Whilst semi-sleeping this morning next to my lovely other half, I had one of those dreams where you feel like you're awake and you're aware of what's going on around you, but your mind is out of it and going off on a tangent all of its own - I get this a lot and find sleep-thinking, as I call it, is quite productive (if you can remember what you were thinking about). Anyway, the point of this is, I had a fantastic idea!

Through my job, I know a lot about animal welfare legislation and through growing up with a menagerie of pets, I know a lot about pet care which gives me the confidence to start the 'The Wildlife Rescuer' service. Where my knowledge is limited is health care and handling of animals that quite frankly, don't wanna be handled! A wild animal will never see you as anything but an enemy regardless of how much help you give it. Now, short of getting work experience in a veterinary clinic (I'm not even sure if this is allowed when you think of all the implications!), I'm not going to get any experience here (there are no wildlife hospitals within an hour's travelling time of my home) until I'm thrown in the deep end and dealing with the real thing. The wildlife course I'm starting in 3 months will help somewhat with this as there's theory and limited practical experience but this still leaves me with no experience of a real-life capture/rescue situation.

Then I recalled something I had looked into 2 years ago. A voluntary working holiday to a wildlife hospital; this was no ordinary hospital. This was in a game park in South Africa! The purpose of the stay is to provide all types of care to a range of wild and domestic animals ranging from dogs to cheetahs! The sanctuary receives vital funds from accommodating and providing wildlife care experience to people like me. Assistance is needed in all aspects of the running of the place; maintenance, basic healthcare, feeding and even rescues if the need arises - perfect! OK, so there's very little chance of walking down a street in Pontypridd and passing a cheetah but surely, if I can deal with these confidently, our native wildlife should be more than manageable.

Then there's people. I'm not a people person, not even close - I'd even go so far as to say I have slightly misanthropistic tendencies. I like my own company and feel claustrophobic if I have to spend too much time with lots of people (as my best mate found out when we went on an awful caravan holiday with her family some 3 years ago) My experience on the Prince's Trust last year did help me with my people skills to an extent, but I'm still far from what you'd call 'sociable'.
So being taken out of my comfort zone, flown thousands of miles away then left in the middle of nowhere surrounded by people from around the world, sharing everything (bedroom, bathroom, work space, everything!) should help me with my people skills!! Let's face it, they're kinda essential when dealing with hysterical joe bloggs who's just hit a deer or found a fox in a snare & doesn't know what to do. Even I know "suck it up" isn't the correct approach!! (if you're wondering, in my dream-thought, I imagined myself at this place staring into the eyes of a cheetah and I felt an overwhelming sense of pride and love and awe that stayed with me even when I was fully awake)

So here's the plan. The earliest I'd put myself forward for this is September, after my wildlife training and long enough to establish the service and a network of local carers to take over the reigns in my absence. The cost... not cheap.... £995 for the trip and £600 for flight. Ouch!! But I have time to save... They advise getting fundraising - doing sponsored events, getting the press involved to cover these costs and I'm keen on that! I'm also wondering whether it's worth trying to get a training grant &/or sponsorship from work as it's relevant to my job (they deal with domestic animals and I can get an idea of what animal welfare legislation is like in a different country). The reasons I didn't do this 2 years ago vary from not being ready to travel alone, not having faith in myself etc etc... I feel ready now. I need the experience & Africa's a continent I've always wanted to visit! I've spent the day smiling because I'm excited at the prospect!!! There's a long way to go before this is definite but I think it's a good idea... how about you?

If anyone's wondering where I got this info from, it's http://www.travellersworldwide.com

I'll keep you updated as and when there's anything to tell!