Scotland roars in S.A.

Report by Malena Persson: CACH Scotland representative. 

I think back to May 31st, when I was playing the waiting game at the airport in London. I sat at the gate and the screen above my head showed Johannesburg. Only another hour to go before departure. It was in this moment I realized I was actually on my way to see lions up close. Until then the sponsorship and everything around it had been slightly surreal to feel true. But there I was. About to board a flight for a first visit to South Africa, and the big cats I adore. Being a Swede living in Scotland these exotic animals have always filled me with awe as I watched them on nature shows on TV, and their majestic presence on this Earth felt to me like something untouchable, something us humans cherished. Therefor it came as a chock a couple of years ago, that not only are lions endangered, but also they are being bred for the bullet in South Africa. Not being able to cope with that thought I had gotten involved with the efforts made to raise awareness on the issue, and end this horrible industry. And it was as a proud member of the CACH family that I now sat at the airport in London, about to hop on a plane on my first ever encounter with lions. I was going on a 2 week volunteer trip to Welgedacht, the sanctuary of Kevin Richardson; The Lion Whisperer.

Welgedacht sits within the Dinokeng reserve in Gauteng. It has three main areas; the Trading Post where the volunteers and staff stay, the Bush Camp and then North/South enclosures and this is where the lions live. My time at the sanctuary was everything I had hoped and more. Hard work, yes. But then that should be expected when going to work with big cats. Chores included feeding, gardening, painting fences, cleaning enclosures and night pens. And then there was the Fridge, where a real team building experience took place on my second day, when good meat had to be separated from the bad. Not a duty for the faint hearted. But I had arrived with an open mind and I quite enjoyed whatever task was thrown my way. Eager to learn about how things were done. 

Meeting Kevin was a great honor. He turned out to be this friendly down to earth person who joked a lot, and knew his way with words. During a walk with Bobcat and Gaby he sat at the back of the truck with us, and it was a true pleasure listening to him talk about his lions, and the mutual respect that builds the bond between him and them. It is here very important to point out to those who aren’t aware about Kevin’s ways that a walk with lions at Welgedacht differs from all other places in South Africa. It is an enrichment walk for the lions, an opportunity for them to get out the enclosures and take in new smells at the reserve. No other than Kevin gets to be near the lions. Us volunteers sat at the back of the truck (or inside it if we felt the slightest worry of having a lion running lose around us). The walk is to make the lions happy, not the volunteers. However, it is at the end of the day a sort of win-win situation. Because I found it extremely rewarding to watch the lions stretch their legs, and occasionally take a tumbling jump at Kevin. It was also an out of the world feeling to have Gaby the lioness coming up to the truck and sniff my back. For a moment there I’m sure I stopped breathing. No matter under what, a lion remains wild at heart. And it is time for us all to realize this and stop feeding our ego with an obscure wish to walk with lions, or play with cubs. These animals have roamed the planes of Africa as kings and queens – why do we suddenly feel the need to demean these amazing beings into photo props and oversized pets?

Volunteering at Welgedacht gave me an incredible insight into the day-to-day running of the sanctuary, and it was an honor to meet the staff there and see how extremely hard they work on a daily basis. It was interesting to learn about feeding procedures and it was during one of the meal preps that I found out the true consequences of cub petting. The meat for the two youngest lions was covered in medicinal powder and I asked how come. By now I think most people have heard about the rescue of George and Yame – the two cubs that were used for petting in Spain and were saved and brought to Kevin’s sanctuary. A lot of time has been put into mental and physical rehabilitation, and it has ensured that they today are two very happy boys, who lead a good life in South Africa. But their past still takes its toll to this day. George, the smaller of the two, has severe problems with his joints and still has to be medicated. He might never entirely recover. This is due to the poor diet of diluted milk they were fed to keep them tiny enough to be abused as props for photos with tourists. They were throw-away-cubs, and hadn’t they been saved then their story would have had a tragic end. George and Yame are today alive and rather well. But George needs his meds. During an enrichment walk with the boys it became evident why. Only after 20minutes or so, the wee lad had to sit and rest, the pain in his legs keeping him from bouncing along with Yame. It was very sad to watch and I can only hope that we one day will see the end of the cub petting industry which is causing such damage to cubs within, as well as outside, South Africa. 

Two weeks fly by when you sink your teeth into something you love to do. And I sure loved being at Welgedacht. It was an eye opener and I left with a heart full of love and respect for the animals there, and also with a great deal of new knowledge. Before returning back home I visited the new CACH HQ and finally got to meet Bev and Chris. After having represented the organisation in Scotland for a year it was such pleasure to meet the two lionhearts who started it all. I spent two nights in the beautiful mountains, staying amongst olive trees and aloe. I listened eagerly to stories of the past and the present. I left feeling wiser and more confident than ever. I can now say, without a doubt, that saving lions is not a hobby – it is a way of life. And I will walk this path until the world roars with us, and we ban canned hunting! 

PS. A little cute story to end my post. Upon my return to Scotland I had dinner with friends. We talked a little bit about my time in South Africa and touched the subject of canned hunting. Suddenly their eldest son, 8 years old, looked up and told us that he has an idea. This wee fella had come up with a plan, and a design, of a sort of airbag vest for lions, similar to the ones used in cars (but much more he powerful he strictly pointed out). And this vest would protect lions from hunters bullets, as well as the protecting lions from the pain of being shot at. Bless!