The call of the wild

The therapeutic relationship between nature and mental health is well documented and probably better understood by readers of this magazine than by most other mere mortals! This thought was on my mind during springtime, when it seemed as if the earth wanted to give us an extra spiritual lift, to help free us from the lockdown web that had entangled us for months. In the western parts of South Africa, the wildflowers were simply sublime. We streamed to Namaqualand and the West Coast in our thousands to witness the flowering of spider lilies, pincushions, daisies, bulbinellas and marigolds.

In other parts of the country, booking hotlines for national parks and provincial reserves overheated as people yearned to escape their homes in the cities.

And then the beautiful documentary My Octopus Teacher arrived on Netflix. It’s the story of the interaction between human and wild animal; the underwater relationship that develops between filmmaker Craig Foster and an octopus in a kelp forest off the coast of Cape Town. Every day for a year, Craig free-dives down to her den and witnesses the magic and hardship of her remarkable life. The experience changed him profoundly – physically and emotionally. The film has already been nominated for a raft of international awards and it alone is worthy of a Netflix subscription! Not all of us have access to a kelp forest on our doorstep or the ability to hold our breath like Craig Foster, but when the wilderness calls, we answer in other ways. Our readers answered the call, by helping us compile our Kgalagadi cover feature (p 30). Read their dramatic stories and see how this wild place has enriched their lives – and how it will enrich yours, too.