But wilderness means different things for different people. For some it’s an uninhabitable place home to wild beasts waiting to attack you. For others, it fosters romantic visions of African sunsets and gin and tonics. For modern hunter-gatherers, the wilderness is a regular source of food, medicine, and resources. And for many, it’s a place to reconnect with the divine. In reality, the wilderness is our original home and it made us who we are today. Homo sapiens have existed for around 300,000 years, and for 95% of this history we were deeply connected with nature for our survival. If

Kruger National Park is a landscape shaped by incredible geological diversity, from ancient granite formations to the basalt plains of the central region. Some of the rocks in the Park are among the oldest exposed rocks on Earth, dating back about 3 billion years. About 30 years ago, section ranger Ted Whitfield observed a notable local movement that he termed a ‘mini migration’ involving zebra and wildebeest. While this migration might be less known globally, it is as significant as other more famous migrations across Africa. Ted noted that during the winter months, these animals trekked southward, following the fertile

This is the first episode of a three-part series. It’s a story of a dream. A fantasy perhaps…that came true. I entered the world in 1975, far from where Renias Mhlongo’s journey began under a jackalberry tree in the greater Kruger National Park. Our origins diverged: his in the Shangaan hunter-gatherer traditions, and mine amongst the Cape’s cattle farms. Yet, our childhoods whispered of future paths. Mine through games of hide-and-seek in the dunes of Plettenberg Bay. And Renias’s through “Xitumbelelani,” a Shangaan version, teaching the art of observation – and a prelude to his future as a world-renowned animal