December 2, 2025 • 16 mins
Pippa Hudson speaks to Kate Ahl, a giraffe expert with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, who will help to lead a safari through Namibia, from tracking the Angolan giraffe to learning about desert-adapted wildlife and staying in incredible lodges.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now in today's episode of Wonder the World, we are
dreaming very, very big, because we are talking about the
kind of travel bucket list experience that most of us.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Will never be able to afford.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I have to concede that upfront, but wow, what an
adventure it would be to go on. And I just
wanted to let you know that this exists as an
option for you if you are lucky enough to be
in the bracket that can afford this level of travel.
And also I want to talk about it even for
those who won't ever experience it in person, because it
does so much to highlight a conservation issue that is
(00:31):
not talked about as much as the rhinos and the
pangolins and the like, and that is the conservation status
of giraffes. I was very interested to receive a press
release just yesterday coming out of the latest Sighties gathering,
voicing relief at the fact that they had successively fought
off an attempt to remove some of the protections in
(00:52):
place around giraffes, namely relaxing some of the trade restrictions
around giraffe body parts.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
And I read that and I thought, there's a trade
in giraffe body parts who knew.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
I have never thought of a giraffe as being an
animal that was under threat in any particular way. But
this kind of travel experience is going to tell us
more about that background and also tell you in a
most extraordinary way to be able to engage with this
upfront and in person. We are talking about a nine
day immersive safari experience in Namibia. It is a luxury
(01:24):
trip worth a purpose. Guests get to take part in
hands on giraffe conservation at the same time as enjoying
the most gorgeous, rugged beautiful landscapes of northern Namibia. Now
you are going to be led on that journey by
two extraordinary guides, Kate al and Emma Wells, who are
both giraffe experts who have spent years working in the field,
and they accompany travelers every step of the way, working
(01:48):
alongside the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, which is a world leading
organization dedicated to protecting giraffes all around the world. From
tracking the Angolan giraffe and we'll explain what that is shortly,
to learning about desert adapted wildlife, to staying in some
of the most incredible lodges. As I said, this is
a real bucketless, once in a lifetime experience, particularly for
(02:10):
anyone who loves wildlife and who loves wide open spaces.
And it's a huge pleasure to have one of those
extraordinary guides joining us via zoom this afternoon to tell
us more. Kate, I'll welcome to Kate Talk and welcome
to Wonder the World.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Hi Peppa, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
It's a great pleasure. Thank you so much for giving
us your time this afternoon, Kate. As I've just said,
I'm sure I'm not alone in being the only person
who went. I didn't even know that giraffe conservation was
something we had to be particularly mindful of before we
talk about this journey. Can we start there with the context?
Why do giraffes need protecting?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Absolutely? I think it goes back a long way. We
come on safari and we look at animals, and I
think everyone wants to see the lions and the elephants,
and we know that those animals need protection. And if
you went home from your safario, it would be sad
if you didn't the draft and what people are learning,
(03:02):
we're learning and finding out, is that their numbers are
in decline in some places and they need our help.
So the Draft Conservation Foundation has done a lot of
work over the last fifteen plus years to bring awareness
to that. It would call it a silent extinction. We
expected the Draft to be there for us the whole time,
but no, they actually need some focus and attention.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
And where are the major strates coming from?
Speaker 3 (03:26):
I mean it always boils down to people, right, It
depends on country by countries. Some countries struggle with war
and infrastructure. Other countries it's land space and migration corridors.
And you know, we have to take it country by
country when we go for those solutions.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Right, Okay, a little bit about your own background yourself
and Emma, how did you become involved in giraffe conservation?
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Well, how much time do we have.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
We've got twelve minutes in total, so tell me perhaps
the abbreviated.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Version one hundred percent. And so we both came from
a zoo keeping background. I used to work in the
States and I worked in New Zealand and Ireland, and
through both of our zews we got involved in conservation
and interested in Drafte Conservation Foundation as an organization. We
both came to Namibia years ago and fell in love
(04:19):
with it, and for me, it was a job that
other people did. Research conservation was something that some other
person did in the world, and it wasn't for me.
But going there and witnessing it and partaking in it
it opened up a whole new field of work for me,
and I dropped my other job and came back to
Africa one year later.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Okay, now you joined the Natural Selection Team in twenty
twenty one, and anybody who does their fair share of travel,
particularly in Africa, will know that that name is synonymous
with very curated, very luxurious, very impactful, and just the
most incredible travel experiences. And this one certainly is going
to be no different from what we've come to expect
from that brand. Tell us a little bit more about
(05:02):
the Giraffe Conservation Safari and what a visitor who is
lucky enough to go on what of these trips will experience.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, I mean, as you said, it's nine days of
fun in September. We're gonna start out in vin Hook.
We'll meet up with the GCF team for a nice dinner.
Then the next day we head up to Atasha Heights,
which is a reserve bordering Atasha National Park. We'll spend
two days there sort of getting our our giraffe eyes in.
(05:29):
We'll learn how to identify individual giraffe. We'll learn some
information about their tags and how we monitor them. We
can look into the camera traps. We'll just take a
deep dive into what they're about and start to open
up the book. After that we'll go for the real
fun stuff. We'll move. We'll drive over to Quantum Valley Camp,
(05:51):
which is in the beautiful Hauntum Valley up in the
Community region. Have you ever been.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
I haven't. No, I've never been to Namabia.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
It's a stunning landscape. It's an amazing place that very
few people get to go to. Uh. It feels very remote,
very special. Every time I go there. It's it's just
a special feeling that you get when you're there. It's
not to be to skip. But once we get there,
that's when we'll be doing more of the hands on stuff.
The GCF team will be joining us up there, and
(06:20):
they have a they have a long term monitoring program
up there that's started in the late nineties, so they've
been monitoring the draft population in this very area of
desert for twenty five plus years now. And we're going
to replace some tags. So a satellite tracking tag will
be replaced on a few giraffe and maybe a couple
(06:44):
new ones. We'll see how many we find. Of course
that's always the trick, right, They don't just line up.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
Yeah, but you know the goal is over those two
days to apply a few tags to draft and that's
when you really get to see.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
The servation in accident, you get to be a part
of it. Now obviously you don't get to do any
of the veterinary work, but you get to be there
on the ground while it's happening, see the experts doing
their work, and really feel like you're helping.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I mean, we're talking about incredibly close up conservation experiences
in some of the most extraordinary landscapes, and that includes
both inland and coastal experiences as well, is my understanding.
So a real sense of a part of Namibia that
is remote, that is that sense of space around you, Kate,
Can you try and explain that because that perspective. I've
(07:36):
had that feeling in when visiting the Okavango in Botswana
of looking around and realizing that in every direction, as
far as I could see, I could not see another
human being. All I saw was wild landscape and it
was the most extraordinary feeling of my life.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Very similar sort of location here, not so absolutely.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
The Horna Valley is beautiful. That that river, the Horna River,
runs all the way to the And after we're finished
with all that tagging, we're going to take a two
day sort of relaxation and head out to the Shipwreck
Lodge and that's right on the coast there, right in
the dunes. You're gonna, you know, hopefully see some of
those desert adapted lions. We might even see a giraffe
(08:17):
traversing across the dunes if we're very lucky. But it's
just a it's just a magical place, and you're absolutely right.
Any anywhere direction you look, you won't see of another person,
and you'll just hear wildlife and that's the silence of
the world.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
It's beautiful and I can only imagine what you will
see when you look up above you at night into
the night skies.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
The star landscape must be incredible.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
The stars are amazing. Yeah, absolutely, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Lovely massage, It'll be a new moon.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Okay, lovely message in from Fran on our WhatsApp line,
who says, I am not affiliated in any way but
can only speak in the highest respectful terms of the
Giraffe Conservation Fund and their work. This would be a
fantastic safari for a cause. And as you says, I'm
not affiliated, just a safari guide who has also seen
their work in Mound in Botswana. Franz, thank you so
much for that endorsement of the organization that is at
(09:08):
the heart of this trip. For anybody who is coming
in midway. We are talking to Kate al who is
one of the extraordinary guides who will be your shepherd
on this amazing nine day immersive experience in northern Namibia
next September, getting you up close and personal with giraffe conservation,
letting you observe giraffe conservation efforts as they happen, and
(09:29):
also exposing you to some of the most extraordinary wilderness
landscapes and a real sense of isolation and being in
the wild. Having said that, Kate, you're not going to
feel like you are living in the wild and bush
camping in the accommodation. Tell us a little bit about
what sort of accommodation is included in this trip.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
So each of our camps are very well fitted out. Yeah,
you won't be missing your Gin and tonic. You won't
be missing your high tee. The Safari vehicles are quite comfortable.
You'll have your own tent and it'll be you won't
have to go walking out for the loo. No bushwees.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Okay, good to know.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Kate one of our listeners asking a question saying, I
didn't know that there were different types of giraffe. Are
there lots of different alternatives and can you tell us
a little bit more about them?
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Sure? Do you know how many species of giraffe there
are in Africa?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
I have no idea. I wouldn't even be able to
have a guest, to be honest.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
So I heard you talking about Syd's earlier about that,
and thankfully over the thanks to the research that the
Giraffe Conservation Foundation has been doing over the last years,
they've actually helped highlight and discovered that there are four
species of giraffe in Africa. So those are the northern species,
and there are three subspecies. Under the northern there's the reticulated,
(10:50):
the Messai, which you probably have heard of, and there's
two subspecies there, and then we come to the southern species,
which is what we see in South Africa and Namibia Botswana,
and they two subspecies that mean the angle In and
the South African.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Okay, so obviously we know the South African version from
our own trips to local bush lodges and the like.
But thanks for the explanation there. You mentioned that one
of the things that will be discussed in the sort
of early part of this trip is identification of giraffes.
Somebody else is asking whether they have unique patterns? Is
that how you identify them or is there more to
it than that?
Speaker 3 (11:24):
I know with the draft, it's very simple. Their pattern
is unique to them, just like a fingerprint. So we
don't have to tag to track a giraffe. We can
monitor them from birth until death through their spots. So
the spots they're born with is the pattern that they have.
And it's a very easy way. And thanks to AI
and so a few other smart people out there in
(11:44):
the world, there's lots of systems in place that we
can use to filter through photographs and sort individuals quite quickly.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Amazing, amazing.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
All right, let's talk about the not so easy part
of this, Kate. This is not a budget safari experience.
What is the cost of taking part in this nine
day excursion.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Well, there's two parts to it. There's the trip and
the accommodation, and that is I believe I just heard
today sitting at just over two hundred and twenty thousand
rand Okay, but that's nine days of amazing time with
me and Emma, just so you know. But the most
important part that we need to touch on is there'll
be a donation to the Draft Conservation Foundation, and that
(12:23):
is three thy five hundred US dollars per person. But
that goes to pay for not only this excursion that
we're going on, but it goes to support the staff
and the veterinarians and the people that are doing the
work day in and day out for the organization. So
it pays for those tracking units, those little callers that
we're putting on. It pays for the veterinary fees and
(12:46):
on and on. So it is a worthy cause. It's
an amazing organization. They work in twenty one different African
countries on all four species of draft. They're the only
NGO in the world that is dedicated to draft conservation.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Thanks for for highlighting that, Kate to somebody else emailing
me who's a very keen photographer asking is this a
suitable trip for someone to practice their photography skills, because
it sounds like the ideal sort of location and the
opportunity to get sort of up close shots that are
very rare and unique. Are photographers welcome or would the
clicking of lenses be a distraction?
Speaker 3 (13:21):
No? Absolutely, photographers are one hundred dcent welcome. I'm sure
I'll be bringing my camera and sneaking a few shots
here and there as well. The landscape is stunning, the
animals are stunning. You're going to use that macro lens
get right in on the nose of that giraffe. It's
going to be amazing. If photographers are welcome.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Okay, thanks for that, and then perhaps one thing we
should mention is is the sort of the physical requirements
of the trip other than being able to get in
and out of a game viewing vehicle?
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Is there? You said there's not much on footwork.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Does one need to be in any sort of particular
physical shape to sign up for a trip like.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
This, No, there's no requirement of physical shape. Yeah, it'd
be great if you can get in and out of
the game. You're on your own.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
That's that's help you.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
But but no, there'll be minimal walking. We'll be in
wild spaces and there'll be lions around, so we won't
be out tall wandering around the bush too much.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Okay, thanks for that. Before we say goodbye, Kate, let
me let me ask you, just for fun, can you
share with us an interesting or particularly eye opening fact
about giraffes that the average person listening to this interview
wouldn't have known before. Maybe your favorite fun fact to
roll out at pub quizzers.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Well, I will tell you a fun fact that comes
up a pub quiz a lot, and I fight with
the pub quiz people every time. So the question, the
question often comes is do giraffe make a do giraft
make a noise? Or what is the mammal that makes
a noise that doesn't make a noise? And everyone says
giraffe And the reality is giraffe do actually make lots
of vocalizations. Okay, so yeah, so I liken it to
(14:52):
a mooing type roar. So it's kind of like cow
cow like noises that they use often when they're in distress,
but not always. So they do sound, they do project
as a very silent and distinguished animal, but they do
make noise, and so I think a lot of people
get that fact wrong all the time.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I'm so glad you said us straight on that because
I have also heard that myth many many times that
they are the one animal that doesn't make any sound.
And I mean the sound I have heard from them
is the cracking of next when two males are fighting
in the bush, But of course that's the sort of
a side effect of the fight. I've never heard the
moving raw. But that's one to add to the travel
travel bucket list for the future. Kate, it's been wonderful
(15:33):
having you chat to us today. Thank you so so
much for your time. The last thing to leave our
listeners with is if they want to sign up for
this trip, who do they need to reach out to?
What website do they need to visit?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Yeah, thank you so much for your time. If there's
any interest or just if you want to learn about
more of our projects that we support at Natural Selection,
you can hand over to natural Selection dot travel and
that will link to our foundation page, which highlights all
of our programs that we support, including the Conservation Foundation.
If you want to go directly to gcif you can
(16:04):
go to draftconservation dot org and learn more about all
of their research there.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Thank you so much for doing such a wonderful job
of painting the picture for us, not only of their
brilliant work, but of what sounds like a once in
a lifetime trip, and we wish you well for that
trip and your subsequent work. Katel, Thank you so much
for joining us one of the guides who will lead
this extraordinary journey in September, organized by Natural Selection and
the website again natural selection dot Travel
Now in today's episode of Wonder the World, we are
dreaming very, very big, because we are talking about the
kind of travel bucket list experience that most of us.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
Will never be able to afford.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
I have to concede that upfront, but wow, what an
adventure it would be to go on. And I just
wanted to let you know that this exists as an
option for you if you are lucky enough to be
in the bracket that can afford this level of travel.
And also I want to talk about it even for
those who won't ever experience it in person, because it
does so much to highlight a conservation issue that is
(00:31):
not talked about as much as the rhinos and the
pangolins and the like, and that is the conservation status
of giraffes. I was very interested to receive a press
release just yesterday coming out of the latest Sighties gathering,
voicing relief at the fact that they had successively fought
off an attempt to remove some of the protections in
(00:52):
place around giraffes, namely relaxing some of the trade restrictions
around giraffe body parts.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
And I read that and I thought, there's a trade
in giraffe body parts who knew.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
I have never thought of a giraffe as being an
animal that was under threat in any particular way. But
this kind of travel experience is going to tell us
more about that background and also tell you in a
most extraordinary way to be able to engage with this
upfront and in person. We are talking about a nine
day immersive safari experience in Namibia. It is a luxury
(01:24):
trip worth a purpose. Guests get to take part in
hands on giraffe conservation at the same time as enjoying
the most gorgeous, rugged beautiful landscapes of northern Namibia. Now
you are going to be led on that journey by
two extraordinary guides, Kate al and Emma Wells, who are
both giraffe experts who have spent years working in the field,
and they accompany travelers every step of the way, working
(01:48):
alongside the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, which is a world leading
organization dedicated to protecting giraffes all around the world. From
tracking the Angolan giraffe and we'll explain what that is shortly,
to learning about desert adapted wildlife, to staying in some
of the most incredible lodges. As I said, this is
a real bucketless, once in a lifetime experience, particularly for
(02:10):
anyone who loves wildlife and who loves wide open spaces.
And it's a huge pleasure to have one of those
extraordinary guides joining us via zoom this afternoon to tell
us more. Kate, I'll welcome to Kate Talk and welcome
to Wonder the World.
Speaker 3 (02:21):
Hi Peppa, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
It's a great pleasure. Thank you so much for giving
us your time this afternoon, Kate. As I've just said,
I'm sure I'm not alone in being the only person
who went. I didn't even know that giraffe conservation was
something we had to be particularly mindful of before we
talk about this journey. Can we start there with the context?
Why do giraffes need protecting?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
Absolutely? I think it goes back a long way. We
come on safari and we look at animals, and I
think everyone wants to see the lions and the elephants,
and we know that those animals need protection. And if
you went home from your safario, it would be sad
if you didn't the draft and what people are learning,
(03:02):
we're learning and finding out, is that their numbers are
in decline in some places and they need our help.
So the Draft Conservation Foundation has done a lot of
work over the last fifteen plus years to bring awareness
to that. It would call it a silent extinction. We
expected the Draft to be there for us the whole time,
but no, they actually need some focus and attention.
Speaker 2 (03:23):
And where are the major strates coming from?
Speaker 3 (03:26):
I mean it always boils down to people, right, It
depends on country by countries. Some countries struggle with war
and infrastructure. Other countries it's land space and migration corridors.
And you know, we have to take it country by
country when we go for those solutions.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Right, Okay, a little bit about your own background yourself
and Emma, how did you become involved in giraffe conservation?
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Well, how much time do we have.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
We've got twelve minutes in total, so tell me perhaps
the abbreviated.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Version one hundred percent. And so we both came from
a zoo keeping background. I used to work in the
States and I worked in New Zealand and Ireland, and
through both of our zews we got involved in conservation
and interested in Drafte Conservation Foundation as an organization. We
both came to Namibia years ago and fell in love
(04:19):
with it, and for me, it was a job that
other people did. Research conservation was something that some other
person did in the world, and it wasn't for me.
But going there and witnessing it and partaking in it
it opened up a whole new field of work for me,
and I dropped my other job and came back to
Africa one year later.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Okay, now you joined the Natural Selection Team in twenty
twenty one, and anybody who does their fair share of travel,
particularly in Africa, will know that that name is synonymous
with very curated, very luxurious, very impactful, and just the
most incredible travel experiences. And this one certainly is going
to be no different from what we've come to expect
from that brand. Tell us a little bit more about
(05:02):
the Giraffe Conservation Safari and what a visitor who is
lucky enough to go on what of these trips will experience.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, I mean, as you said, it's nine days of
fun in September. We're gonna start out in vin Hook.
We'll meet up with the GCF team for a nice dinner.
Then the next day we head up to Atasha Heights,
which is a reserve bordering Atasha National Park. We'll spend
two days there sort of getting our our giraffe eyes in.
(05:29):
We'll learn how to identify individual giraffe. We'll learn some
information about their tags and how we monitor them. We
can look into the camera traps. We'll just take a
deep dive into what they're about and start to open
up the book. After that we'll go for the real
fun stuff. We'll move. We'll drive over to Quantum Valley Camp,
(05:51):
which is in the beautiful Hauntum Valley up in the
Community region. Have you ever been.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
I haven't. No, I've never been to Namabia.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
It's a stunning landscape. It's an amazing place that very
few people get to go to. Uh. It feels very remote,
very special. Every time I go there. It's it's just
a special feeling that you get when you're there. It's
not to be to skip. But once we get there,
that's when we'll be doing more of the hands on stuff.
The GCF team will be joining us up there, and
(06:20):
they have a they have a long term monitoring program
up there that's started in the late nineties, so they've
been monitoring the draft population in this very area of
desert for twenty five plus years now. And we're going
to replace some tags. So a satellite tracking tag will
be replaced on a few giraffe and maybe a couple
(06:44):
new ones. We'll see how many we find. Of course
that's always the trick, right, They don't just line up.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
Yeah, but you know the goal is over those two
days to apply a few tags to draft and that's
when you really get to see.
Speaker 3 (06:59):
The servation in accident, you get to be a part
of it. Now obviously you don't get to do any
of the veterinary work, but you get to be there
on the ground while it's happening, see the experts doing
their work, and really feel like you're helping.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
I mean, we're talking about incredibly close up conservation experiences
in some of the most extraordinary landscapes, and that includes
both inland and coastal experiences as well, is my understanding.
So a real sense of a part of Namibia that
is remote, that is that sense of space around you, Kate,
Can you try and explain that because that perspective. I've
(07:36):
had that feeling in when visiting the Okavango in Botswana
of looking around and realizing that in every direction, as
far as I could see, I could not see another
human being. All I saw was wild landscape and it
was the most extraordinary feeling of my life.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
Very similar sort of location here, not so absolutely.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
The Horna Valley is beautiful. That that river, the Horna River,
runs all the way to the And after we're finished
with all that tagging, we're going to take a two
day sort of relaxation and head out to the Shipwreck
Lodge and that's right on the coast there, right in
the dunes. You're gonna, you know, hopefully see some of
those desert adapted lions. We might even see a giraffe
(08:17):
traversing across the dunes if we're very lucky. But it's
just a it's just a magical place, and you're absolutely right.
Any anywhere direction you look, you won't see of another person,
and you'll just hear wildlife and that's the silence of
the world.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
It's beautiful and I can only imagine what you will
see when you look up above you at night into
the night skies.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
The star landscape must be incredible.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
The stars are amazing. Yeah, absolutely, yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Lovely massage, It'll be a new moon.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Okay, lovely message in from Fran on our WhatsApp line,
who says, I am not affiliated in any way but
can only speak in the highest respectful terms of the
Giraffe Conservation Fund and their work. This would be a
fantastic safari for a cause. And as you says, I'm
not affiliated, just a safari guide who has also seen
their work in Mound in Botswana. Franz, thank you so
much for that endorsement of the organization that is at
(09:08):
the heart of this trip. For anybody who is coming
in midway. We are talking to Kate al who is
one of the extraordinary guides who will be your shepherd
on this amazing nine day immersive experience in northern Namibia
next September, getting you up close and personal with giraffe conservation,
letting you observe giraffe conservation efforts as they happen, and
(09:29):
also exposing you to some of the most extraordinary wilderness
landscapes and a real sense of isolation and being in
the wild. Having said that, Kate, you're not going to
feel like you are living in the wild and bush
camping in the accommodation. Tell us a little bit about
what sort of accommodation is included in this trip.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
So each of our camps are very well fitted out. Yeah,
you won't be missing your Gin and tonic. You won't
be missing your high tee. The Safari vehicles are quite comfortable.
You'll have your own tent and it'll be you won't
have to go walking out for the loo. No bushwees.
Speaker 2 (10:07):
Okay, good to know.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
Kate one of our listeners asking a question saying, I
didn't know that there were different types of giraffe. Are
there lots of different alternatives and can you tell us
a little bit more about them?
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Sure? Do you know how many species of giraffe there
are in Africa?
Speaker 2 (10:23):
I have no idea. I wouldn't even be able to
have a guest, to be honest.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
So I heard you talking about Syd's earlier about that,
and thankfully over the thanks to the research that the
Giraffe Conservation Foundation has been doing over the last years,
they've actually helped highlight and discovered that there are four
species of giraffe in Africa. So those are the northern species,
and there are three subspecies. Under the northern there's the reticulated,
(10:50):
the Messai, which you probably have heard of, and there's
two subspecies there, and then we come to the southern species,
which is what we see in South Africa and Namibia Botswana,
and they two subspecies that mean the angle In and
the South African.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
Okay, so obviously we know the South African version from
our own trips to local bush lodges and the like.
But thanks for the explanation there. You mentioned that one
of the things that will be discussed in the sort
of early part of this trip is identification of giraffes.
Somebody else is asking whether they have unique patterns? Is
that how you identify them or is there more to
it than that?
Speaker 3 (11:24):
I know with the draft, it's very simple. Their pattern
is unique to them, just like a fingerprint. So we
don't have to tag to track a giraffe. We can
monitor them from birth until death through their spots. So
the spots they're born with is the pattern that they have.
And it's a very easy way. And thanks to AI
and so a few other smart people out there in
(11:44):
the world, there's lots of systems in place that we
can use to filter through photographs and sort individuals quite quickly.
Speaker 2 (11:50):
Amazing, amazing.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
All right, let's talk about the not so easy part
of this, Kate. This is not a budget safari experience.
What is the cost of taking part in this nine
day excursion.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Well, there's two parts to it. There's the trip and
the accommodation, and that is I believe I just heard
today sitting at just over two hundred and twenty thousand
rand Okay, but that's nine days of amazing time with
me and Emma, just so you know. But the most
important part that we need to touch on is there'll
be a donation to the Draft Conservation Foundation, and that
(12:23):
is three thy five hundred US dollars per person. But
that goes to pay for not only this excursion that
we're going on, but it goes to support the staff
and the veterinarians and the people that are doing the
work day in and day out for the organization. So
it pays for those tracking units, those little callers that
we're putting on. It pays for the veterinary fees and
(12:46):
on and on. So it is a worthy cause. It's
an amazing organization. They work in twenty one different African
countries on all four species of draft. They're the only
NGO in the world that is dedicated to draft conservation.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
Thanks for for highlighting that, Kate to somebody else emailing
me who's a very keen photographer asking is this a
suitable trip for someone to practice their photography skills, because
it sounds like the ideal sort of location and the
opportunity to get sort of up close shots that are
very rare and unique. Are photographers welcome or would the
clicking of lenses be a distraction?
Speaker 3 (13:21):
No? Absolutely, photographers are one hundred dcent welcome. I'm sure
I'll be bringing my camera and sneaking a few shots
here and there as well. The landscape is stunning, the
animals are stunning. You're going to use that macro lens
get right in on the nose of that giraffe. It's
going to be amazing. If photographers are welcome.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
Okay, thanks for that, and then perhaps one thing we
should mention is is the sort of the physical requirements
of the trip other than being able to get in
and out of a game viewing vehicle?
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Is there? You said there's not much on footwork.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Does one need to be in any sort of particular
physical shape to sign up for a trip like.
Speaker 3 (13:53):
This, No, there's no requirement of physical shape. Yeah, it'd
be great if you can get in and out of
the game. You're on your own.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
That's that's help you.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
But but no, there'll be minimal walking. We'll be in
wild spaces and there'll be lions around, so we won't
be out tall wandering around the bush too much.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Okay, thanks for that. Before we say goodbye, Kate, let
me let me ask you, just for fun, can you
share with us an interesting or particularly eye opening fact
about giraffes that the average person listening to this interview
wouldn't have known before. Maybe your favorite fun fact to
roll out at pub quizzers.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Well, I will tell you a fun fact that comes
up a pub quiz a lot, and I fight with
the pub quiz people every time. So the question, the
question often comes is do giraffe make a do giraft
make a noise? Or what is the mammal that makes
a noise that doesn't make a noise? And everyone says
giraffe And the reality is giraffe do actually make lots
of vocalizations. Okay, so yeah, so I liken it to
(14:52):
a mooing type roar. So it's kind of like cow
cow like noises that they use often when they're in distress,
but not always. So they do sound, they do project
as a very silent and distinguished animal, but they do
make noise, and so I think a lot of people
get that fact wrong all the time.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
I'm so glad you said us straight on that because
I have also heard that myth many many times that
they are the one animal that doesn't make any sound.
And I mean the sound I have heard from them
is the cracking of next when two males are fighting
in the bush, But of course that's the sort of
a side effect of the fight. I've never heard the
moving raw. But that's one to add to the travel
travel bucket list for the future. Kate, it's been wonderful
(15:33):
having you chat to us today. Thank you so so
much for your time. The last thing to leave our
listeners with is if they want to sign up for
this trip, who do they need to reach out to?
What website do they need to visit?
Speaker 3 (15:43):
Yeah, thank you so much for your time. If there's
any interest or just if you want to learn about
more of our projects that we support at Natural Selection,
you can hand over to natural Selection dot travel and
that will link to our foundation page, which highlights all
of our programs that we support, including the Conservation Foundation.
If you want to go directly to gcif you can
(16:04):
go to draftconservation dot org and learn more about all
of their research there.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
Thank you so much for doing such a wonderful job
of painting the picture for us, not only of their
brilliant work, but of what sounds like a once in
a lifetime trip, and we wish you well for that
trip and your subsequent work. Katel, Thank you so much
for joining us one of the guides who will lead
this extraordinary journey in September, organized by Natural Selection and
the website again natural selection dot Travel
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