The best time of my life…

Before I came to South Africa I didn’t know what to expect. I was a bit scared actually, since I was going to live in a foreign country for 3 months with people I didn’t know. I was worried that I would feel lonely and homesick, but the second I entered the house at Panthera Africa all the thoughts and worries were gone. It immediately felt like home and I knew that I was going to have the best time of my life. Everyone there was so welcoming, warm-hearted and kind.

Since I was at Panthera Africa for 3 months, which is a pretty long time, many volunteers came and left during my stay. But I can say, that all of them had their own impact on my stay and I had so much fun with every single one. I now have friends in Sweden, Norway, England, Holland, Switzerland, Australia and of course South Africa.

Lyns, Cat, Stig, Lizaene, Nina, Joseph, you guys are family for me and I really, really thank you for everything.

I’ve never really been a big animal lover, I never had any pets or wished for some.

But for example sitting with Obi, going for a run with Lala or talking to Lei-ah just made me grew a huge heart for them and all the other animals that still struggle in Breeding and Hunting farms.

When you look them in the eyes you can see pure love and kindness and it is an unbelievable feeling to be able to make sure that these guys are safe and happy.

Of course I had to do some hard and sometimes not really fun work, but I always thought that I’m doing this for such a good reason, so it was okay. But cleaning the enclosures, looking for poop and bones like on an Easter egg-hunt, painting stumps, building platforms and enclosures and preparing the food was a lot of fun. The days were always diversified, so I never got bored at all.

I would sometimes just sit in the garden, watch the beautiful sunset, listen to the lions roar and feel so happy and calm. But there were also moments of so much laughter (LYNS, STIG ;))…

It is awesome to see, how people from all over the world with so different lives, come together at this place and immediately bond, since they’re all there for the same reason: to help animals.

Thank you so much to everyone!

I learned a lot at my time at Panthera Africa. Not only about Canned Hunting and the animals, but also about life and myself. I will never forget you and I promise to come back, because this is one of the best places in the world to see beautiful nature, make awesome friends and the best; really feel that you are doing something good for the animals.

 

Love, Lea (Germany)

January – March 2017