World Wonder
"When I grow up, I am going to marry a monkey!”
This is apparently what I told my parents quite emphatically from as soon as I could talk. I was also going to be a vet. Or Doctor Doolittle’s right hand (wo)man – come hell or high water.
My love of wild animals and wide open spaces has been there from the get-go. I have my father to thank for this. As one of the country’s eminent conservationists (with a career spanning well over 60 years), he opened my eyes to many of Africa’s conservation issues and challenges.
When my father was Professor of Zoology at the University of Natal, we would often visit his PhD students who would be researching in the KZN bush or in the Drakensberg. I got to interact with many incredible (sometimes rare and elusive) creatures.
I once cuddled a baby Suni antelope in the sand forests of Maputaland – and remember my dad telling me I was probably the only child in the world lucky enough to do so.
Occasionally he would bring home animals that had been brought to him (either by students or members of the public). So for short stints, I would keep or look after various rescued snakes, two baby jackal, and even a male genet.
The latter was a treasured and most unusual pet for many months. Gennie, as he was called, would roam free at night, and then sometimes climb into my window and sleep on my pillow in the early hours of the morning.
All these creatures would eventually be released into the wild, but for their rehab period, I became their chief carer, and I absolutely loved it.
Parental influences
My father is an avid birder, and
