A once in a lifetime experience
LINKSFIELD - King David Linksfield pupil Nadav Ossendryver (16) was privileged to be invited by adventurer and humanitarian Kingsley Holgate on the Kingsley Holgate Foundation expedition into Kruger National Park.
The purpose of the expedition was to make people, especially children, aware of the poaching of the country’s rhinos.
Ossendryver, who founded Latest Sightings website, said when he was in Grade 6, he was assigned to write about his hero.
“I remember immediately knowing that Kingsley Holgate, one of Africas greatest explorers, was my hero. Never did I dream that he would invite me to join him on one of his expeditions.”
This year Ossendryver developed his website which is built on a community of 70 000 people sharing live wildlife sightings in the Kruger. The young teenager told of how Holgate personally invited him to join him on his next expedition called Izintaba Zobombo.
“The aim of the expedition is to follow the Lebombo range of mountains all the way from Pafuri, North of Kruger to Kwazulu-Natal,” he said.
The expedition was dedicated to creating awareness about the slaughter of rhinos and poaching.
“One of the events that I helped with was at a school outside Punda Maria, he added. We gave out soccer balls, malaria mosquito nets and glasses and we held a soccer tournament where the man of the match goes home with a bicycle. We educated the children of the school about the rhino poaching that was happening.
“I feel so privileged to have spent one full week with my hero Kingsley Holgate, seeing him first-hand doing what he does best, which is helping everyone and raising conservation awareness.
“I was treated as a valued member of the team, even though I am only 16 years old.
I learned so much from the experienced team that I will value for the rest of my life. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget.
Details: www.latestsightings.com
