Growing up in Etosha National Park in Namibia had a huge impact on me when I was a child. Spending time with my father in the bush and seeing the vast landscape of Etosha--which is home to a wide variety of animals--cemented my love for wildlife from a young age. In the dry season, we used to have gatherings on the massive Etosha Pan in the middle of nowhere, and it almost felt like we were camping on the moon, with the occasional giraffe and elephant casually strolling by. This all nurtured a love within me for wildlife and the great outdoors, and that love for nature, whether it is in Africa, Asia or the Americas, has never left me. When I was five years old, I clearly remember feeding orphaned lion cubs in Etosha and giving milk to an orphaned white rhino. This made a huge impact on me as a child, being up close and personal with such iconic animals.
Not only did early exposure to magnificent animals make a huge impression on me, but also seeing my father working with wildlife as a game ranger motivated me to work with animals.
