PP25 – One Life at a time

I grew up as a missionary kid, which meant learning early on that life is about serving, helping where there’s need, and loving where it hurts. That heart for helping eventually led me somewhere I never expected: working with wildlife vets in South Africa.
These photos are just a few moments from the wild places I’ve been called to. The first shows me injecting the wake-up drug into a pregnant rhino’s ear vein after we dehorned her; not to harm her, but to protect her from poachers. We checked her health, gave her medications, and made sure she was safe.
Another photo shows a lion we had to relocate after she wandered into an area where she could’ve gotten into serious trouble. Then there’s an elephant that had been caught in a brutal snare set by poachers. We cut it off, treated the wound, and released him back into the wild.
The leopard in one of the photos had also been trapped in a snare and needed intensive treatment. And the last image is of a cheetah we found wandering near a street, weak and severely dehydrated. We caught him, gave fluids and meds, and got him back where he belonged.
For me, Into the Wild isn’t about chasing adventure or just being around animals. It’s about stepping into wild, unpredictable places and choosing to bring healing, compassion, and hope. Whether it's people or animals, I believe we're called to protect and care for the vulnerable. That’s what these moments are about.