09/04/2025
We often get asked to share some of our craziest experiences while in the field and we get that question so often that we decided to start a little series and share those stories with you.
Let's call this series: Tales from the Trenches.
We were contracted in to do first phase testing on staff for Rhino Poaching at a Game Reserve who has never done these kinds of tests before. They had been struggling with a lot of poaching incidents and needed to do something quickly.
It took us most of the day to get to the client and we only arrived around 5pm to the location they had sent us. When we got there we were all alone, in a place I can only descibe as a haunted house.
Picture this, an old monastery type of building in the middel of a Game Reserve with no soul in sight. This building had doors that didn't close properly, scary buildings and shrines that were locked up, birds screeching and the sun is about to set.
We were four woman in the middel of nowhere without cell reception or a place to sleep. Eventually, we managed to get proper accomodation for the evening and had a decent night's sleep.
The next morning we had to go back to this building to start with the tests on staff and we spent most of the day there (it's not any less spooky during the day). After a long day of testing we get in our car and head back to the lodge for the evening.
Just our luck, on our way back to the lodge we spot a game drive vehicle dropping off two poachers and rushing away.
We spent the rest of our afternoon with the Anti-Poaching Unit, showing them where these poachers headed into the field in hopes that they might stop a poaching incident from happening (which they did).
Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep on this trip but we did save a Rhino!
Disclaimer: The stories shared in this series are based on real investigative experiences; however, all confidential details, including names, locations, and identifying information, have been altered or fictionalized to protect the privacy and safety of all parties involved.
