Field Guide vs Game Ranger

I am pleased to introduce you to Lando Howard. He writes a great column as Bushwacked Boy and will be a regular contributor on my Blog under Guest Writers. Look for Lando’s intelligent “hands on” perspective on animals in Africa and the challenges they – and the people who are trying to protect them – face every day.

Field Guide vs Game Ranger

By Lando Howard – Guest Writer

I’m going to clarify – Field Guide vs Game Ranger – as people often do not understand the difference when they meet me and find out that I am studying towards becoming a “Field Guide”. They don’t understand what the job entails and confuse it with the role a “Game Ranger” plays.

The Last 20 Years Of Your Life

The Last 20 Years Of Your Life

Take a moment to sit back, put your feet up and really think about the last 20 years of your life. If you are 50 years old – think back to your 30 year old self. Perhaps you were finishing up an advanced education degree. Maybe you were engaged or already married. Maybe you had children or were planning to start a family. Think about all the holiday celebrations you’ve enjoyed – birthdays – welcoming the new year – buying your first home or cottage – international travel – your kids turning 10 years old – a crisis with a parent – losing a job you valued and then finding a new career path – your kids becoming young adults and leaving home to lead their own lives. Maybe you had the challenge of an illness. Perhaps you survived a painful divorce and then found new love. A lot can happen in 20 years. Really think about what 20 years means!

The Numbing and Dumbing of Humanity

The Numbing and Dumbing of Humanity

The Numbing and Dumbing of Humanity allows those amongst us who abuse animals to do so with impunity. These people do not walk timidly in this world – they stride through it with confident, arrogant steps – sure of their superiority, entitlement and self-righteousness.

There Is Value In The Smallest Being

 There Is Value In The Smallest Being

I wrote this in 2006 and since then I have been asked to re-print it many times. For some reason it seems to touch people. Perhaps it’s the fact that there is value in the smallest being and every living creature – no matter how big or small – has an impact on somebody or something. I still remember this contrary little fellow very fondly and I thought you might enjoy his story.

The Breaking Of An Elephant’s Spirit

 The Breaking Of An Elephant’s Spirit

Anywhere in the world – the breaking of an elephant’s spirit using torture is deliberate – brutal  – selfish – unnecessary and motivated by money or driven by the need for personal gain. Elephants are herd animals who can live in the wild for 60 to 70 years. They stay in the same family for an entire lifetime. The Matriarch is smart and profoundly wise. She has incredible knowledge in her mind – an accumulation of the wisdom of her ancestors. She leads and protects her herd with this knowledge.