Sharing a message of hope, but also of urgency and fear for our natural world is imperative to blogging in the field of conservation.
I’m always looking for new ways of sharing my thoughts, and it’s incredibly exciting when others with a shared sense of purpose reach out to me.
In the last month I was invited to give two interviews to two different international outlets! Gorilla Socks, based in the US, and Earth Art India were both kind enough to ask me a few questions about my career (and life!) in conservation to date. I’m very pleased to share some of my answers with you below…
Gorilla Socks — blog interview
I absolutely love Gorilla Socks! Their mission is to combine a sense of responsibility to support our planet, disadvantaged communities and the gorilla species with a love for colourful socks. Inspired by Dian Fossey’s remarkable life and legacy, they have pledged to donate to the charity at least 10% from the sale of each pair of socks. I was delighted to feature on their blog.
What sparked your interest in conservation?
I loved animals, even as young child. I think from a combination of watching Disney’s The Lion King over and over and reading lots of books and encyclopaedias about wildlife. The first time I realized that wildlife needed our help was when I was about 6 years old. My mum adopted a tiger for me through Born Free Foundation and I started reading about the threats that tigers faced in the wild. I’d say that’s where my passion for conservation started.
Are there any individuals who have had the greatest impact on your values and beliefs on animal rights?
My first wildlife hero was Virginia McKenna — her stirring speech in the film Born Free about Elsa the lioness being ‘born free, so she should live free’ resonated with me even as a kid. Later I would be obsessed with watching David Attenborough and Steve Irwin on television. As I began to understand more about the natural world as a teenager and in my early twenties it was Will Travers, Ian Redmond, Jane Goodall and the incredible wildlife artist Pollyanna Pickering who most captured my imagination and cemented my ethics.
Congratulations on becoming the youngest Trustee of Born Free Foundation! Tell us more about what your work with the organisation.
Thanks. I’ve been a trustee for just over a year now, and it’s still very much a learning curve for me. Of course, the Board have a hand in making or approving many of the decisions when it comes to financial and legal issues, but we’ve also been busy shaping the charity’s 5-year plan and devising the organisation’s main priorities. I’ve supported Born Free for many years, and it’s a great reassurance to see how things work behind the scenes. I’m proud to be involved with such a genuine, passionate and dedicated organisation, whom I know for a fact carry out all they do with the utmost integrity; from rescuing individual animals, to lobbying governments and tackling some of the biggest global issues such as wildlife trade and working on the ground to mediate in cases of human-wildlife conflict.
Earth Art India — blog interview
It’s always exciting to hear that my blog has reached overseas, so when Earth Art India contacted me for an interview, I leapt at the chance to have a chat with them!
Thank you so much to these brilliant organisations for sharing their platform. Only by working together can we make our voices louder in the so-called ‘blogosphere’! And on that note, don’t forget to check out my latest guest blog posts, for more fascinating stories and voices!
Like this? Read more interviews from Kate on Conservation here.
