I have always loved animals, even as a little girl rescuing bumble bees, frogs and pigeons from the garden and at school. My biggest dream however has always been to make it to Africa to help the injured and mistreated animals of the bush! Animals in Africa (as i’m sure you’re aware) are so incredibly beautiful but are often poached by hunters looking for a pretty penny. If the animal is not killed during the process they are often left for dead. Some animals are hunted and killed just for ‘sport’ - yuk! In some cases people with more money than sense buy extravagant animals as pets- animals such as tigers, leopards, monkeys etc. However when these ‘pets’ become too big or unruly their ‘owners’ have no choice but to get rid of them. The most fortunate animals will make it to a sanctuary where they are safe from death and well looked after. However so many wind up being sold to people who take great pleasure in killing the animal and see taking the life of such a majestic animal as an achievement!

This summer I have made the decision to travel alone to South Africa. I will be working at a sanctuary which aims to look after sick, injured, and orphaned animals that are brought to the project by local authorities and wildlife protection groups. I feel passionate about helping be a part of saving and nursing injured animals who have been cruelly hunted or poorly kept in captivity. I want to get as hands on as possible from being part of game rescues in the wild to cleaning the reserves. The trip in total will cost approximately £2,500 for 2 weeks for everything. I have paid for the flights and saved money towards the programme. But any help or donations towards helping me make a difference to the animals at the shelter would be so very greatly appreciated. (By myself and the animals!)