The Elephant Who Refused to Die: Listening Beyond Words (Part 2)

🐾 Episode Description
In Part 2 of this powerful conversation, Roxy Danckwerts shares the extraordinary story of Moyo the elephant—a story of survival, intuition, and an unbreakable bond between human and animal.

After a devastating injury that nearly claimed her life, Moyo’s journey becomes a profound lesson in listening—not just with our ears, but with our hearts. Through intuition, connection, and trust, Roxy is guided to make a life-saving decision that defies logic and transforms everything.

Trisha McCagh explores the deeper meaning behind these moments—how animals communicate, how humans can access higher awareness, and why presence and connection are more important now than ever.

The episode expands into a global conversation around wildlife conservation, habitat loss, ethical tourism, and the urgent need for humanity to reconnect with nature. From elephant migration corridors in Zimbabwe to urban wildlife struggles in Australia, this is a call to awareness, responsibility, and action.

This isn’t just a story about one elephant—it’s about the future of our planet and our place within it.

🐶 Episode Highlights
The life-and-death story of Moyo the elephant
How intuition guided a critical, life-saving decision
The emotional and spiritual bond between human and animal
The reality of poaching, habitat loss, and conservation challenges
Why ethical tourism matters more than ever
The importance of educating future generations about animals

🐾 Episode Chapters
00:00 – Welcome back & the power of listening
 00:41 – Moyo’s rescue and early struggles
 03:30 – A devastating injury and fight for survival
 06:30 – A near-death experience and profound message
 10:30 – Intuition, connection, and a life-saving breakthrough
 14:00 – Life at the sanctuary & working with wildlife
 18:00 – Habitat loss and the importance of wildlife corridors
 22:00 – Conservation challenges in Africa vs Australia
 26:00 – Ethical tourism and human impact
 30:00 – Legacy, purpose, and the future of conservation
 34:00 – How to support wildlife conservation efforts

👤 About the Guest
Roxy Danckwerts is the founder of Wild is Life and the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery. A passionate conservationist and wildlife rehabilitator, Roxy has dedicated her life to rescuing, raising, and rewilding orphaned elephants and other wildlife.

Her work focuses not only on rehabilitation but also on habitat preservation, anti-poaching efforts, and creating safe migration corridors for animals to return to the wild.T

To support Roxy’s work, visit Wild is Life and consider donating or subscribing to their updates.

https://wildislife.org/zimbabwe-elephant-nursery/ 

🐾 Animal News
Trisha is joined by Dana Saidi to explore the global reality of poaching and human impact on wildlife.
They break down a crucial truth: without demand, there is no supply. The illegal wildlife trade continues because people continue to buy products derived from animals.

The conversation expands into the environmental shifts seen during the COVID-19 lockdowns—clear waterways, wildlife returning to urban areas, and ecosystems beginning to restore themselves when human pressure was removed.

🎧 If this episode touched your heart, please follow, share, and leave a review of Animal Talk with Trisha McCagh.
Your support helps amplify the voices of animals and the people working tirelessly to protect them.

Together, we can create a world where animals are truly heard.

 #WildlifeConservation #AnimalCommunication #WildlifeRescue #EthicalTourism #RoxyDanckwerts #RobertIrwin

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:02

Welcome back to the Animal Talk with Trisha McKay Podcast and our extraordinary conversation with Roxy Dankwitz. In part two, we continue exploring the importance of truly listening to our animals and also trusting our own intuition when it comes to understanding them. Roxy also shares the powerful story of a rescued elephant named Moyle, who formed an incredibly strong bond with her and went on to become the matriarch of the herd at her sanctuary. It's a story of connection, trust, and the profound wisdom animals can bring into our lives. So let's welcome Roxy.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

I have this elephant called Moyo, who is like Bones. She's my life and joy and soul and everything. And Moyo came to me in 2014 as a very little elephant. She was one of the smallest elephants ever rescued in Africa. And um, I had no idea what I was doing. I'd been researching the elephant project for a long time, and suddenly Moyo came. And we elephant calves are incredibly difficult to rear. So anyway, I dragged Moyel through her rescue and rehabilitation by her bootstraps. Anyway, she survived. And Moyel has become my sort of guiding star and my light. And um she uh has um been also the matriarch of the nursery. So she she's helped me with every single baby elephant that's come in. I I haven't been able to do this job without her, frankly. She tells me what's wrong, you know. She doesn't tell me, she actually shows me, she puts her trunk, you know. She's unbelievable. Anyway, I knew that she had to go and have try and have a wildlife. So we in 2023 we decided to move her, and I had a very anxious feeling about it, but I just felt it was the right thing to do, and I kept saying to her, Moyo, trust me, trust me on this, please. And she was nervous, I was nervous, and for good reason. And on the way up to our release site, which is a very, very long journey, she was incredibly badly injured by another elephant, mortally injured, actually. We didn't know whether she was gonna arrive alive. And um I was obviously beside myself anyway. She came off the truck and I could just see the damage was very, very severe. And um, I said to my boys, um, my human guys, family, I'm not leaving here until Moyol as well. So we set up a camp and we nursed Moyol for 24 hours a day. She couldn't eat, she couldn't poo, she couldn't, she was in immense pain, she had infection, she developed epilepsy, she was falling, she was having fits. It was just appalling, and this went on and on and on and on. And people would come and visit, and I was living in a little one-man tent in the bush. There's lions everywhere, there's wild elephants, there's no power, we're cooking on a fire, and we have to cook all her food. It was a big job. And and I was very lucky because I had quite a circumspect vet who said to me, No, no, no, let's just keep going, let's keep trying, let's, and I would, I would often just I would just look her in the eye and I would just think, Moyo, do you want to carry on or don't you? And there was no way she was gonna give up. Anyway, we worked and worked and worked, and unfortunately, she then injured me and I got very sick and I went to hospital and it was all a big monumental mess. And um she uh I had a sort of experience, I still to this day don't know what it was, but I um was clearly not conscious, and I was in this sort of pulsating chamber, and there was Bones, there was Moyo, and there was a man, and there was a lot of very strange light, and Bones was trying to pull me through this pulsating chamber. He wasn't talking to me or communicating, he was just trying to pull me, and Moyo was pulling me back, and she was like and she was communicating this message, which is everything, and it's so ironic, but it was like you've got to get the world to understand that they need to listen and not only to listen but to hear. And then I was like, I woke up and that was that. Anyway, she was very, very ill at the same time as I was. She she you know, uh regressed, and um so as soon as I got out of the hospital, I went straight back up there, much to my family's horror, and got to her and looked at her and thought, Oh no, she's she's ready. And obviously I'm heartbroken, and it's all. And then that uh I discussed it with the vet, and he said, Okay, well let's just leave it overnight and we'll we'll see tomorrow morning. And she was in a very, very bad way, really a very bad way. And um, a lot of people had said to me, You've got to put her down, you've got to put her down. And my response was she's she doesn't want to, doesn't want to look at her eyes, she does not want to. Anyhow, then that that night I had this absolute revelation of a particular drug that I had not been told to use, but I knew that it existed and I had it in stock. And I went quickly early in the morning and we started it on this drug. I tell you what, in three days she changed, she stopped having these fits and she started to improve. And it took 18 months for her to be well again, and and but from that day she but something I don't know what whether she told me or not, but um yeah, that relationship is like it's hectic. And I probably should have put her down, but uh she did not want to, she wanted to fight.

SPEAKER_05 7:13

Yeah, but other than that, she wouldn't have got she wouldn't she wouldn't have got better if if she if she'd wanted to go. She would have just kept deteriorating. They that's what they do, and the fact is it didn't have to be words that she told you about that drug, it was like it was like this connection with you, it was the connection with something greater than us. Yeah, uh it's like a vast knowledge that you tapped into because your heart was so open because it was absolutely with with Moyle, it was absolutely wanting that exchange. And through the heart, you got the information. I've heard this a lot of times, but particularly with animals, and particularly when it's of the of the heart, because that's where all our communication resides, really does that connection with everything. This was meant to happen, it was meant to show you something, it was meant to show you that it's greater than now. I loved what happened with bones there and Moyle pulling you back, meaning I know you want to go to him, you want to be with but like that's the ultimate, but you've got work to do, and you know that. Even ever you you might you may get tired, you may get weary, you may think, oh, it's so much, but you've got work to do, and you're communicating, whether you like it or not, you're you're communicating with everything, and that's why it's a beautiful thing. Well, you help me, and I'll help you, and we'll we'll get the world to listen because when the message comes from an animal like that, we've got a job to do. Good job.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Absolutely, yeah. And I think it's it's one of really what one of the standout moments in my career has been that moment, and it's so unbelievably clear, and um it's a very difficult thing to explain though. You understand, but they're not a lot of people that can, but you know, it's just like as we said before, just just watch and listen, you know?

SPEAKER_05 9:18

It's right in front of you, it's right in front of you. Why are you yeah, it's what people tell you, or well, it's supposed to go like that, it's not supposed to go like anything. Be in the moment of every moment. Do you know how much we miss of life when we're not in the moment? You know, take that it it it it's yeah, yeah, yeah. Too busy doing that or too busy having to share it. You know what? You need you need to share more with yourself and you need to be in that moment. And your expansion alone, and I'm telling this for anyone out there, the expansion alone you get from that moment will help more people than it ever can by taking that photo and getting it on as a selfie onto some some platform. I think we all need to just forget that for a while. Animals have been telling me for years, get off that thing, um, because that's not where where the where the real stuff is, you know. So that that story is amazing. I I I see so many um parallels, I see also so many um like pathways for you and them and messages, but the message, the the main message was clear. It and you heard it. There was no mistaking what she was saying, and she was never gonna go and never gonna say that and then leave. Like seriously, because she's going to be your voice, she's gonna show you how how to do it. I I I just I just love that, you know. And of course, look, you're saying you said to me earlier that, you know, you're trying to cut back a little bit, it's it's it's a lot. But what does a what does a normal day look like in the life of Roxy when you've got all of that going on? What does that look like? What does that look like?

SPEAKER_01 11:01

You know, unfortunately, um uh I I got very sick during COVID and then the the Moyel thing happened and so I I can't physically work like I used to be able to. Um, so I have to like direct operations. Um I'm really focused on the animal side, so the rescue and rehab and the welfare of all the animals here. There's a lot of animals here now. And um Josh, my son, is doing the big picture stuff, the conservation, preservation of habitat, and the release, which is going very, very well. So for me it's it's more of a directing role, a listening role. Um but I don't, you know, I'm not as hands-on as I used to be, and I'm empowering my team to do that more and more. Um, and you know, I've had to be doing this. I didn't like to let go, but life life does this, you know. Um things happen and you have to change. And yeah, I've I've let go and and trained up people and they have to do it now.

SPEAKER_02 12:22

So my dad's yeah, they've got to move it on, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:25

Yeah. My dad's spent giving instructions.

SPEAKER_05 12:30

But they're equally as important. Yeah, I I might not be hands-on to the dogs and cats and wildlife, but it's my messages of their direction or the direction they want to go in is the greatest privilege for them because they are sick of being gagged. They want to be taught, they they need things to go into work. So some have to do and direct the physical, some direct the conversation. Um, we're all directors, but it it doesn't really matter because I think the worries are still the same. Whether you're hands-on or whether you're not. Yeah, like no, seriously, I I think, oh, well, just because you're not right in it, is that the the the the worry is still the same, that you know, all of the is still the same. Um now what what now you're saying you've got a lot of animals in the sanctuary, you've obviously got elephants. What other sort of animals do you have?

SPEAKER_01 13:19

Well, we've got, I mean, almost everything. We've got um quite a lot of giraffe. Uh, and giraffe are wonderful animals. They they're not the brightest sandwiches, but they are very loving and incredibly um sentient and social and caring of each other, which is really interesting. I've learned a lot from those giraffes. I've got a little one in the in the nursery at the moment, little William. Um, so there's giraffes, and then um uh we have got some rhino now. Um so that's yeah, we we we're not really publishing that because of security reasons, but there's some rhino. Yeah. Um and they're the most wonderful animals. And then, you know, you go down to I mean, there's dormice and owls and caracals and birds and um what else have we got?

SPEAKER_02 14:22

All sorts of porcupines. And can can you tell me, do you you seem to have names for them all? Not all of them, Trisha.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

I mean the goodies, there's a lot of goodies here now. And there's a lot of impala. I I I can't name all of them. I'm running out of ideas. But um the icons all have names. They all have names.

SPEAKER_05 14:46

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Abs absolutely. So if if is is poaching still a major issue? Uh are they conquering it at all over there, or are we still um looking looking at that?

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Poaching is is has lessened. Um, most certainly. We have um a big ranger team, they're an arm team with dogs and you know, highly trained people that's at our release site, but I also have that here now, um, just because of certain animals. Um I I think poaching, you know, at a subsistence level is still very much a problem. Um, because you know, this immigration out of cities into wildlife areas because of hardship in the cities. So there's a lot of people living in the in the wildlife areas now. So, you know, a lot of animals get poached from wire snares and and and things like that, which is awful. Um but the the organized crime is significantly reduced, significantly over the last few years, and um Zimbabwe's doing a really good job on it. So it is amazing, and and everybody's on it, and it's really important to stay on it because you know we've got limited numbers of animals. It doesn't matter what everyone says, oh, there's too many elephants in Zimbabwe. It's you know, really, every animal counts. Every animal counts.

SPEAKER_05 16:26

Well it's habitat loss, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

Is habitat loss and and also um fragmentation of populations. So, you know, you've got elephants stuck in pockets that can't move. Um, and that is a problem, and so that's our biggest goal is to uh work and create corridors so that elephants can move. And we've seen it, you know, elephants that we have raised and released successfully have gone on to go to Angola, Namibia, Botswana. There are no boundaries for them. You know, they they've moved and we've proven it. We've got the data. Um, we've got another one at the moment who went out a few weeks ago. He's headed off for Botswana. You know, they're not gonna hang around. Well, some do. I mean, listen, some know that home's great, and mum's got a lovely warm bed and great food. Others, no, they want to go and be wild animals.

SPEAKER_05 17:30

Well, they've all got they've all got their different purposes. Hey, look, it it happens, it happens here too in Australia, and that's been one of my criticisms to various forms of government and whatever. But we have these pockets in in our urban areas. We have these pockets of where they make these housing estates, and then they leave bush in between, and then they go make another housing estate, and we have all these kangaroos and foxes and various animals getting caught in the pockets. And then we're we're in urban, so you you you go out on your road and there's a kangaroo running across, and it's not knowing what to do, and people don't stop and they don't care. And I I've been sitting with some animals for three, four, five hours until somebody comes to help me with it, and you know, because they're caught, they just all of a sudden come out on a road, or the fence is not adequate, or something has happened, and it's been my thing. Why are you doing pockets? Why do you not make all that together and then leave you know the area? So, you know, we might need you over here to have a look at there and help us with these corridors because honestly, it sounds like a smart idea. My my little brain just picked up when you said corridors, that's the answer. We just need to make a corridor because many countries are doing this across the world. You know, in Canada, they're building the the big corridors across the roads or under the roads, or and the animals are uh are going there. And people are getting on to it, and and you're doing it in Zimbabwe, and of course it works because because animals need a choice, they don't want to stay there, they don't have to. They they can move on to bigger and better things.

SPEAKER_01 19:07

So so definitely um that's I I think you know, yeah, the the the corridor concept is you know, it's a lot bigger than building a bridge. It's you've got to link landscapes together that are safe for them to move through. So it may be um an area that used to be hunted, that is no longer hunted, or it's an area of high poaching where you've you've got to, you know, get on top of the poaching and and then they can move safely. Because these animals know. I mean, within within a couple of years, you know, of us taking over that one area where the Ellies are released, the biodiversity now is absolutely extraordinary. You know, we've got all the evidence on camera traps, and the Ellies are coming and going and doing their thing, and they know it's safe, and they'll even run there after they've been shot. We've had Ellies run there and come for assistance, and um, it's unbelievable that they know.

SPEAKER_05 20:14

So I'm so excited, but I'm so excited by that. Like I because there's ways of doing things, and and people like you and others who are are spending that time and that effort and pushing through and going through instead of saying, Oh, that's in the in the too hard basket. Because we need to do this for many, many reasons that we could list here and that you know people know about. I mean, David Attenborough's been talking about it for years, but the point is there has to be somebody doing something about it. And here in Australia, it's a bit of a um a problem because the government doesn't fund wildlife centres or wildlife, you know, people, volunteers. Australian animals, 80% of them are not found anywhere else in the world. And yet here the government doesn't really have much care for them, so it seems. It doesn't matter which party.

SPEAKER_01 21:11

Yeah. But they are insanely amazing animals, unique, fascinating. Yeah, they must be crazy. It's it's it's Australia's national heritage. Look after it.

SPEAKER_05 21:26

They're not they're not being made a big enough thing, even in the schools, and that's why I'm um I've got a children's program I want to introduce to educate the children, to get them talking, to get them connected with with nature and wildlife. We're starting massive things here, even in WA in Australia, because we've now got nature play schools, we've got pilot systems that we're we're working on. Kids are leaving general schools and coming into these nature plays, and we'll join up with a school later on. It's happening, it's happening. Like you said, it it lots of things are happening, but people had to instigate. It and and get it going. And I thank you for that. And I've and this children's program, I've been talking to the government, and we're going to be talking about things like that to get it in schools. I'll be doing it myself anyway. We're going to be getting it out there. So because that's where it's got to start. And a lot of countries now have put animal welfare in the curriculum in their schools. Like this, this to me is a no-brainer. It's a no-brainer. Why don't we all have it? And what I was particularly, I went and I went and taught at um a school in Vic Falls when I was there. They wanted me to go talk about animal communication. And look, I'm sure kids are wonderful everywhere, but the kids in Africa are just so much more aware of wildlife and animals. I I was just shocked because the things that they knew and the conversations they had with me are very different to what I have here. So I'm going, what is it about? Is it because of where they live or how they live or because they're living right in the middle of wildlife? I'm not sure what it is, but I just know it starts with kids, and we need to really be, you know, kind of looking at that sector. Because Australia, we've got the worst extinction rate in the world.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

Really? I didn't know.

SPEAKER_05 23:16

Yeah, we have. So I might be inviting you over here, and we might be in serious talks with a lot of things because I know what you're saying about building corridors is big, but surely it's a little easier, maybe, for a kangaroo than a huge elephant. So we you know you think it's just as hard?

SPEAKER_01 23:34

No, I think it's much easier. You know, you haven't got a kangaroo who's gonna go and destroy someone's entire livelihood overnight by eating his maize, you know. Yeah, that's true.

SPEAKER_02 23:49

You know, that's true.

SPEAKER_05 23:50

Because kangaroos are they're not, they're not, they're just a little bit erratic. They're better away from roads and things because they're very erratic when they get triggered. If they get triggered, they just run all over the the shop. And also we've got a we've got a thing with our magpies at the moment. We've got a paralysis issue, and we're researching it to find out why these all our iconic birds are becoming paralyzed. If we get them early enough, we can put them in veterinary and we can get them out. We put them in rescue centres, but we're talking it's gone from 15 a season to about 700 a season. So that's a lot of animals to then you have to wipe them, you have to feed them, drink, they can't do anything because they're paralyzed and then they eventually come back. So so we're going through our own sort of stuff here, and so that's why I was very interested talking to you because in some ways I think you guys have just got a lot more systems and a lot more things put together. But our wildlife people here are incredible, but they're all volunteering, you know, type type thing. So, you know, very much. So now you're not now you're you're directing, so now you're you can go put on your um sexy clothes or your put your corporate clothes because you're going to be the businesswoman that you always aspired to be, and directing all this team, um, how to do things, what to do, where to go, uh, all of that. I I I think that's exceptional. I'm glad you got your wish. Um, I'm very happy for you, uh, indeed. Um, but I also wanted to talk to you a little bit about tourism. How do you think we're going on the tourism scale? Because you and I both know that that greatly affects animals.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

Yeah, it does affect animals, and I I've just seen this horrendous thing about this hotel being built in Serengeti. Anyway, it's somewhere in the path of the migration. And I'm just like, I just come on. You know, really. The problem is that people want to have a piece of the action. So, you know, they they want to be like to be able to touch it and that's understandable. Um, I I I get it totally. They don't just want to watch a movie, they want to actually be in it, which is great, but I think uh you gotta be really discerning with your tourism. And uh mass tourism I think is is can be very uh detrimental. So we haven't done tourism outside of Wildest Life, um, where you've been. Uh where our release sites are. I don't really want people interacting with those elephants. They need to be wild elephants. And I don't want them to learn, oh, you know, there's a car someone's gonna feed me. I mean that's gonna make a very dangerous animal. Um but tourism, dollars, you know, uplift the community, provide jobs, and it's a critical part of the economy, and and there's there's no getting away from it.

SPEAKER_05 27:02

There's gotta be a way for us to observe or be part of it, but not interrupt it. And that's what I'd really love to get a taste of, and I'd love the comp the countries to adopt it, and they've got to limit the amount of people at a time, you know, because we are interrupting animals. The reason some animals are starving is because when they're off hunting, we're there in vehicles, or we're, you know, scaring off exactly what their food is, or we're there so much that it's actually changed feeding areas in water when people there's divers and and you know, reproductive, it's it's affected reproductive in this country. Um, habit habits, so they they're not producing young. We have to look at this, it's so crucial.

SPEAKER_01 27:52

It is crucial, but unfortunately, you know, it's very big part of some countries' economies. So you you know, you have to be somewhat cautious in your approach. But I think if it's done with circumspection and um thought, it can be a very, very valuable tool for conservation. And that's where I think it's really important. And that's what we do here at Wild is Life. You know, everybody who comes here they have to do the tour, whether they like it or not. They might come as an influencer and they want their photograph photograph taken with a giraffe, but they still have to do the tour and learn something. You know, I think responsible comp responsible, compassionate, and ethical tourism, I think is very important. Um but but but you know what? There's simply too many people in the world now and they can't all come to Africa.

SPEAKER_04 28:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:57

Sorry, but that's the truth.

SPEAKER_05 28:59

Yes, yes, yes, it is, it is it is the truth.

SPEAKER_01 29:04

With um the president of China who came for tea one day. I mean, who says that? You know?

SPEAKER_05 29:12

Yeah. So obviously your sanctuary is a legacy and you know, it'll be your legacy or then it'll be your son's legacy. Like is the idea to keep uh your sanctuary and your education and everything going, is that what you'd like to leave? Is that the legacy that you'd like to leave?

SPEAKER_01 29:30

Yes, it it yes, it is that the boys must do what is good for them, obviously, and what their you know work towards their strength. What I would like to see is a um a model that is um empirical, as it were. I'd like to see the world look at the planet in a more empirical way, that we are part of this, we're not just on the planet, we are living, breathing this planet. And we do that through conservation. And I just wish I hope in the future that conservation becomes such big business in terms of biodiversity and you know, the whole carbon offset and all of that, that it becomes mainstream because at the moment a lot of it is looked at, oh well, they're just a bunch of bloody missionaries trying to save some animals, you know. And that's not or activists or activists or absolutely what I my vision is to see this more big picture thinking um where people understand that they are part of, not on this planet.

SPEAKER_05 31:02

Yes. Now I know you're very humble, but I do want to mention that you did win a lifetime achievement award from the IFAW and went to the awards. No, it it's so wonderful that that your work is recognized, and the reason is, I mean, IFAW, it's the International Fund for the Animal Welfare, but it it it's a very big um community. And it's wonderful seeing a woman who has started this, who has done this, who has made such a big contribution. I'm sure it inspires a lot of other women, a lot of other people, that they can do it too. If they see the the very refined Roxy standing up there, um, to say the least, and go, hey, that w look what that woman has done. Yeah, it's it's just such an amazing thing. So I I wanted to give you a congratulations. I know you're humble. I know that that's not the reason you do it, or you know, oh what you know, that's wonderful, let's talk all about that. But it but I think it's important.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

Yeah, we all we all need affirmation from time to time. And you know, I don't th thrive on it anymore. I used to as a young as a young woman. Um, but it is nice to get the recognition and it also, you know, brings to the forefront the issues that are there. And I4 are a fabulous organization. I've worked with them for quite some time and they've been incredibly supportive of everything that we do. And um, yeah, it was just a lovely, really lovely thing to get.

SPEAKER_05 32:40

I and I saw it and I went, Oh, I was so happy for you because I know that 20 years ago you were working so hard, and I thought, oh, now she's working harder. Oh, awesome. Because of all that work.

SPEAKER_01 32:55

So Yeah, I have worked hard, but it's been worth every minute.

SPEAKER_05 33:02

You have worked hard, you'll always work hard, but you know what? Yeah, um, I I I'm glad we met. I'm glad we spent the time together. Yes, and I'll continue to work until the breath is no longer. Um, because I've I've got big plans on this planet and its education, and I'm I'm putting out certified animal communicators at a very high standard so that they can educate the world and that they can they too can give uh what the animal wants to say because we want to give choice and voice to every animal on the planet, but we're also wanting to talk for the forests, the trees, because we we're I'm very involved with the plant consciousness as well. So I I am so thankful that we had a chance and for me to especially to bring your work to the forefront and just let everyone know that you know what it can be done, and with with sheer determination and perseverance, what can be achieved and what experiences that I'm glad you shared with us these moments, because that's the reward for me, isn't it? For you, it's like those moments, you know, whether it be with Bones or Diesel, Levi, you know, Molly or whoever it is, their moments and they're beautiful moments, and you can't get them any other way. They're they're indescribable, they're amazing. So thank you so much. But before I leave you, if people want to help you, want to contribute to the sanctuary, to the work of the animals, where can where can they do that and what can they do?

SPEAKER_01 34:39

So I think um, you know, uh we we welcome visitors. I don't do volunteers. Um I I'm not I haven't gone down that road, but um we do welcome visitors. So if any of your listeners are ever coming to Zimbabwe, come and pay us a visit and come and see. Um we've got a website, www.wildislife.org, I I think it is, and there's a donation page, and then we also do a Substack, um, which is quite big in Australia. Actually, we've got a lot of um Aussie followers, um, and that really helps us. It just brings in a little bit of income every month, and it it and you get the the the paid subscribers get um a sort of more in-depth uh view of the sanctuary and a lot of my own writing and whatever. So those are sort of the ways that um but you know, I think for me it's just like listen, look around you. That's it.

SPEAKER_05 35:47

Yeah, see what it's part of. Be aware, be aware. You know, I'll I'll put all those links in the show notes because I really want people to help you and be part of the Substack and and all of that, because if you can't physically do it or you really want to help and you think, oh, I'm only one person, what can I do? Well then donate to people who are doing those things that you think you can't do, but they're doing them. So support other people or other organizations. So we're honored you know, we're honouring you, and we will put all of those links in there. Thank you so much, Roxy. I am I am really hoping and praying that I can come and visit you um and see your sanctuary. I would love to do that and and I will have many conversations, um, as I know that you're already doing, but I'll have many conversations with the animals there and get a uh get a view or anything that you you need help with. Um very happy to do that. So so thank you so much. Um please keep in touch now that we've connected again, because that's that would be very wonderful. Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 36:49

And thanks to everybody for listening. Okay.

SPEAKER_05 36:53

Bye. What an incredible insight into the heart and soul behind wildlife rescue. Roxy's work reminds us that conservation isn't just policy or protection, it's relationship, it's presence, it's the daily, often unseen commitment to showing up for animals who have lost everything. If you'd like to learn more about Roxy's work or support the sanctuary, you can visit Wild is Life and the Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery online and follow their journey as they continue to give orphaned elephants and wildlife a second chance at life.

SPEAKER_03 37:29

Standing in the Sarangeti Plains in northern Tanzania, it's the annual migration of 1.5 million wildebeest! Wildebeest to the right, wildebeest to the left, and a few dozens every place to stay, but bad place to stand, as is Podcast Unknown Land. You can help us out with that by taking a tiny moment to press the subscribe, download, or follow button so we can have as many followers as there are will be ouch. Next up, what does the animal think?

SPEAKER_05 38:10

What does the animal think? You might think they like it, do they really? Special bird testers come direct from the wilds of a pristine coastal suburban Australia. Notably, my backyard. Water is life, not just for us, but for every living being we share this planet with. Yet the water that reaches our taps isn't always as pure as nature intended. That's why I wanted water as close to its natural form as possible. Clean, balanced, free of chemicals, chlorine, and heavy metals. Water that carries the energy of life itself. I have a wild bird family in my backyard, and their health and well-being is very important to me. So I created a little relaxation spa right outside my window, a place to watch them frolic and just have fun. At first they were very particular. They preferred rainwater, which is what they told me, which isn't always easy in a dry area. The bath also had to be perfectly clean and just the right depth. Naturally, I tried to comply. But of course, complaints started when the rain water ran out. So I had an idea, what if I gave them the water from my own house, which was fully filtered? The company, My Water Filter, converted my whole house into better quality water, which I love drinking and bathing in, and I thought the birds would love that too. I started the experiment. And here's what happened. These normally polite birds turned into water hoggers. One particular bird didn't want to share at all, and the others had to learn some extreme patience until impatience got the better of them, and it became a chaotic free-for-all. But when birds start fighting over water, you know it's good. My water filter, approved and enjoyed by me and my backyard wattle birds. Next up, Animal News with Trisha and Donna. Welcome back to Animal News. I highly recommend going back and listening to part one of this conversation because we've already uncovered some powerful truths around wildlife tourism, captivity, and the complex relationship between animals and humans. Now, in this next part, yes, we're going much deeper. We're stepping into the global picture, human impact, and what really happens when animals are pushed to the edge. We'll also explore something truly eye-opening. What happened during COVID? This is where the conversation becomes not just insightful, but truly transformational. So let's dive in. Hello, Donna. Now, let's go to poaching. What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 40:47

Poaching, oh, just it always just makes me gets my blood boiling. Because it's something that it's where's the proof? What's the reason? What's the purpose? Is there anything in there that actually has benefit to do that? I mean, if we were doing that to humans, do you think people would be tolerating that? I don't think so. So why on earth is it okay to do it in the first place? I can't, I still don't know of a single species that everybody poaches that actually has benefit. What is it? Well, okay.

SPEAKER_05 41:17

If we look at all parts of the world, let's just be realistic about this. First of all, let's just put it out there. If someone is poaching something, whether it be a rhino horn, or uh maybe it's an elephant tusk, or maybe it's an animal for its scales, or it's the fins of a shark, or whatever it is, right? If if we don't have demand, we don't need the supply. That's that's the first thing. How can everyone around the world help? Don't go for it. Don't buy it. Because you'll you the biggest thing in markets is that when there's no no one wanting to buy it, it won't be there. No one's gonna go to any effort to put something there that's not needed. What's fueling this market is people buying it. So whoever you are, if you're involved in something you shouldn't be illegal, this we're talking about you. And even the most wonderful people out there don't buy the products that is harming an animal. And it can be as simple as a fur coat. If you have a fur coat, well, fine, you might as well keep that. We can't return that animal. But please do not do any of that again. Because every time something had to die to give you warmth, but there's a million things to give you warmth that does not require an animal dying. Okay. The other thing, there are some parts of the world that they're poaching because they're in poverty and they found a market for it. So, as I'm not an expert on that, but my intelligence is telling me that might be something to do with the running of the country, might be something to do with the economics, might be to something that perhaps other countries can help with to get those people not so in poverty. And then if you're still poaching, then it's got nothing to do with poverty, has it? So again, we need to look at the cause and effect. And this is a reality that sometimes people don't want to hear it. Yeah, but I can't bear it. I can't sit and watch this happen when there's just no sense to it. And we have no right, in my opinion, to take the life of another, whether it be animal or person, or any form. We have no right, and we also have no right to change its life and take their choices away.

SPEAKER_00 43:42

Yeah, I absolutely agree with you. We have absolutely no right for any of this. We need to be a lot more alert. We need to be dispelling a lot of these myths about what this animal park can do, what that animal park can do. It it's there's no scientific backing for any of it. No matter what part of the world you look at for poaching, you can see it. There's nothing there. And I think that's what it is is the education breaking down these myths and explaining and helping people see that you're doing more harm than good. It's not doing anything for you. And the more that people band together as a collective and have that voice that, hey, we're taking something that we are not entitled to from an animal that needs it, they're born with it, then we'll start to see real change. And that I can't wait to see.

SPEAKER_05 44:27

And if we're sitting here thinking that humans are the most important thing on the planet, well, you've already lost the game. Yeah. Because, you know, you've you've won the ego game. And anyone that's telling you that is telling that for their own gain or because that's the way they want to look at it. Every creature has its merits. Again, let's state make the statement. I've made it several times. If you took all the people off the planet, the planet would thrive. If you take the animals off the planet, we die, including the plant kingdom. So if you look at our relevance of importance on this planet, it's not particularly high when it comes to the living part of the planet. You can all sit there and say, Oh, I think that's not true. I'm afraid it is. And I think that it's not about placing judgment, it's about you going into your own morality and saying, How do I sit? Where do I sit with this whole conversation about whether we have really any rights to take an animal and sell it? I I I I have a bit of a thing about buying and selling animals because, you know, that's to me is just like a human trafficking. We've got animal trafficking. Same. So I think we have to start looking at things realistically and stop seeing things as lesser beings because we're actually doing that within our own cultures and population about who's important and who we see as less important. You can see that everywhere. I'm not even going to go into that, but read the newspapers, read what's happening everywhere, and you'll see that we're doing that even with our own kind. So if we just stop doing that full stop, we might have a bit very different, very different world. So there's lots of different areas. Now, if we go back to COVID times when none of us could go anywhere. And in fact, we we well, a lot of us found it quite difficult, but we couldn't travel. We were pretty much locked into our own homes or a very small environment. Now, that was really for a year or so, uh, on and off, and in in big ways. I mean, it probably went for longer than that in terms of traveling because then it came down to vaccines and so on. So let's talk about COVID and what sort of things were very different for the animals when there were no humans about.

SPEAKER_00 47:03

Oh, that was really amazing to watch, to see all of it from all around the world of you know, rivers and the canals in Venice. That was probably the thing that stood out to me the most was the canals in Venice had absolutely cleared out. They were crystal clear. They had dolphins coming back into the waters because there was no boats, there was no pollution, there was nothing happening in there. And they they were shocked, absolutely shocked to see how clear the water came and all the wildlife coming back. I mean, that was just proof, absolute proof, so quick and easily that, like you said, if the people are off the planet, the planet will flourish. It was great, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_05 47:41

Well, there were many things that were great. There were animals returning to towns because they used to be in that town before somebody built a town. They they they that was their habitat. We took it away, and they could venture back into it. They had the freedom that they weren't secluded and have to hide out because humans would kill them or be fearful from them. So animals were returning everywhere, across the globe. You know, there were these uh in Wales, there was all these goats that wandered through towns, hundreds of goats, and there were mountain lions uh running towns in America. The bears came out. Everything came out because they had no fear anymore. They could that they're not fearful of other animals, they're fearful of this animal, the human. And it was really wonderful to see, like, for instance, um even in tourism, there's there's places like where the there were places in the world where there were stingrays and there were so many photographers, they'd have a hundred photographers, that these animals had to then eat at a different time because they were so stressed they couldn't even eat. This is how we're affecting them. And so then there were the dolphins that went to a completely different area to feed because of the stress. Well, all these animals came back to those same habitats, adjusted their feeding times, adjusted their feeding places, they could do what they wanted to do. They had a choice again, so they could be where their instincts and nature tells them to be. That's where they were. And just everything across the world changed for the animal kingdom. The animal kingdom took a breath. Because believe you me, I was speaking to a lot of them. They took a breath. Even the gorillas in Uganda were talking about how there were no, maybe because the koalas said we had a had a bit of a smell. Um, these gorillas were saying, it might have been the cosmetics and things, because you know, you wear perfumes and things, but the gorillas were saying how they could now smell hundreds of thousands of kilometres away because of the smells carried by the breeze. You know, they they could feel that breeze come, they they had they they were aware of smells so far away, they were aware of what was happening on the planet, they could, they could smell their own country. All of their instincts were coming back. It it just about brought tears to my eyes because I'm a human and I realized I was a participant in this. And look, there'll be a lot of people listening to this that go, oh my God, I had no idea. A lot of us don't. So we're not saying, oh, you know, why aren't you doing this? Hey, if you didn't realize or it's never really entered your head before, I hope it does now, and you really do give it some great thought because it's us, the people who can change everything for everything on the planet, including the trees, including the waterways. Waterways don't enter this world polluted, they become polluted because of what man does, and mining companies and other corporations. And it's our responsibility. Listen, if we want to do something, fine, but we have to create an alternative for those animals, for the waterways, for the people, because inevitably, hey, let's just put this out there, inevitably it's going to catch up with you and me and our health. Why are there so many diseases? Why is there so much that we've got to research? Because we're creating probably more diseases and harmful effects from what man is doing than what we can do in research. If you really want to look at where things come from. I'm just putting it out there because this is the word we get from the animals, because we spoke to many animals during COVID. And funnily enough, the shelters, the dog shelters, the cat shelters, all became empty during COVID because people couldn't cope with being alone and they took to the animals for comfort. And a lot of people were saved emotionally, mentally, but then unfortunately, straight after COVID, those same shelters were overflowing because people went, oh well, I'm okay now, so I don't really need this dog or this cat or whatever. I'm not saying everyone, I'm just saying these were the numbers.

SPEAKER_00 52:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 52:08

Right? I don't know, Donna. You know, it's I I'm at a loss. It it it's really quite embarrassing when these sort of things get talked about because we as humans are really what's causing the problem.

SPEAKER_00 52:22

Yeah. We are certainly causing the problem. It is embarrassing. It's it the more you think about it and the more you look at it from that global perspective, what is our use on this planet? Like what is our use? How are we beneficial to the planet? I feel like the more you start to see, we are more of a hindrance, really, than we are actually benefiting the planet. How are we contributing back? We take a lot of habitats up, we waste like there's nobody's business, we don't know how to be um effective in really in any way of living harmoniously with animals. There are some that do, like I'll give it to it. There are some communities out there who do. They'll do everything they can to live harmoniously with animals and live peacefully. But there is so much more harm that's being done than good. And every time we feel we're trying to get better and better at it, or trying to come up with a solution, something else gets knocked back. And unfortunately, it always seems to be in you know the name of the dollar or in the name of I've just got to get that photo of that wild animal right in front of me with 20 other people around me. It's just it's always about what do we want? What can we get, instead of how can I give back? How can I make it better for them? You would probably find, and I think a lot of people would find, if you stop thinking about yourself so much and we started thinking a bit more about how can I give back, not just to the animals, but to your fellow person too, how much better would you feel about yourself? How much more would you feel fulfilled on this planet? You wouldn't feel lost and disconnected anymore. You'd be part of something so much bigger. And it might be a little harsh to say, but we've talked about this before, haven't we?

SPEAKER_05 53:58

Yeah. It's I'd just say even over that COVID period when people were adopting dogs and cats to help them through a rough time. Maybe we should just give a bit of a thought to that dog and cat and say, now what for them? What? Stick them in a shelter where they may not find a life. And then they had a wonderful home, they loved you, and then what happened? Is it me? You know, the old thing, is it me or is it you? Um, uh you know, how how do you think those animals feel? So it's just about what we want to do today is just give a thought process to go through and say, Oh, it's really wonderful to do that and it involves an animal. Great. Now, how can I give back to the animal? It might be financial, it might be in help, it might be because there's also volunteering overseas where you can go and volunteer to help in a project. As you know, I did one in I did two actually in Africa as a communicator, and I went there to do anything I can for those animals. And you really have to be careful not to get caught up in the selfies, and you because it's one of like you you've got hands-on and you can sit with these wild animals, including lions, which I did, and you have to be really careful that you don't get caught up in that ego, because sometimes you do, and then you've got to catch yourself. It happened to me. But I also went to volunteer centers that were trying to help animals, and I was there trying to help and be helpful with them. But the problem for me was that is it just that, or is it now again, they needed to raise money, and they did that with volunteers because they could get more clients in, and you know, it's it's a long process. I don't really want to talk about the process, I just want to talk about the the fact that some of those volunteers weren't there for the right reason, and those organizations should have ousted them. Right? They were just there for the selfies, because they had nothing to do on their vacation. Hey, Maul's will do this, sounds like fun, and it was cheap. Right? So again, it's always about the egotistical part, the ego, and saying, well, that's what I got out of it. But what does that animal get out of it? And I can honestly tell you that I left those two projects feeling proud to be a human because I just worked night and day for them. I wasn't interested in the social activities, the selfies, the all of that nonsense. I was interested in collecting data, giving those animals what they needed, and then communicating with them and communing that, communicating that back to their carers in what they needed. And I can tell you now, those projects were very interested in what those communications were, because we bettered things for those animals. So there's this is a um an extremely big subject, and uh there's so many parts to it because you know you've got the captivity and you've got this, and you know, we're not trying to sit here and be negative, we're trying to tell it as it is, because I guess you and I, Donna, if if we don't talk about it, I'm sure a lot of people do who are like us, but if we don't talk about it with the reality, are we really helping animals? Because that's what this podcast is all about. It's all about education and bridging the ancient with the modern, it's also bridging with science, spirituality, and reality and consciousness and what beings are. It's trying to marry everything together to create harmony. And that's what we're trying to do because we would not be doing ourselves a favor all this podcast if we didn't bring up the beautiful, amazing, incredible people who I know of some personally who are out there tirelessly working for the greater good of animals. You know who you are, I know who you are, and I bow my head to you because the sacrifices that you've made for the difference you've made, because you are making a difference. Animals are seen very differently to how they were many, many years ago, and a lot and you people are the ones who have made that big change, and I'm just trying to join you in making that change. I'm trying to walk beside you because you guys are in love with animals, nothing else matters, and I've seen the personal sacrifices people have made. I remember talking to some people in animal welfare. One woman said to me, I haven't had a full night's sleep in 30 years. And I went, Oh, you poor thing, what's happened? She goes, Oh, nothing. I don't mind. It's just that when you're doing baby joeys, that's kangaroos, when you're doing these baby joeies, it it you have to get up every three hours. If you're doing little bandicoot babies, you've got to get up every two and a half. If you're doing so, she said, My night is filled with baby bottles and very cute animals, but they have to be fed or they won't survive. So I would like to end this on. Congratulations to you. My heartfelt everything goes to you, honestly. We here at Animal Talk honour you, love you, support you when we can. We try to help financially as well, and we're trying to get the word out. So thank you to you, and hopefully, we as your humble servants will continue our quest to get the word of the animal out there. Thank you. And if this episode touched your heart, please make sure you're following Animal Talk with Trisha McKay on your favourite podcast platform, leave us a review, and share this episode with someone who cares about animals as much as you do. Your support helps these important stories reach further and helps us continue giving animals a voice. Until next time, I'm Trisha McKay, where we listen deeply, speak for the animals, and remember that when we change the way we see them, we change the world.