on a wall somewhere.
Save