Looking After What We Have
CONSERVATION
Modern conservation encompasses everything from preserving wildlife and saving habitats to helping communities and embracing as many true green technologies as possible. This is why we include lodges’ conservation and charity work in our write-ups about them. Like so many of our clients, we want to support those camps that make an effort to improve people’s lives and conserve all that is special to Africa.
We invite you to explore the projects we support. Together, we can make a difference in protecting our world and its inhabitants for generations to come.
An Animal Dear To Our Heart
THE PANGOLIN
As a team, we recognise the importance of preserving the natural world and the creatures that call it home. We believe that education is key to this preservation, which is why we support the production of documentaries that raise awareness and inspire action on behalf of endangered species, in particular the pangolin.
Pangolins are among the most trafficked mammals in the world, and as such, they are at risk of extinction. However, many people remain unaware of the pangolin’s plight and the impact that illegal trade has on these unique creatures. Our company aims to change this by supporting the production of documentaries that highlight the importance of pangolins and the need for their protection.
How We’ve Helped
OUR FAVOURITE PROJECTS
THE EYE OF THE PANGOLIN
Our own conservation work includes co-producing Eye Of The Pangolin, a fascinating documentary that looks at one of safari’s most sought-after but least-seen animals. At the time Biggestleaf Travel seed funded the initial trailer to get the project started. The Eye of the Pangolin was always intended to get more people aware of this amazing creature because we can only conserve something that we know about.
Although pangolins are the world’s most trafficked animal to Asian markets and under huge threat of extinction, Eye Of The Pangolin is essentially a love letter to this shy, gentle creature that may disappear before we ever really get to know it.
SCALES
Central to the trafficking of pangolins is the issue of why they are so desirable to Asian markets in the first place. Are they considered to have magical powers? Is it a status symbol to be able to afford pangolin products like scales? Do their bodies really have any medicinal value?
‘Scales’ is trying to answer these and other questions so that the root cause of the trafficking devastating pangolin populations – humans’ insatiable desire for their body parts – can be tackled. Bruce Young, who also worked on ‘Eye of the Pangolin’, is the man behind ‘Scales’. He is a deeply curious filmmaker asking what we stand to lose if a whole species disappear from the planet. In an increasingly personal quest he pursues answers to his questions: about the trade-in pangolins, the demand for their scales and the hope of saving a species. But what he’s really asking about is what has happened to our relationship with nature.
KOSHA – THE SECRET LIFE OF A PANGOLIN
Kosha means ‘the precious one’ and this documentary answers the often bittersweet question: Can a tiny, helpless baby pangolin rescued from ruthless animal traffickers ever be successfully rehabilitated and released into the wild?
Bruce is also the director of ‘Kosha’ and is following her story with celebrated wild animal rehabilitator Lisa Hywood and the team of Zimbabweans who support her right to be a free pangolin. This heartfelt tale offers new insights into how we can save the most-trafficked mammal on Earth through ground-breaking science that only Kosha can provide as researchers monitor her secret life in the wild. You can read more about this emotional journey here.
How You Can Help
HELP TO FUND THE PRODUCTION OF SCALES
If you would like to find out more, support pangolins and help Bruce and Silver Bullet Films to produce ‘Scales’, please click here and follow the instructions below:
- Please scroll down and hit the DONATE button:
- This will take you to the WildAid website. WildAid is a US-based non-profit that has Charity Navigator’s highest ranking of four stars for accountability, transparency and financial health. It also has GuideStar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency.
- To give to Scales, please write ‘For SCALES, the pangolin film’ in the comments box on the donation form.
- US citizens donating USD will receive a 501c(3) tax credit for their contribution.
Thank you for fighting for pangolins. They can’t fight the human threats to their very existence but, together, we can.
Investing In Our Future
PHILANTHROPY
While wildlife conservation is very important to us, we also know that its success is based on communities who are educated, funded and given opportunities so that they can thrive without needing to resort to poaching, habitat reduction or being sucked into the wildlife trade.
How We’ve Helped
OUR FAVOURITE PROJECTS
SG NTUANE PRIMARY SCHOOL
That’s why we have donated funds to SG Ntuane Primary School at Pilanesberg National Park in South Africa. Helping to give children a literal roof over their heads and playground equipment so they can learn and relax in safety and comfort is an important way of contributing to their education. A child we help today could be the head ranger, chief researcher or even your safari guide in Pilanesberg in the future. People are a crucial part of conservation and we’re grateful to be able to make contributions like this.
ENTREPRENEUR & COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Robert, our Founder, is passionate about business and supporting young entrepreneurs. Having built several companies over the years, he offers valuable support to young South African innovators, entrepreneurs and game changers who share our passion, ambition and integrity. He has helped several companies and community projects in Langa and Khayelitsha, two large townships in Cape Town, help them reach bigger audiences and grow their work.
