Marnus Roodbol, South Africa

What does Harnas have to offer the human race? How can one differentiate between Harnas and other places? Well, the main goal for most of these wildlife organizations is to make a difference and helping wildlife as much as possible. I for one have been very fortunate in my life to have seen and worked at a few places that either involves rehabilitation of wild animals or working directly with wild animals. When one deals with either one of these main organizations, I found that the most important influence one must have is HEART. Some places do it for the love of the animals and others do it for the money. But at the end the only thing that will see a place through is heart.

At Harnas I have found that the main fuel that runs this project through every day is passion, love and patience. So what does Harnas offer that other places can’t? Simple and easy, an interaction between man and beast, a chance for a person to really find themselves and get back to what’s really important in life. Harnas is not only just a place for injured animals to get comfort but most people that come here are also people that needs comfort, love, fixing and peace and that’s where the bond between two different species come together. For many people their stay at Harnas will be memorable, but for others it’s more than memorable. Whether people choose to return or not, there will always be a part of them at this special place.

“Some people look at the face of a Lion and they see the lion, whilst other people look at the face of a lion and feel the lion. People with no passion see a lion and it travels from the eyes to the brain. People with passion see a lion and it travels from the eyes to the heart.”

Dennis Roelofs

What also makes this place so different is the Life Line project. What is the Life Line project? Well the name should say it all. LIFELINE. Sometimes everyone needs a little bit of help getting started. So that is what the life line means. We would like to succeed in releasing animals that was brought to us in conditions unsuited for releasing in the Life Line, help them get back on their paws and then release them into an area that is monitored daily and is safe for them. By making sure that we monitor them and creating a safe enough environment for them is important not only for them but also for us. When we see fit that an animal is ready for release we put radio collars on them and send groups of volunteers out with them to see how they far. Now sometimes we do give animals chances and they either take the opportunity or they unfortunately don’t. When the animal that has been released fails, then we will bring them back to an area where we can take care of them once again until they are ready for a second time.

The Life Line as mentioned is about 8 000 ha large. I have been asked a few times whether the area is large enough for release and the answer is simple. YES!! This area is also just a starting point for them to get back into the wild life and to slowly get used to the idea of limited human contact. Generations later with constant release will then be able to be moved to other bigger game reserves and so we at Harnas try our best to make a difference and bring back that great numbers of Lions, Cheetah’s and other species that once roamed the plains of Africa. Is this a dream? YES, it is a dream, but rather have dreams where one can help make a difference in saving species than not have one at all.