letters from volunteers
Enjoy some letters from working guests, volunteers and members of staff.
Suzette du Plesis, South Africa
Ek het my onverwags teen jou vas geloop op n groot stuk graspek. Ek het jou geroep op n groot stuk grasperk. Ek het jou geroep, op my knieë gaan sit met my arms oop het jy met jou dun beentjies volspoed teen my vas gehardloop. Die emosie wat saam met dit gegaan het kan ek nie in woorde beskryf nie. Toe word jy siek. Soveel so dat ek gedink het ons gaan jou verloor. Maar met vele mondspoel en inspuitings het jy beter geword. Ek het ure by jou gesit, gedruk en geweet ek gaan jou nooit op gee nie. Nooit. Jy bring vir my ongekende vreugde en jy vul al van my hart kamers vol. Ek gaan jou saam met my vat hier binne, waar dit saak maak en die mooiste foto’s wat ek van jou geneem het was sonder my kamera. Dankie.
Opgedra aan Kiki, die duiker.
Jayme Frantz, Minnesota-USA
On my last day at Harnas, I can’t stop thinking “what now?” When I came to Harnas, I was a 20 years old with absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life. After spending six weeks at this wonderful place, I now know. I want to be a part of wildlife rehabilitation in the way Harnas does it. Whether I come back here for another period of time, find another place to work/volunteer at or eventually start up my own business that is what I am going to do. I know when I get home I will feel out of place. Though I never grew up in the bush or around cheetahs, loins, or baboons I felt this path is where I was meant to go. This is what God wanted me to do with my life. This is what fits.
Tamara van Mierlo, Holland
I just really want to tell you from the bottom of my heart, you changed my life. You were there for me at moments I really needed some support. Also now when I’m home again, I really miss the place, the quietness and the animals. There were moments I will never forget my whole life.
Kristin, Canada
The little things; waking up to find a baboon clinging to you in the middle of the night, the roaring of loins at sunset, the feeling of the earth right before the heavens open and produce a great storm. These are the inexplicable moments of Harnas which I will hold in my heart. The moments which I could never fully capture with a picture. These moments which I could never reproduce in words but they will play a large role in my Harnas story. Like you always say when we leave Harnas, we will take with us many pictures. I know that I have hundreds of cheetah and baboon pictures which I will show to family and friends when I return home but they will never possess the feelings and memories which I will have when showing them. These feelings, they will never comprehend.
Laura
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I am thankful for just about everything, for noticing me: just knowing that you looked on me for a job to do or just to talk that recognition showed me that I am reliable and trusting person. Thank you for everything for teaching me to grab life with both hands and throw everything you have at it! To not hold back, just do. And to love even those who hurt you because life and time is short and precious. |
Wicky & Michaela Wirschke, Germany
Harnas ist für uns ein zweites Zuhause geworden. Jedes Mal, wenn wir abreisen mussten, blieb ein Stück von uns dort. Ruhe und Entspannung inmitten der afrikanischen Tierwelt lassen uns aufleben. Einen kleinen Teil dazu beizutragen, dass die Tierwelt auch für die nächste Generation erhalten bleibt, ist uns ein großes Anliegen. Jeder neue Tag auf Harnas ist für uns ein ganz besonderes Geschenk.
Valentin-Gruener, Germany
Wenn ich an den Tag zuruek denke an dem Ich auf Harnas angekommen bin faellt es mir immer wieder schwer zu glauben, dass ich jetzt schon seit fuenf Monaten hier bin. Die Zeit ist wie im Flug vorbei gegangen, dennoch kann ich mir nicht vorstellen das es schon vorbei ist. Mit der Zeit ist dieser Platz zu einem Zuhause fuer mich geworden.
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Die Moeglichkeiten die einem hier geboten warden sind einfach unglaublich. Jedem der am Programm teilnimmt ist es absolut selbst ueberlassen was er daraus macht und wieviel Erfahrungen er sammeln will. Die Moeglichkeiten mit Tieren wie ausgewachsenen Geparden, jungen Loewen aber auch Hunden, Katzen und kleinen Affen in ihren Kaefigen draussen zu schlafen oder mit ihnen im Busch spazieren zu gehen, sind einfach unerschoepflich und jeder Tag bietet neue, interessante Erfahrungen.
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Ich selbst habe jede nacht mit vier jungen loewen draussen geschlafen. Umso schwerer faellt es mir jetzt, nach fast einem halben Jahr wieder nachhause zu fliegen. Wenn ich auf die Zeit zurueck blicke scheint es surreal das ich diese Erfahrung wirklich gemacht habe. Die Freiheit die einem Hier gegeben wird und die Chance Natur und Tiere Afrikas so hautnah zu erleben ist einzigartig.
Insgesamt hat mir der Aufenthalt geholfen, mir ueber den weg den ich im Leben gehen moechte klar zu werden und es war mit Sicherheit eine der wertvollsten erfahrungen die ich bis jetzt erlebt habe.
Patricia
These days at Harnas in March were the best in my life. I was scared of my illness (cancer), yes, but every time I was sitting at “my” cheetahs or “my” wild dogs I was able to forget all my fears. I used to get up very early to hear the glorious roaring every morning – the very best sound in the world! With every day at Harnas my personal life-energy was growing and with it my confidence to become healthy again. |
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I was allowed to experience what the love of animals could bring about. To see, a potentially dangerous animal is trusting me and let me touch him made me just happy.
Etosha Karutjaiva, Namibia
My position is tour guide, and started here in 2006. I start my morning tours at 9, 11, and 12 am. The afternoon tours start at 15 and 17:20 pm. On the tour every day I have new two volunteers to help me for both morning and afternoon tours. During the tours the volunteers help me to feed the animals. We throw maize meal to the Baboons and vervet monkeys and throw meat to loins, leopard, cheetahs, caracals and wild dogs.
Harnas is the best place to be, Harnas is a paradise, the best place ever!!!
Tammy Raymond, Canada
People travel around the world for many reasons. Whether it’s to explore, enjoy, or to escape the stresses of reality – and I was one of them.
Harnas is different. I found through my time here it’s a place to heal. A place too not only find yourself, but also your place in life. Harnas is a place to grieve, to give, to find unconditional love and lifelong friends.
Back home, I live in a world where people find happiness under false pretences. It’s a place where people are made to feel important or accepted by the possessions that they have. Whether it’s the last fashion, the newest hairstyle, your position at work, the car that you drive, or whether it may be. Harnas puts perspective on what true happiness is or should be. It’s a magical place. A place where you find the true happiness you were seeking. It’s something that cannot be bought- only experienced. It’s spending the night gazing at the starts, a sleep out in the bush, a warm smile or words of encouragement, a small animal that lives though the night because I cared. It’s something telling you, “I believe in you” when you never heard those words before, and mostly, it’s finding the unconditional love of an animal. Looking into the eyes of a small lion that loves you for who you are on the inside. Relying on you for strength, growth and affection. In all of this, your reward is a hundredfold. The love that fills and lives within your heart is unimaginable and unexplainable. It’s something that I hope that everyone in their lifetime can feel at least once. |
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Harnas has given to me many privileges and gifts that I never know I needed to make me a better person. It showed me how to love more, to listen more and even face my darkest fears. It has taught me forgiveness, peace and understanding. That is one of the greatest gifts ever presented to me.
I know my days here are numbered and to leave here will be my saddest moment, but I will take with me all the love, laughter, happiness and lessons that I have learned and I know these memories will be imprinted in my heart for a lifetime.
One of Harnas’ mottos is “We Save Animals”. I just wonder if they know how may people’s lives they save as well?
Gottfriedt Apollus, Namibia
I was born on the 26th of February 1987 in a small town in the heart of Karas region called Keetmanshoop. I was raised at a small communal area known as Vaalgras situated 125km east of keetmanshoop. From the time I was five. I looked after my parents livestock, mainly; cattle, sheep and goats until I started my academic career. During that time, I developed the enthusiasm for the care of animals.
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I finished my primary school in Windhoek at Maarti Arthisaari Primary School and came back to the south to complete my high school at Suiderlig High in Keetmanshoop. As I approached grade 12, I searched for possible study courses outlined in the Polytechnic of Namibia prospectus for 2006 to further my academic career at tertiary level. As I was paging through, I came across Nature Conservation, so I tried to find out more about this course from my life skills teacher. She told me that it was about conserving biodiversity and because of my interest in animals; I decided to go for it |
As a nature conservator, I want to be one of the individuals to form the backbone of wildlife management in Southern Africa. I would like to become a conventional ranger responsible for wildlife management in crucial areas including: veld, water, veldfire, game management and patrolling.
I am currently in my final year and performing my in-service training at Harnas Wildlife Foundation to fulfil the requirements for a diploma in Nature Conservation. My student project focuses plants species composition and animal numbers with in the Life line Area at Harnas Farm # 418 and aims to come up with recommendations based on the results, as to whether the release area is indeed suitable for all animals in captivity in terms of food availability and habitat preferences. A possible recommendation could be, to promote grass growth, by either burning or physically removing bushes and trees. It is also expected that the management will gain an insight into the density and composition of plants and animal numbers within the release area, which may be used to determine what animal species should be released or not and how many of them. This may then be used as a first step to enhance a successful release of animals back into nature. I am having a great time here so far under special guidance by staff.
Marnus Roodbol, South Africa
What does Harnas have to offer the human race? How can one differentiate between Harnas and other places? Well, the main goal for most of these wildlife organizations is to make a difference and helping wildlife as much as possible. I for one have been very fortunate in my life to have seen and worked at a few places that either involves rehabilitation of wild animals or working directly with wild animals. When one deals with either one of these main organizations, I found that the most important influence one must have is HEART. Some places do it for the love of the animals and others do it for the money. But at the end the only thing that will see a place through is heart.
At Harnas I have found that the main fuel that runs this project through every day is passion, love and patience. So what does Harnas offer that other places can’t? Simple and easy, an interaction between man and beast, a chance for a person to really find themselves and get back to what’s really important in life. Harnas is not only just a place for injured animals to get comfort but most people that come here are also people that needs comfort, love, fixing and peace and that’s where the bond between two different species come together. For many people their stay at Harnas will be memorable, but for others it’s more than memorable. Whether people choose to return or not, there will always be a part of them at this special place.
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‘Some people look at the face of a Lion and they see the lion, whilst other people look at the face of a lion and feel the lion. People with no passion see a lion and it travels from the eyes to the brain. People with passion see a lion and it travels from the eyes to the heart.’ Quote Dennis Roelofs |
What also makes this place so different is the Life Line project. What is the Life Line project? Well the name should say it all. LIFELINE. Sometimes everyone needs a little bit of help getting started. So that is what the life line means. We would like to succeed in releasing animals that was brought to us in conditions unsuited for releasing in the Life Line, help them get back on their paws and then release them into an area that is monitored daily and is safe for them. By making sure that we monitor them and creating a safe enough environment for them is important not only for them but also for us. When we see fit that an animal is ready for release we put radio collars on them and send groups of volunteers out with them to see how they far. Now sometimes we do give animals chances and they either take the opportunity or they unfortunately don’t. When the animal that has been released fails, then we will bring them back to an area where we can take care of them once again until they are ready for a second time.
The Life Line as mentioned is about 8 000 ha large. I have been asked a few times whether the area is large enough for release and the answer is simple. YES!! This area is also just a starting point for them to get back into the wild life and to slowly get used to the idea of limited human contact. Generations later with constant release will then be able to be moved to other bigger game reserves and so we at Harnas try our best to make a difference and bring back that great numbers of Lions, Cheetah’s and other species that once roamed the plains of Africa. Is this a dream? YES, it is a dream, but rather have dreams where one can help make a difference in saving species than not have one at all.
Astrid Behrendt, Germany
There are moments that can change a life. Mine definitely changed 13 years ago when I was watching a German TV program showing baboons and lions jumping around in the kitchen of a Namibian family who dedicated their life to wildlife conservation. I had to see that with my own eyes! Many things have changed until today. One thing never did: the passion for the animals - no matter how big or small, how beautiful or ugly they may be or how much work they will bring. |
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I was told “Once you got sand from Africa in your shoes, you’ll always come back to refill it”. For me it turned out to be “Once you felt the passion of Harnas, you’ll always come back to relive it.”
Harnas is not just a farm – it’s an attitude. In a charming way not perfect - but 100% genuine.
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You may find a nosy ostrich at the pool, a grumpy vulture or a leopard that needs a lift to the Windhoek hospital. Probably you will soon find out that baboons are more clever than you ever thought - and surely cleverer than you! You will find strange combinations of animals which proof that friendship can conquers all and be amazed by the majesty of God’s creation. |
But Harnas is also about people.
It´s about teamwork, trust, contribution and challenges. It doesn’t matters from which part in the world you are, the animals will look straight into your heart. You will realize that not every animal can be saved – but that every animal is worth it. |
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You might feel exhausted lying in bed after a long day of hard work, but the lions will sing a smile onto your face with their roaring lullaby, saying thank you for making the difference and helping us to make our vision come true.
Harnas memories last for a lifetime. So expect the unexpected! |