Volunteers fly through the big blue in service of a green planet
The Bateleurs’ pilots give of their time in wildlife conservation drive
A group of aviators, many of whom have exchanged the boardroom for the skies over Southern Africa, give their time and expertise in aid of conservation and the protection of the environment. The Bateleurs — Flying for the Environment is a convocation of pilots using their own aircraft in support of all things green. Their missions are provided free of charge at the request of policy makers, scientists, teachers, community leaders, conservationists and environmentalists. Some of the pilots are retirees from the corporate world and relish the opportunity of "doing something extraordinary and exciting", says Bateleurs chairman Sven Kreher. "And what could be more extraordinary than flying three sleeping adult lions, in a very cramped space, to their new home in a distant game reserve?" Missions vary from exposing illegal activities, monitoring development projects to tracking animals with telemetry equipment. The Bateleurs have also been involved in animal population surveys; bird nest...
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