The Old Diocesan Issue 13 - Magazine - Page 64
FORCE FOR GOOD
Ian-Malcolm
Rijsdijk (1991B)
is a film scholar,
birder and
environmentalist.
He lectures at UCT.
Greg gives a facility tour for members of the WFA’s
network during its Community Week, which brings
together many of its local partner organisations and
representatives from international universities that
send students to the academy for courses.
Greg assists students in performing a necropsy on a bat-eared fox. Dead wildlife is generally donated by local animal
organisations for teaching purposes or, on rarer occasions, when the animal is part of an active forensic investigation.
60 | THE OLD DIOCESAN
OPENING PHOTOGRAPH IAN-MALCOLM RIJSDIJK ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF WFA
raised the profile of the WFA,
and there is an international
symposium at the academy to look
forward to in 2027. But funding
and sponsorship challenges are
ever-present, especially if it is to
continue supporting the education
of local rangers.
I ask Greg if there are any bright
moments in work that must often
seem grim. “Absolutely,” he replies.
A recent participant returned to
the reserve where he worked and
promptly joined an investigation
into the poisoning of a pack of wild
dogs. “Though young, he was able
to take over.” Like the frontier vets
a decade earlier, WFA graduates
are overcoming uncertainty and
often fear, and are making an
immediate impact.
