Why leave? Reason #5: Intense love for animals
This is for most people the most obvious reason why we want to move to South Africa.
First of all we have five pet familymembers. We live together with two labrador retrievers, George & Kloenie, and three cats, Paris, Toulouse and Charlie. We love to cuddle a lot, but also to play, run, swim and wrestle. They are a marvelous edition to our lives and they make our lives rich with all there individual characteristics. That is why it is no question whether the should or should not come to South Africa.
Then there is the zoo. We love to work in Dierenpark Amersfoort as guides. We like to be around animals all the time and tell people everything about them. It is so fulfilling to teach people something while they are unaware of the fact that they receive a dosis eduction :). They take good care of these animals (who are all born in captifity), but it is not in their natural environment. It would be so much more valuable to observe them were they actually belong.
The Netherlands does have pretty flora and fauna, but as stated before it is all regulated and monitored. Every tree is planned and when someone starts to talk about the Oostvaardersplassen the discussion get heated. We don’t know what it is but it seems like people (not just Dutch people) want to control everything. That is too bad, because the Dutch nature can be wonderful. We have so much more than just the Common Wood Pigeon and the Cross Spider. From seals till wild horses and from boars till kingfishers. There is just one restriction: the room for nature. There just isn’t so much left and that is very sad. But it is not impossible to enjoy the wild in the Netherlands.
What makes South Africa so great when it comes to animals? First of all it is the place with the most mammal species and they have endless species of birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects. In the Kruger area you can drown yourself in exceptional experiences when it comes to wildlife. When we would live in a private reserve it is possible to meet a herd of elephants who are wandering passed our future home, or to meet cute steenbok couples or what do you think of a encounter with a group of hyena’s. It is our biggest desire to live surrounded by the very best that nature has to offer. Every day.
Wiebe & Melanie