The Virtual Conservationist

I am woken by the sun throwing its first rays of the day over my face as it begins its slow journey from the horizon to the heavens. Dawn is breaking and the African bush is calling me. I stretch and yawn and throw off the covers. I feel like I’m the only human for miles around. There is no sound except the birds singing their morning chorus and the insects joining in on percussion. I gently sit up, and then creep softly to the shower, trying to preserve the morning calm.

When ready for the day, I obey the call of the wild. There they are! Elephants on the edge of the waterhole, enjoying the peace of early morning, taking a leisurely drink before the day begins. No words can describe the thrilling feeling of watching wild animals in their natural habitat. It feels like stepping straight into a David Attenborough documentary. I could watch them forever.

I watch the animals finish their morning rituals before turning around and making their leisurely way back into the bush. All is quiet again. I listen to the wind rustling the trees and watch as it creates small ripples on the water’s surface. I sigh. Back to the real world. I close down the Africam tab and open my emails. Got to get those curtains fixed.

Welcome to the future of conservation. No longer is the African safari experience limited to the most intrepid wildlife photographers or the richest Western tourists. Anybody can enjoy wildlife watching from anywhere in the world. You don’t even have to leave your bed.

Africam was founded in 1999 with the aim of connecting wildlife fans directly to African wildlife. Does anybody here on Vocal remember 1999? How rubbish the internet was then? Dial up?! Africam was a pioneer of this burgeoning technology, and they used it to upload snapshots of the bush that were updated every 30 seconds. Nowadays, huge advances in camera, satellite and internet technology mean that high-definition video from the remotest locations can be beamed around the world in real time.

Africam describes itself as a “Profit for Change” model. Their main mission is to promote the beauty of African wildlife and generate awareness of conservation efforts. To be as inclusive as possible, anybody can watch their livestreams free of charge, and the free version of the site is funded by advertising. There’s also a $4.99 a month subscription, giving you access to ad-free livestreams and “ranger insight” videos, as well as facilitating the expansion of the camera system to new locations.

You can watch livestreams on their website, https://www.africam.com/ or on YouTube.

When watching livestreams or highlights videos on Africam's website, you can click on a “Snapshot” icon to create your own amazing wildlife images, as I did for this photo. I was very excited when I checked the cameras one morning to see a herd of breeding elephants gathered at the waterhole, separated into a few smaller clusters. The little baby, half the size of the next youngest family member, was evidently extremely bored waiting for the adults to finish their morning drink. She kicked her feet in the dust, headbutted her mum several times, and waved her trunk in the air trying (and failing) to attract someone’s attention.

Eventually, the elders began to make moves to form one group again. The baby seemed pleased – finally some action! She turned to the right, and was excited to see one large matriarch in particular, rushing forward with her trunk in the air. The older elephant mirrored her pose, and when they met in the middle, they shared a trunk hug, captured here, while the little one’s mother watched out of the corner of her eye with an unmistakeable smile on her face.

Africam also partners with various NGOs to support local communities living around the areas where the cameras are located. One of my favourites is The Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit – an incredible majority-female group that uses non-violent methods to discourage and prevent poaching. I absolutely love the idea of a team of powerful and inspiring women rangers creating their own niche and leading the way in the traditionally male-dominated sphere of anti-poaching efforts. They believe the war on poaching will be won not with violence, but through education and community outreach.

Recently, Africam, the Black Mambas and Samsung launched a pilot project called Wildlife Watch, an amazingly innovative idea to harness the collective power of animal-loving internet users around the world to prevent poaching. Samsung provided additional cameras to Africam by reimagining one of their latest mobile phones, and installed these in extra locations around South Africa.

Internet users were encouraged to spend time watching the livestreams, and then to alert the Black Mambas if they spotted any animals in distress or signs of poaching, such as traps or campfires. Sadly, the COVID pandemic means that less visitors were out and about in nature reserves, and poachers took advantage of the reduced numbers. This project meant that while people could not be boots on the ground, they could be eyes in the sky.

Keep an eye on the Wildlife Watch website if you would like to take part in the next phase of the project. I hope we are on the cusp of a revolution in anti-poaching efforts, and with modern technology we can all take part in African conservation and become virtual rangers. In the meantime, enjoy the livestreams provided by Africam and take part in some incredible wildlife watching of your own.