Q&A with an Animal Conservationist

Q&A with Lente Roode

One of the world leaders in the breeding and research of endangered species, the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre (HESC) was opened in 1990 in Hoedspruit, South Africa, by Lente Roode, a lifelong animal lover. Originally farmland owned by her father and then by Lente and her husband, HESC came into being when farming ceased being a viable option (due to the presence of predatory animals) and Lente could no longer resist the desire to work with animals. The Centre also provides a safe haven and rehabilitation facility for orphaned and sick animals, including cheetahs, rhinos, elephants and lions; releases and establishes captive-bred cheetahs back into the wild; and runs an education center where the public, and particularly children, can learn about endangered species by observing them at close range. Lente discussed with Indagare some of the challenges and victories her organization has experienced as well as her thoughts on animal conservation in South Africa.

The breeding and rehabilitation of the animals is my passion, although it is really a very time-consuming activity. For instance, when a cheetah cannot suckle its cubs and we hand-rear it, the cub must be fed every three hours just like a new-born baby. It must also be given the opportunity to exercise, get sufficient sun and, like humans, needs cuddling and the physical touch of someone who loves it. I have personally hand-reared many little cheetah cubs in this way.

You were given Sebeka, an orphaned cheetah cub, as a child and helped nurse her back to health. How much did your relationship with Sebeka inspire your work? Raising Sebeka certainly strengthened my love for animals and particularly cheetahs, but I also think it was a trait that I was born with. Ever since I can remember, I have loved animals, sometimes I think even more than people. They are so trusting, so supportive, so totally dependent on us at times, so lovable and just so beautiful.

What I have particularly learned in my dealings with animals is how incredibly strong the survival instinct is and how all their senses are aimed at and developed towards this end. And this is something one really only learns and understands from personal and intimate relationships with wild animals. Animals are so unsophisticated and so sincere – very similar to young children. They don’t have hidden agendas and they make it very clear whether they accept you as a person.

To ensure the survival of our precious wildlife heritage, humans must be educated on conservation and also to be prepared to fund such initiatives. I spend a lot of my time fundraising and will continue to do this for the sake of the animals.

What do you see for the future of ecotourism in South Africa? Responsible tourism, as we prefer to call it, is so very important for man and his survival and is one of the salient features of tourism in South Africa. Our country’s pristine natural heritage offers not only an opportunity for enjoyment, but also the chance to experience and understand creation in its entirety. We find tourists are increasingly seeking an opportunity to escape their stressful day-to-day existences and by immersing themselves in nature, are able to recharge their batteries in a significant and lasting way.

Rhino poaching is currently a massive challenge in South Africa and on the rest of the continent, and we wholeheartedly support all anti-poaching initiatives. We, at the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, have experienced first-hand the heartbreak and devastation of poaching when our beloved hand-reared rhinos, Ronnie and Lahliwe, were killed by poachers in 1994.

To combat this terrible scourge, we established the Rescued Rhinos @HESC facility, which is a safe haven for mutilated and orphaned rhinos to recover after being rescued. We are extremely proud of the four orphans, Dingle Dell, Lion’s Den, Gertjie and Matimba, that we have nursed back to health, thanks to the expertise of our team of dedicated curators, veterinarians and specialists, many from the Onderstepoort Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Pretoria.

All of this, of course, requires around-the-clock security and significant funding. For this purpose, we established the Eyes on Rhinos campaign. The first phase of the campaign entailed partnering with Africam, who installed a webcam in the orphan’s sleeping enclosure that provides live streaming and enables viewers from around the world to keep a watchful eye on the gentle giants, day and night.

Are guests able to stay at the Centre? What is the best way for people to support the Centre? Visitors can stay over at the Centre and accommodation is available. The eco-friendly, self-catering Khula’s Cottage offers three en-suite bedrooms and an expansive wooden deck that boasts spectacular views of the surrounding wilds. Nungu Camp is the dedicated camp for the Wildlife Conservation Experience @ HESC programme (previously known as The Student Programme) where accommodation is provided in thatched rondawels, a traditional African-style house. Visitors can take an in-depth tour of the facility, getting an up-close view of the various animals—cheetahs, wild dogs, lions, African wild cats, ground hornbills, Sable antelope—enjoy a game drive on the Big Five Kapama Game Reserve and have the opportunity to go on an elephant-back safari.

The best way for people to support us is to adopt a cheetah, foster a rhino or to make a donation towards the upkeep of the animals.

We work closely with Kapama Private Game Reserve and formed an anti-poaching unit to protect game in the reserve. The unit is well known in the greater Kruger area and works with the Kruger National Park police and several other anti-poaching units. Past initiatives have included roadblocks in the area and the arrest of poachers caught transporting rhino horn and weapons used in killings. Besides apprehending guilty parties, we aim to make the unit’s presence felt so that poachers give our area a wide berth. We also make use of two trained bloodhounds in our fight against rhino poaching and are in the process of acquiring another dog.

What do you think the next 10 years will bring for your organization and conservation in general? In the relatively short space of 20 years, the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre has established itself as one of the leaders in the breeding and research of endangered species. We have also become a refuge for animals in need of a place to recuperate.

I believe that the HESC will flourish and grow from strength to strength and I will continue to encourage and educate people to support conservation. Fund-raising will also remain on my agenda so that we will have the funds to do that.

The challenges we face are poverty, which causes people, for monetary gain, to either poach or assist those committing these crimes, and ignorance, which results in rhino horn being a sought-after commodity for the properties that it is believed to have. The truth is, of course, that the horn does not have medicinal or aphrodisiacal value and that a precious animal is being cruelly killed and will soon become extinct if we cannot stop this barbaric practice.

To learn more about Lente Roode and the Hoedspruit Endangered Species Centre, visit hesc.co.za. Donations can be made via help.hesc.co.za.