[WATCH] Slow, painful steps for wildlife

STEP by slow, painful step, conservationist, Steven Entwistle made his way from the Umgeni River to uShaka on Sunday, dressed in a 1900s diving suit, to raise funds for Monkey Helpline.

When Berea Mail spoke to Steven as he made his way along the beachfront, he said it was hard work, as he hadn’t anticipated the hot weather and was looking forward to a cup of tea at the end!

“Steve and Carol from Monkey Helpline give their time selflessly 365 days a year going out to rescue monkeys and urban wildlife, and they give their everything for this cause, so if I they can do that, I can do this walk for them,” he said.

Steven was helped along the route by a dedicated team of friends who carried an umbrella to shade him from the sun. They also dropped ice packs into his suit to keep his temperature inside the suit down and helped him remove the helmet and weights at the rest stops.

The former member of the British Royal Navy started out on the 7.5km walking carrying a weight of 70kg at 7am and finished the walk at 5pm.

“What was meant to take me six hours turned into an epic 10 hour mental and physical battle of determination. I had planned to do the walk in the winter months of Durban so that it would be a little cooler, but Sunday was the hottest day of winter with temperatures just touching 30c! Every step become a conscious step to get closer to the finish line and succeed,” he said.

Watch video of Steven Entwistle taking slow painful steps during his 10 hour walk

Throughout the walk Steven and his support team had to be mindful of the dangerous affects of heat stroke and exhaustion.

“Like every endurance event you train hard, but there comes a point when it is a mind battle. When the midday sun hit me and temperatured continued to raise, I started to slow down and take strain. Many things go through your head and yes stopping was one of them,” he said.

Steven crossed the finish line to the loud wails of police sirens feeling exhausted, sore and aching but filled with a great sense of achievement.

“I am so very grateful to my support team for their encouragement and humour throughout the day. Their companionship during this time allowed me to succeed. The day after the epic walk I woke up to more than a few aches and pains, along with many blisters, but these will disappear and the awareness and funds raised for Monkey helpline will go a long way in helping,” he said.

This is not Steven’s first expedition to raise funds for conservation. Last year he climbed the 500 steps on the Moses Mabhida Stadium sky bridge in his diving suit to raise funds for the Thula Thula Rhino orphanage, and in 2013 he ran 46km on the beach from Durban Harbour to Tongaat to raise funds to create awareness about the importance of wildlife and its conservation.

Along the route, Steven’s friends carried tins to collect money for Monkey Helpline, which aims to build three open air enclosures along with the required outbuildings such as a clinic and staff accommodation with funds raised through this expedition. Monkey Helpline is an organisation which aims to educate people about monkeys. To find out more, or to donate, visit: www.monkeyhelpline.co.za