2021
THE EARTH & THE ANIMALS
Discovering Beautiful Wild Places, Incredible Animals & The People
"I am on a journey to discover and learn as much as I can about wildlife, captive animals, domesticated wild-animals and the history of human and wildlife interaction. I'll be visiting captive wildlife establishments, sanctuaries, reserves, parks and farms who are home to South Africa's most beloved animals and find out what the future holds for both human and non-human species in these environments. I am meeting the people who are in conservation and are active in rescue, rehabilitation and the release of wild species back into wild habitat. Founders of Animal Organizations, Wildlife Veterinarians, Members from Anti-Poaching Units and those who guard over, work with and care for animals are on my list of people to meet and learn from in the hopes I can share their stories and inspire others to participate and protect the innocent. I will also be meeting with animal rights organizations and speak to animal rights activists as well as animal welfarests to raise awareness on issues that require the support of the public and find out what they have to say about new guidelines and changes made to legislation pertaining to Agriculture, Environment and Tourism and how that affects the current endangered status and the rights of animals, wild habitat and as a whole the Earth.
To fully understand why things are the way they are and where we are heading to we have to start at the beginning and learn about the past and we also have to educate ourselves about the present. We are on an evolutionary timeline racing towards the sixth mass extinction, losing species and wild habitat due to habitat encroachment and deforestation.
Habitat restoration must be a top priority for each and every individual on Earth. To restore and return wild spaces to increase biodiversity is a must and increasing biodiversity can only be achieved by expanding and diversifying the range of habitats or vegetation structures available. Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how big or small, all have an important role to play. Healthy soil is a state of a soil meeting its range of healthy ecosystem functions as appropriate to its environment and biodiversity is the key indicator of the health of an ecosystem.
The future of Earth and the quality of life for all depends on the extent to which we recognize our impact and our progressive actions whereby we take responsibility. Ultimately the outcome of the future is in our hands " - Petro Diamant

PLACES, SPECIES & ORGANIZATIONS
Meeting The Non-Human Animals And The Human Animals

Still Bay And The Palinggat Eels
STILL BAY The Bay Of Sleeping Beauty Still Bay also known as the Bay of Sleeping Beauty, is a town along the southern coast of South Africa about four hours drive by car from Cape Town. It is part of the Hessequa Local Municipality in the Western Cape province and it is a stunning little […]

Jeffreys Bay And Jay Bay Animal Rescue
JEFFREYS BAY Home Of The Best Right Hand Surf Break In The World Jeffreys Bay is this funky happening coastal surfer town. Almost everything about this town is cool. Great shops, great restaurants. Good service and it’s the one town with the most options of vegan desserts and cakes that I’ve discovered on this part […]

Uitenhage ‘Kariega’ And Vets Incorporated
VETS INCORPORATED UITENHAGE | WESTERING | BLUEWATER BAY | KIRKWOOD Vets Incorporated consists of four mixed animal practices situated in the Eastern Cape, South-Africa. They take pride in what they do and their mission is to provide exceptional service to the Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth communities in providing healthcare for companion animals as well as […]

Hitgeheim And The Addo Elephant Park
HITGEHEIM Hitgeheim County Lodge & Eco Reserve My journey to Hitgeheim County Lodge & Eco Reserve took me on this dusty beautiful road with incredible panoramic views. In this part of the world it appears that there where the sun rises lies a pot of gold. The whole sky lit up with layers and layers […]

Still Bay And Wild Rescue Wildlife Sanctuary
WILD RESCUE Wildlife Sanctuary & Nature Reserve My dear friend Annette Pienaar accompanied me to Wild Rescue Wildlife Sanctuary The seeds for the establishment of Wild Rescue were sown when the founder, Gill Simpson, visited the Barrydale baboon rehabilitation facility before it was tragically closed in 2012. In 2013 she became volunteer manager at the […]

Karoo Donkey Sanctuary Plettenberg
KAROO DONKEY SANCTUARY We have seen them tied up on the side of the roads. We have seen them pull horse carriages. We have seen them work the fields, We have seen them with loads of baskets filled with whatever the humans who own them require or them busy transporting a family from point A […]

Plettenberg Bay And Raptor Rescue
BIRD OF PREY REHABILITATION & AWARENESS CENTRE RESCUE REHABILITATE RELEASE BIRD OF PREY REHABILITATION & AWARENESS CENTRE RESCUE REHABILITATE RELEASE They are available 24/7 to recue injured or distressed raptors EMERGENCY CALL 078 135 3611 / 073 948 8371 Raptor Rescue Plettenberg Bay opened in September 2020 taking over the premises and infrastructure and adopting […]

Cape Town And Beauty Without Cruelty
CAPE TOWN The Mother City & Beauty Without Cruelty Cape Town is a port city on South Africa’s southwest coast, on a peninsula beneath the imposing Table Mountain. The official guide on things to do, places to see, the best restaurants to eat at, and everything you need to know about staying in Cape Town can be […]

Kuzuko Lodge Place of Glory
Kuzuko Lodge is known as the “Place of Glory” and is Private Game Reserve situated in the greater Addo Elephant National Park area in the Eastern Cape, with the vision to combine conservation, job creation and social transformation. This authentic luxury lodge was built high up on a hill, where you will see the most […]

PROJECTS, CONTRIBUTIONS & COLLABORATION
AWARENESS ART | ADVOCACY FOR ANIMALS & THE EARTH
This years focus in on two species. The Suricate and the Rhinoceros. Both Awareness art pieces will be used to educate the public on human wildlife conflict issues pertaining to both species. The illegal wildlife pet trade has had a devastating effect on this small mongoose specie found in southern Africa. Removed from the wild, traded and sold to pet lovers these animals fall prey to illegal activities and unjust treatment that result in less desired harmful outcomes. Meerkats are also called Suricata suricatta or Suricate. They are characterized by a broad head, large eyes, a pointed snout, long legs, a thin tapering tail, and a brindled coat pattern. THE SURICATE SOLSTICE awareness art will bring a message for humanity and teach us about the ways of the Suricate.
Our larger wild friends the Rhinos continue to be slaughtered for their horn. With all the conservation work and effort in place it seems like syndicates and those that demand the horn simply continue with traditions and practices at the cost of a specie going extinct. THE SACRED HORN awareness art highlights the plight of Rhinos. It reminds us of their sacred place in this world.