WING & A PRAYER
Wildlife expert known as the human swan on how she conquered her fear of flying to highlight struggles of endangered birds
HIT by a storm while in a small plane, Sacha Dench feared she’d die as she was rocked about in her seat.
That was in 2000 in South America, as she clung to the hand of a man sitting next to her and watched as a woman started reading from a prayer book.
“We thought that was it – all of us – I’m sure even the pilot did,” Sacha said.
She was relieved to survive but afterwards, every time she flew and hit turbulence in a plane, she’d panic.
For a daredevil like Sacha who had done cave diving and competed at free diving – staying under water for six minutes and 22 seconds – she was determined to overcome her fear.
Naturalist Sacha, 42, told herself the only way to rid herself of the anxiety was to confront her fear by taking to the skies to understand the air.
She tried flying lessons in a glider but continued to be terrified – and then discovered paragliding before mastering a paramotor and conquering her fears.
The biologist, who is head of media for the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust, then realised she could use her flying skills to help highlight the plight of the endangered
I’m driven by the wildlife and the world around me. I’m happy to give my time and life to that
Bewick’s swan. She made worldwide headlines last year when she travelled 4500 miles in a motorised paraglider from the Arctic to the UK following the migration route of the swan.
Nicknamed the “Human Swan”, she’s now heading to Scotland to speak at a wildlife film festival in Dumfries. Sacha also plans to fly in her paramotor across the Hebrides in May, supported by a team on a tall ship – in what’s thought to be the first time the feat has been attempted.
She is also likely to visit the WWT reserve at Caerlaverock, Dumfriesshire, which is renowned for its work in bringing back another migratory bird, the Svalbard barnacle goose, from the edge of extinction.
Sacha, who was brought up in Britain and Australia, said: “I love Scotland and have spent a lot of time there working on WWT projects and doing aerial photography.
“Scotland is one of my favourite places. I have been to Harris and Skye and have wanted to explore more of the islands, so when I was thinking about my next flight, I thought it would be amazing to fly from tip to toe of the Hebrides.”
Last year’s flight of the swans project saw Sacha become the first woman to cross the English Channel in a paramotor – in an epic journey from Arctic Russia to northern Europe, crossing 11 countries. Bewick’s can live for almost 30 years and mate for life. But between 1995 and 2010, the numbers of these swans migrating on this route dropped from 29,000 to 18,000. Threats included loss of habitat, including wetlands, and illegal hunting.
By following Bewick’s swans on their migration and meeting communities along the way, Sacha and an expedition team hoped to see why so many of them were unable to survive the journey.
Even though the birds have legal protection, about a third who survive the route have shotgun pellets in their flesh, having been targeted by hunters.
Sacha hopes her expedition has raised awareness and changed behaviour to help save more of the swans.
Flying alongside the birds was a journey of endurance.
Reaching altitudes of about 300ft, Sacha had to cope with
extreme cold. She wore heated gloves, heated sachets in her boots and she wrapped in nine layers of clothing.
When she saw hunters on the ground, they put their guns down to take photos or wave. But there was danger if she had crashed.
Sacha said: “I was going over really remote areas with polar bears, bears and wolves. I had to carry a lot of stuff so I’d be able to look after myself.”
She went through intensive first aid training with her support team.
“If anything had gone wrong, it would have been difficult to deal with it quickly,” she said.
Alongside accidents and animal attacks, Sacha was also at risk from water landings and practised with the support of the RNLI.
Her expedition saw her following the birds over a collection of wetlands – so she was regularly flying over water. On the journey, she flew at a maximum speed of about 43mph – but her fastest speed hit about 68mph.
In some remote locations with no roads, she was the first foreigner to ever visit.
When people spotted her overhead, they’d come running to meet her as she landed.
They were fascinated by the expedition. Many would run up to the ground crew car as well. One banged on the side of the vehicle and, unable to speak English, flapped his arms like a swan and said: “Sacha.”
She said: “The reception we got was remarkable, with communities, mayors and ministers coming to meet us.
“What really impressed them was that we had come to such remote places, to talk to them and that we cared so much about the swans.”
Six of the swans wore tagged collars and Sacha knew them by name.
She was devastated to learn one called Charlotte didn’t survive the journey.
One of her team travelled back to try to find the missing swan in a blizzard in Estonia – but it couldn’t be traced.
With so many swans not surviving the journey, she said it was inevitable, although they’d probably never know why this one was lost.
She said she felt sympathy for a WWF researcher who had studied the swans for many years and knew about 400 by name. “For her, each one that doesn’t come back is a bit of a trauma,” said Sacha.
But through her work, Sacha hopes to ensure more of these endangered swans will now make the journey – and she continues to work towards helping more wildlife.
It’s become her life mission to solve problems she thinks can be fixed – especially those that are man-made.
Sacha hopes the first-hand evidence and information gathered on the expedition, combined with existing research, can contribute to lifesaving conservation action.
Sacha is single and doesn’t have children. But she said the people she worked with on the expedition became like family to her.
She said: “You end up building a family of sorts around this goal.
“I’m driven by the wildlife and the world around me – I’m happy to give my time and my life to that.” The Wild Film Festival Scotland takes place in Dumfries from Friday to Sunday. Sacha will be at the Theatre Royal, Dumfries, on Sunday. www.wildfilm festivalscotland.co.uk