SEEN THE AMAZING NEW DOCUMENTARY 'LION COUNTRY'? READ OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE STAR OF THE SHOW DAVID YOULDON

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Sep 27, 2010

BREAKING NEWS
Lion Country is one of 20 programmes listed as potential short-list nominees for the UK’s National TV awards in the category Best Factual Programme. 

PLEASE VOTE FOR US HERE
 
For non-UK people they are able to skip through the categories that they are not aware of until Factual which is tab number 6.
 
For anyone who has not seen series one but would like to they can do so here

Britain is fascinated with the ITV's channel's unique new docusoap “Lion Country”, which opened to rave reviews and a staggering 4.8 million viewers during prime time in the UK on Wednesday 6th January this year.

The six part ITV series is a groundbreaking documentary that follows the life of past African Impact volunteer and British conservationist David Youldon, and is filmed at our flagship lion rehabilitation project at Antelope Park in Zimbabwe and also at our second lion conservation site in Livingstone, Zambia.

So what inspired David Youldon to up-sticks and leave his comfy life in the UK? Have you ever had the same urge and thought you were mad and just left it at that? Here are David's thoughts on not leaving it at that, and the road he's traveled since starting out as a volunteer with African Impact back in 2004...
Read on for more on David Youldon's interview with African Impact co-founder Sarah Graham

Having first met David Youldon at home on our wildlife reserve Antelope Park in Zimbabwe when I started out as one of the founders of African Impact in 2005, and having been continuously inspired by his passion and dedication to our lion conservation project ever since, it was really exciting to re-visit the last few years with him in this interview. I remember back in 2005 when Dave said to us 'You'd be stupid not to hire me to work on this full time' and how taken aback I was at the time! And now, looking back, he was (as he so often is) absolutely right...!

Sarah: Ok, so let's set the scene... it's 2004 and what are you thinking Dave? Why choose volunteering as your next travel option?
David: Having worked in the travel industry for many years I had already travelled
a great deal of the world either with a group, on my own or with friends. So what I was looking for was something that allowed me to stay in one place for a longer period of time; to start to feel part of the community in the place that I was travelling to.  I wanted to achieve more out of my travels than purely observing, I wanted to become involved; to give something back. Volunteering offered that type of travel experience.  Also, volunteer projects offer opportunities to be engaged with wildlife, education or whatever your passion is, that you could never get on
a normal holiday.  It offered a chance to get involved with the day to day workings of the operation rather than just being a casual observer with a few good photographs. So volunteering was a clear choice of travel experience for me.

Sarah: Ok so you decided you wanted to volunteer, so how did you decide which route to go?
David: The other aspect of a volunteer placement for me was to have a chance, to some extent, to experience what is was like to be in a conservation job; a job I had always considered that I had wanted but was not sure whether the idea in my head matched with the actual reality.  Life for a super model for example may appear glamorous, but of course the day to day grind of constant costume changes in dingy dressing rooms which is the reality is very different.  The same is true of the travel industry in which I had worked for so long.  To those outside of the industry I could impress them with stories of 4 months travelling the world, staying in four star hotels and having it all paid for by the company.  The reality of course was that much of this travelling was done alone, off season and was far less romantic than what many might think.  But that suited me, it was a fantastic job and I accepted the pros and cons gratefully.  So volunteering gave me a chance to actually experience what it might be like to work in the conservation industry full time, and guess what, it is not nearly as wonderful as most people would think, but again, it was right for me.

Sarah: So you did your homework on the various options, and where did your first volunteer experience take you?
David: My first experience was a cheetah research program in Namibia.   I loved it. It didn't even matter that the chances of actually seeing a cheetah were remote, just the joy of waking up to the sights and sounds of Africa; a continent that had captivated me ever since my parents first showed me wildlife documentaries or took me to see the animals of Africa in our local zoo.  I was in fact very lucky on cheetah sightings, and was able to assist in capturing, darting and collaring some.

Sarah: And then back to the grind of daily life... That's always the real test, could you settle back in or did you just not fit anymore?
David: On my return to the UK I was determined to find a way to build a career in conservation, but of course that is not easily done, especially as I had no scientific background. So I decided to put myself through a number of volunteering programs to try and build experience that might help me get a job.  I did a conservation management course and worked on elephant research programs amongst others.  I had wanted to concentrate on big cats being a cat lover my whole life, but this seemed impossible at the time. 
Then I got an email from a friend telling me about a lion program in Zimbabwe and I booked on to the program with African Impact immediately, that was in 2004.

Sarah: So you found yourself at a controversial program in my very-controversial homeland, Zimbabwe...
David: When I was told the project was in Zimbabwe it did not concern me in the slightest.   I had already been to Zimbabwe once before and found a very welcoming people and a beautiful landscape, so I was simply glad to have the opportunity to return. 
On arrival at Antelope Park I met a group of wonderful individuals, all passionate about what they were doing; and they welcomed the volunteers (there were seven of us) with open arms, typical of the warmness I have found in the Zimbabwean people.  Every day on this beautiful reserve was simply incredible; whether it was taking 6 month old lions for a walk or clearing up endless piles of poo; it was all great.

Sarah: At this stage you thought you'd found your calling. It must have seemed like an enormous chasm for you to cross over from what you knew you wanted to making it a viable reality for yourself...
David: Yes, after a very short time I decided that lion conservation was the future for me, but how?  My skills were in logistical planning and operations, not research and veterinary science.  But I had a revelation.  Most people think that a passion for animals is what they need to work in conservation. That is just one very small element, a given.  Conservation organizations need to employ people with a range of skills, exactly as any industry does.  A travel company needs guides who are flitting around the world all the time, but they also need accountants and admin staff and a host of other people. So I thought about what skills I had to offer and enquired about how my skills might fit in with what the project needed.  And there was a fit, and an opportunity, so I started by running the volunteer program - organizing their day, arranging vehicles and making sure the volunteers were teamed up with their guides and lion handlers.  And whilst doing that I studied as hard as I could to learn as much as possible about lions as a species.  I have a huge amount more knowledge to gain, but that could not be more enjoyable.

Sarah: And so you made it to the other side. Crossed the proverbial chasm to a viable reality, and where has the road taken you?
David: Now I have risen to the lofty title of Chief Operating Officer for African Impact's partner charity the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust.  But I am still using the core skills I started with.  I gather information in, prioritise it, present it to the Trustees and scientific board, and then arrange the logistics to ensure their wishes are implemented.  But I am doing this for an organization I care deeply about and for a purpose that I have no doubt in my mind is a worthy one.  Every day is different and has enabled me to meet and talk to incredible people from children growing up in an impoverished rural community to kings. 
What gets me up in the morning?  That's easy to answer; it's the same thing that has inspired me since the first time I ever saw it with my own eyes.  The sight of an African sunrise lifts my spirit every day.  I can't explain properly why, but that globe of light signals new opportunities, the potential for new ideas and new hope every day.  Is that pretentious?  Yes, but I don't care, its true for me.
These days I still have quite a lot of impact on what the volunteers who join our programs are doing whilst with us.  It's not just about walking lions and clearing up after them.  Volunteers now are assisting in our research programs not just on lions, both captive and wild, but for a diversity of the wildlife species from vultures to wild dogs; they are helping us spread the message of conservation in education lessons with our neighbouring communities and being involved in a host of other programs designed to enhance conservation and community development.  Yes, the fees that they pay are vital to the financial future of our projects, but above all the value of the time that they give to help us is immeasurable.

Sarah: And what would you say to anyone thinking about signing up for a volunteer experience?
David: I would highly recommend the volunteer experience.  There are so many things you can do these days across the world.  You can help save turtles in South America, or work in an orphanage caring for HIV positive children in Asia or teach in a school in Africa.  The memories I have of my volunteer days with African Impact, and elsewhere, will never leave me, but it is the knowledge that I made a difference on those projects, to those animals, for those people; that is what I hold close each day.

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING IN LION CONSERVATION?
SAVE 15% for November and December arrivals.
Send a direct email to our experienced lion conservation Travel Advisor on lesley@africanencounter.org

You can also volunteer on lion conservation at our lion project in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

INTERESTED IN JUST FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT VOLUNTEERING IN GENERAL?
African Impact is Africa's largest facilitator of Voluntourism Programs. With over 6 years experience in the industry we consider ourselves the African specialists in volunteering. In 2009 we were proud finalists in the World Travel Awards, South African Imvelo Awards for Responsible Tourism and the British Youth Travel Awards for Green Travel. We host both individual volunteers and groups.
Email info@africanimpact.com with any questions or concerns about volunteering! We'd love to hear from you!