“A milestone birthday inspired me to fulfil a dream of working in wildlife conservation”
DEBBIE VOWLES, 58, WORKS IN IT FOR THE NHS AND LIVES NEAR BOURNEMOUTH WITH HER HUSBAND MARTIN, 57. SHE HAS THREE GROWN-UP DAUGHTERS. SHE SAYS:
SITTING ON THE PLANE, ON MY WAY HOME FROM A FAMILY HOLIDAY TO SOUTH AFRICA TO CELEBRATE MY 50TH BIRTHDAY, AN
IDEA WAS BREWING IN MY MIND.
SINCE I WAS A TEENAGER, I’VE HAD A KEEN INTEREST IN WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION, AND STUDIED ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AT UNIVERSITY. BUT WITH FEW JOBS AT THAT TIME IN THAT AREA, I WENT INTO A CAREER IN IT.
HOWEVER, AS I APPROACHED MY
50TH BIRTHDAY I DECIDED I WANTED TO CHALLENGE MYSELF TO TRY NEW THINGS,
AND MAKE IT A VERY POSITIVE MILESTONE. I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WORTHWHILE, BUT WHICH I WOULD ALSO ENJOY AND BENEFIT FROM.
ON THAT TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA, ALONG WITH TAKING SEVERAL AMAZING SAFARIS, I VISITED A CHEETAH SANCTUARY RUN BY VOLUNTEERS. IF THOSE PEOPLE COULD DEVOTE SOME OF THEIR TIME TO CARING FOR AND PROTECTING THESE WILD ANIMALS, THEN I WONDERED IF I COULD DO THE SAME BACK IN THE UK? WITH MY CHILDREN GROWN
UP, I HAD MORE TIME ON MY HANDS,
AND I DIDN’T WANT TO JUST FRITTER IT AWAY.
ALSO, MY HUSBAND AND I WERE PLANNING TO WINTER IN SOUTH AFRICA
WHEN WE RETIRED, AND IF I COULD BUILD UP MY EXPERIENCE VOLUNTEERING IN
THE UK THEN, I HOPED, I COULD CARRY
IT ON AT THIS SANCTUARY IN THE FUTURE. AS SOON AS I GOT HOME I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND DISCOVERED THAT MARWELL ZOO, WHICH IS PART OF MARWELL WILDLIFE, A LEADING CONSERVATION CHARITY 30 MINUTES FROM MY HOME, HAD AN ESTABLISHED VOLUNTEERING PROGRAMME. I APPLIED ONLINE AND A FEW WEEKS LATER HAD AN INTERVIEW, AT THE END OF WHICH I WAS ACCEPTED AS A VOLUNTEER.
I WAS THRILLED, AND MY HUSBAND
AND DAUGHTERS WERE SO PROUD I WAS PREPARED TO GIVE UP SOME OF MY TIME TO HELP AT THE ZOO.
FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS, I’VE TYPICALLY VOLUNTEERED TWICE A MONTH DURING THE ZOO’S BUSIEST TIMES – THE SCHOOL SUMMER HOLIDAYS, AND IN MAY AND OCTOBER – FOR A FULL DAY.
AND WHEN I’VE NEEDED TIME AWAY
FROM VOLUNTEERING BECAUSE OF WORK COMMITMENTS, THAT’S BEEN FINE. THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF VOLUNTEERING – YOU CAN BE FLEXIBLE AND MARWELL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN GRATEFUL FOR WHATEVER TIME I,
AND THEIR OTHER VOLUNTEERS, CAN GIVE.
MY ROLE IS VERY VARIED – I CAN BE RUNNING THE INFORMATION KIOSK, WALKING AROUND THE PARK SPEAKING TO VISITORS AND ANSWERING QUERIES, OR MANNING AN EDUCATIONAL STAND.
EDUCATING VISITORS, AND PASSING ON MY OWN ENTHUSIASM FOR CONSERVATION, ESPECIALLY TO CHILDREN, IS VERY SATISFYING. AND I ALWAYS LEAVE ON A HIGH, ENERGISED FROM A DAY OF SPEAKING WITH PEOPLE AND OF COURSE, GETTING TO SEE SUCH BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS UP CLOSE. MY FAVOURITES ARE THE SNOW LEOPARDS, GIRAFFES AND, OF COURSE,
THE CHEETAHS.
I WORK ALONGSIDE VOLUNTEERS OF ALL AGES, FROM STUDENTS TO RETIRED PEOPLE. IT’S VERY INCLUSIVE AND I LOVE FEELING PART OF A COMMUNITY THAT IS REALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO THE PLANET.
I’M GETTING VALUABLE EXPERIENCE THROUGH MY ROLE, WHICH WILL BENEFIT ME WHEN WE SPEND TIME IN SOUTH AFRICA IN THE FUTURE, SO FEEL I’M GAINING AS MUCH AS I’M GIVING BACK.
WANT TO KNOW MORE? THERE ARE 47 WILDLIFE TRUSTS WHO WELCOME VOLUNTEERS, SEE WILDLIFETRUSTS.ORG