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This could be a great opportunity for an accountant looking to get their hands dirty in one of the wildest parts of Africa, Zambia.  If you know anyone who might be interested please pass it on. (more…)

It’s that time again, that point in a book’s life when the author gets to buy their own books at a reduced price, which means I can offer YOU a great deal.

If you buy both ‘Elephant Dance’ and ‘Dry Water’ now I can get both to you INCLUDING postage for just $40 in Australia or $55 overseas.  This offer is only through my website at http://tammiematson.com/books/ .

Please share this with your friends so I can offload some books to help fund my conservation adventures!

Do you have an old laptop lying around that you no longer use? Want to give it to someone who really will appreciate it?

My friends in Zimbabwe are seeking old laptops for rural primary school children at Humani School to learn how to use a computer.

If you do have one, please let me know as this is the best form of recycling!

A friend of a friend in Brisbane is going over there in September and can take several with him, so I will arrange pick up and transfer to him if you can help!

One of the best things about my return to Zimbabwe was seeing old friends in the Save Valley Conservancy, people who helped inspire me when I was a teenager and influenced my direction into conservation.  One of those people was Karen Paolillo, otherwise known as Madam Mvuu (‘mvuu’ means hippo in Shona), and her French geologist husband Jean-Roger.  They have stuck it out through a tumultuous decade in Zimbabwe, one in which they have at the worst times been forced to flee their home on the banks of the Turgwe River for their own safety, as political insecurity threatened their lives.  (more…)

I’m the first to admit that I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from our trip to Zimbabwe after 11 years away.  Since 2000 it’s pretty much been one of the most hellish periods of this landlocked African country’s recent history, with reports of election rigging, then widespread violence against political opposition members (and frankly anyone who voted against President Mugabe), followed by a time when there was simply no fuel and no food in the shops, coupled with a Zimbabwean dollar that wasn’t even worth using as toilet paper.  (more…)

Cruel, I know, to broadcast shamelessly a trip to Africa like that, but I’m very excited to say that Andy, Solo and I are on our way to Zim and then South Africa next week to do some scoping around for conservation projects for Animal Works.   Word on the street is that the poaching in my old haunt, the Save Valley Conservancy in the lowveld of Zimbabwe, has been really severe in the last decade, made possible by a tyrant’s rule.  Just last week a rare black rhino was found walking around in the conservancy with half its face hacked off.  It had been de-horned to try and prevent this, but the poachers hacked off the small amount of horn left.  Read the story here.  Prepare yourself – it’s pretty shocking stuff and the photos are graphic. (more…)

I’ve been a little quiet on the blog front this year, I’ll admit.  It just seems like all I’ve been doing is watch 24 hour news cycles about one natural disaster after another.  In Queensland, my home state, it’s been one disaster after another – record floods and then the biggest cyclone on record.  Down in Victoria, record floods too, destroying homes  and taking lives.  (more…)

Ever wanted to learn how to effectively communicate your conservation ideas to the world? Want to learn a thing or two from people who are magnifying the messages across their communities and across the planet? Well here’s your chance!

I’m teaming up with the people in the know at Taronga Zoo for a two day course in Conservation Communication in Sydney on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June. There will be several speakers who you’ll be able to question including Earth Hour’s very own co-founder and global director, Andy Ridley, and you also get the chance to test out your own ideas in groups.  You’ll learn all sorts of tips that will help you to improve your communication skills, as well as things that will help get your ideas noticed by the media, plus lots more!  Total group size for the class is limited to 15 so get in fast to secure your place.

The cost is $595 per person for this nice little addition to your resume. For more details go to TTI or email Taronga Training Institute at tti@zoo.gov.nsw.au .

Chances are if you’re receiving this you’ve already got yourself a copy of my first book “Dry Water – diving headfirst into Africa”.  But if you don’t, or you know an Africa or animal lover who’d love a copy for Christmas, I’ve got a Christmas special going just for the next month or so where you can buy them at half price through my website – http://www.tammiematson.com .  It’s only til 25th December and I’m pretty sure this is one of very few places still stocking this book, so if you know someone who’d like one, grab your opportunity now!  I ship them all around Australia and overseas.  Since my gorgeous one year old Sol arrived, the space taken up by boxes of books needs to be used for other things, so I’m happy to offer additional discounts if you buy more than one.

And for the perfect gift that keeps on giving, why not give your animal-loving friends a really special gift this Christmas that helps save elephants?  Through Animal Works you can sponsor an elephant orphan from $75 or donate milk to an orphan for a day for just $10 through our shop and we will email you a personalised card that you can give to your special someone so they know that an elephant is better off because you thought of them this Christmas.

Fancy working with elephants as a volunteer in Tanzania?  This one looks like a great opportunity for the right person.

http://www.conbio.org/jobs/detail.cfm?id=16626