By Hayley Rocco

March/April Conservation Photography Volunteer 2022

Hayley Rocco on a rhino dehorning in the field with Wild Tomorrow Fund, April 2022.

In 2020, I, like so many, had the time and opportunity to reassess what was important to me. Three of those things were animals, photography, and writing. We’ll get to the writing part later, but I started by picking up my camera and going to the Roger Williams Park Zoo. I committed to going about once a week—or whenever possible—to visit the exotic animals, animals cultivated from all over the world and thoughtfully placed within the confines of our concrete jungle. I was on a mission to share my passion for animals with the world, even if that world was a tiny little Instagram account.

Hayley put her love for photography to work in South Africa, while also learning new tips & tricks from professional photographers.

So began my animal photography journey. Here, I could watch giraffe lazily forage for their food from deliberately placed poles and trees throughout their enclosure. I caught carefully-timed bath time with the four African elephant sisters. Or I’d watch the stealthy cheetahs pacing their enclosure, awaiting feeding time. On one particularly special visit, I even caught sight of a moment when their speed was narrowly outmatched by a crafty little squirrel who barely had time to dive through a hole in a fence and avoiding becoming an afternoon snack (but only by a hair)!

I loved visiting these beautiful animals. This became my refuge each week. It was peaceful, even healing at times, to practice my animal photography while being in the presence of these incredible creatures. (Of course, I also had to figure out when it was best to visit, whether it be because of lighting or simply the best time to avoid crowds for optimal peace and quiet.)

The most trafficked animal in the world - the pangolin. Very few have the chance to see one in the wild. More information on how Wild Tomorrow Fund supports pangolin conservation work here.

Fast forward to about two years later. I was also pursuing another dream—writing children’s books about animals. While researching pangolins, I stumbled across Wild Tomorrow Fund. After more extensive research, I came across their volunteer photography trip! Animals? Photography?! To say I was thrilled would be a gross understatement. It felt too good to be true. Personally, I had always dreamed of visiting Africa, but to be able to help animals, the community, AND learn more about photography by actual professionals alongside other likeminded individuals?! This had to be some sort of algorithm scam; the internet must have read my mind and fed me this brilliant opportunity like when I’m shopping for baby shower gifts for a friend and then magically begin receiving ads for diapers. But no. It was REAL. And with the loving support of my husband, and some of my life savings…I was about to make a dream a reality with Wild Tomorrow Fund.

Everything about the trip was beyond what I imagined it could be…and more. Simply breathing in the earthy damp air after a rain my first day there, was enough to make me fall in love with South Africa. But I think the most profound experience of all was being in the mere presence of all those majestic animals, animals I had only ever seen in person behind zoo walls. Here they were living free and wild, in their own natural habitats and on their own terms. The roles were reversed. I was now the stranger on their territory. The sheer greatness of it all; seeing elephants in the wild for the first time will never leave me, for example, and just looking at the seemingly endless expanse of land and sky was a humbling experience in and of itself. I felt small, but I felt an immediate and intense connection to the earth, to the animals, and to the people there. For the first time in my life, I felt like I truly understood my place in the circle of life. I know it sounds corny, but there’s a reason why that movie and hit song resonated with us all. From watching the busy little dung beetles working so hard to roll the perfect ball of dung to coming across cheetahs lying down next to a kill; bellies full, exhausted after their hunt of impala; to witnessing a tower of giraffe walking towards you in the tall grass, curious about what you are, and what you are doing… I felt a profound sense of connection to it all—a belonging, really. I hope to never lose that feeling, that true sense of understanding. This experience made it abundantly clear to me, with even stronger conviction, that we needed to restore the balance between nature and humanity again. Now is the time for humans to make changes and restore our wild places and biodiversity on earth. I didn’t know how to truly become part of the change myself until I embarked on this mission with Wild Tomorrow Fund, and for that I am grateful. I felt, for the first time, like I was part of the solution and that gave me an enlightened sense of hope.

Wild African Elephants, photograph by Hayley Rocco.

I hope you too will have the opportunity to experience the beauty and wonder of the African bush like I did. I believe that if more humans could experience that level of wonder and connection to the natural world like I did on this trip, they’d immediately feel compelled to make changes in their own lives and take up the charge.

“If we take care of nature, nature will take care of us.” -Sir David Attenborough

Here are a FEW (and I emphasize “a few”) of the incredible things I experienced on this trip and in no particular order.

PANGOLIN. I actually had the opportunity to see one in REAL life, people. To witness a rescued, healthy, and freed pangolin dining in its natural environment was not only critically insightful and beneficial towards the research for my book—it was life-changing for me personally. Understanding their plight while watching these gentle and harmless, not-to-mention, completely adorable creatures just trying to live their lives, really put everything in perspective. And to see an animal so unique to anything I’ve ever known for the first time in the wild, well, it felt as powerful as that “heart in your throat-you-just-can’t-breathe-feeling-of-joy” you feel when you fall madly in love for the first time.
(More information on pangolins and how Wild Tomorrow Fund is assisting in their conservation efforts here)
ELEPHANTS: I’ve loved elephants for as long as I can remember. The sheer majesty of witnessing them in the wild is inexplicable, really. Watching a matriarchy with mothers escorting their nursing toddlers stopping traffic to cross the road. . . the little ones swinging their trunks playfully, as they slowly ventured into the bush was incomparable to anything I’d experienced before. (Are you noticing a trend here? Ha!)
Rhino Dehorning: If you have the opportunity to participate in one, this is reason enough to go on a volunteer trip with Wild Tomorrow Fund. I felt emotionally exhausted at the end of the day after participating in dehorning a bull, followed by a mother and her calf. The initial feeling of anger for having to do it in the first place, followed by immense feelings of hope and relief after its done was…incredible. Knowing I was a part of helping these animals is something we should all be so lucky to experience. I finally felt a part of something bigger than myself.

I can’t go into all of the incredible activities, there’s just too much to post in one sitting, but I will tell you that if you have any doubts about going on this trip: DON’T. I am confident you will feel this was one of the best decisions you’ll make in your life. For me, it certainly was, hands down, one of the most incredible experiences of my life and I believe every human would view our world differently if they had the chance to experience a volunteer trip with Wild Tomorrow Fund. If you love animals and want to feel like you’re actively participating in the fight against climate change, habitat loss, and wildlife endangerment…GO. This is the trip for you. It will be worth every penny.

Sidenotes: A few tips and also some of my favorite things in South Africa:

Try Savanna Dry if you like alcoholic ciders, (and even if you don’t)! Nothing more refreshing after a long day in the bush than having a sundowner with one of these beverages! (Also, be sure to ask Kevin to hook you up with a mean batch of pineapple beer.)
One of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks was Schweppes Dry Lemon. YUM! I miss it, still. If you like lemon-flavored anything, give it a go! I also fell in love with rooibos and Ceylon tea while there. So if you love tea like me, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
The sunrises and sunsets. Try to catch as many as you can. They’re exceptionally brilliant.
Be ready to go with the flow, adventure with WTF awaits you at every corner.
Try to get enough sleep because the emotions you’ll be experiencing will be intense. Whether it’s a day spent helping out at the creche, or feeding baby rhinos to seeing your first pangolin or dehorning rhinos, every new experience is A LOT. Simply witnessing literally ANY of the wildlife living in their native habitats will take a toll on you emotionally—in the absolute best way possible, of course.
If you pee a lot, ummmm…here’s an important one for women: Keep a packet of tissue with you in your bag along with a plastic bag to pack out what you use, because you never know when you may be close to a restroom and there are plenty of bushes to provide cover wherever you go!
I tried to write down as much as I could about my experiences at the end of the day, but I think it was just as important to capture a few highlights and focus on being as present in the moment wherever possible.
Even if you’re tired, push through that exhaustion to experience as many (if not every) experiences available to you. One of the best days we had was going on a walk with Kevin and Greg in the endangered Sand Forest exploring insects and plants and scraggly twisted trees covered with rare orchids and moss…I’ll always look back on that day as one of my favorites (though really, how to choose?!) Another was going for a night hike on the beach and discovering bioluminescence in the sand. In the pitch black, looking down, it looked like you were walking on the stars!
Which leads me to the outstanding Wild Tomorrow Fund employees committed to ensuring you have the best time ever. Volunteer coordinator extraordinaire Tori Gray, general manager Greg Canning and reserve manager, Kevin Joliffe are brilliant at everything they do. Tori thought of every detail, honored every dietary restriction throughout the entire trip, and was always readily available to answer any question and see any request through. She’s also just a delight to be around! That also goes for Greg and Kevin who were not only game for any adventure, whether it be playing in the waves in Sodwana Bay, or taking you on an offshore diving adventure, they seem determined to make your experience a special one. Not to mention, they are both walking encyclopedias of nature. ASK and you WILL find out. They were so knowledgeable and patient with the millions of questions we pummeled them with, they must have been exhausted after we left!
A very special thanks to the incredibly talented and patient professional photographers who helped guide us all on our personal photography journeys. Brilliant wildlife photographer, Martin Meyer, and incredible portrait photographer, Charles Chessler, I am in awe of your work and appreciated all that I learned from you both. And, I think I’m gonna need a bigger lens! ;-)
OH! And a pro-travel tip: I believe you can check two bags. So if you go, start collecting gently used clothes for the orphanage. The women seemed especially excited about aprons, but it seemed they could use anything! When you donate your items, you then have an empty bag to fill with ALL of the amazing handcrafted treasures you’ll want to bring home with you. Win, win.