Blog
The name of the game for 2020 is adapt and be resilient, but it s also been about working out how to pivot in our work or businesses to roll with the punches. For Matson & Ridley Safaris, with our tours in Africa and Australia all postponed to 2021, and still awaiting news of when the Covid-19 vaccine will be in widespread use, we've been developing our conservation consultancy side and looking at ways we can contribute during these uncertain times for everyone.
The word 'safari' means journey and comes from the Swahili word 'kusafari' (to travel). But for so many of us who live and breathe Africa, its meaning is so much deeper. What does 'safari' mean to you?
The wild ride of the coronavirus pandemic continues to have its ups and downs around the world, but it is wonderful to see some countries turning a corner with this terrible virus. I have been so inspired to hear the stories coming out of Africa from our partners on the ground, who in spite of ongoing costs without any tourism income, continue to support local communities and play the all important role of preventing poaching.
When I got back from Rwanda in early January, we had no idea the crisis that was about to unfold across the planet from the novel coronavirus. 2020 has become the year of the pandemic and all of us are adapting to it in our own ways. Back in early March, my first response to the sense of fear and trepidation about the many unknowns that people around me were feeling was to think about how elephants might react if this was something that was affecting them. The population in Akagera National Park, Rwanda that has been my focus for the last couple of years have dealt with trauma after trauma in their lives, and only in the last decade have things settled down for them and a peaceful existence made possible by the wonderful team at the Akagera Management Company (African Parks in partnership with the Rwandan Development Board).
As we all ride this crazy wave that is the coronavirus pandemic, no doubt many of us are going through peaks and troughs of emotions.
While the animals might have initially enjoyed a little break from tourist traffic in Africa's national parks, COVID-19 is having all sorts of impacts on endangered species. This great article just published by Lavanya Sunkara in Readers Digest explains some of these impacts on many of our favourite animals, including elephants, lions and rhinos, and best of all, our very own Akagera Elephant Project even gets a mention!