Animal rescue

Yesterday the last piece of my 'African dream' puzzle fell into place. Ever since I got my pilot license and started living in South Africa it was my great desire to fly a mission with wild animals for the Bateleurs. An organisation that works with mostly volunteers to protect and conserve wildlife. I have flown for the Bateleurs last year, counting animals for a nearby game reserve. But last week I got the question whether we could transport 1 young flamingo, 2 vervet monkeys, 1 meerkat and 1 tortoise from a veterinary clinic in Johannesburg to a rehabilitation center in Kimberley from where they will be released back into the wild. The 2 rear seats were removed from the Cessna to create enough space for them. The precious cargo came on board in Johannesburg for a flight of just under 2 hours. Fortunately not longer because it started to smell like nervous monkeys :) Left at first daylight and returned to Ximuwu just before dawn. A long but very rewarding day flying with co-pilot Marlon. It’s amazing to finally be able to fly for conservation. I truly hope there are many more opportunities like this in the near future !