Passionate conservationist and wildlife consultant, Grant Fowlds has spent most of his life rehabilitating, protecting and preserving African wildlife and their habitats. He is also the author of two books – Saving the Last Rhino and Rewilding Africa.
This World Wildlife Day, on 3 March, Palm Lakes resident Grant will address members of the renowned Explorer’s Club in New York City. His talk will centre around the changing face of conservation through rhino dehorning and climate change.
“It starts with the small things,” says Grant, sipping his cappuccino at a quiet coffee shop where we’ve chosen to meet. “Nature is a part of everyone’s every day life … and everything is connected. Standing up for conservation has never been more important and it all starts with education,” he says, knowingly.
Grant grew up in the Eastern Cape where his family and their neighbours formed the now famous Amakhala Game Reserve. He is the director of the KZN-based non-profit organisation, Project Rhino, and is the ambassador and manager of Rhino Art, an education initiative started by African explorer Kingsley Holgate in Mozambique 10 years ago.
Grant’s career has evolved significantly over the years, from his early entrepreneurial beginnings as a goat farmer in the Eastern Cape, to range expansion (or rewilding), fundraising and youth education. His two books, the 2018 bestseller Saving the Last Rhino and, more recently, Rewilding Africa, are both available on Amazon and in local bookstores.
Both books, as well as much of his life, have been dedicated to conservation and making a difference. It is a passion born from his deep love for wildlife, nature and Africa.
“I was a real farm boy growing up, spending most of my days with my Xhosa friends, foraging for berries, hunting birds and sleeping under the stars. Having always had a natural ability to work with animals, my grandfather gave me six goats when I was a young boy, which I bred and eventually grew to 1 500 goats,” says Grant, who also has a natural affinity for languages and can now speak about nine, including fluent Xhosa and isiZulu.
He is married to Angela, a teacher from a well-known North Coast farming family. Grant ended up leaving his family farm to join his wife’s father farming in Kearsney. He and Angela now have three adult daughters.
Around the same time, his brother, Dr William Fowlds, (who went on to become a world-renowned conservation vet) was living in London, dreaming about what they could do with their family farm.
Things weren’t going well in the Eastern Cape, mostly due to declining margins and sheep theft. After some convincing, Grant, William and the family managed to get their neighbours to join them and form Amakhala Game Reserve.
“We rewilded the reserve one camp at a time, slowly introducing animals. Our constitution was written and signed and we introduced our first rhino (a pregnant rhino we bought from Phinda) in 2000 and our first elephant in 2003.”
In 2011, Grant’s brother came across a badly mutilated rhino and decided the world needed to see it. It ended up being a segment on Carte Blanche and William became the first vet to operate on a mutilated rhino that survived.
As a founder of Amakhala, Grant had a particular love for rhinos and was deeply disturbed by the poaching crisis. When he and Angela left the family farm because of safety concerns, he moved to the North Coast and joined forces with his friend Holgate, becoming actively involved in the Rhino Art initiative (which saw them educating children about rhino poaching) and Project Rhino.
The idea of Grant’s first book, Saving the Last Rhino, was sparked while he was working as a wildlife mercenary in the DRC.
“I thought if I was going to make a difference with conservation, I should do it with the most iconic and endangered species – the rhino.”
Inspired by Lawrence Anthony’s books – The Last Rhinos and The Elephant Whisperer – both of which were penned by writer Graham Spence, Grant approached Graham to co-write his book with him, which he did.
A few years later, he co-wrote Grant’s second book, Rewilding Africa, which focuses on his experiences with and passion for habitat rehabilitation and bringing animals back after having been decimated by decades of war in areas such as Angola, Mozambique and the DRC.
“Stopping wildlife crime is about looking after our natural environment, no matter how big or small. Biodiversity incorporates every living creature and we are all connected. We all breathe the same air and we have to pass the baton on to our children. Every day that we stand up and work for conservation, we are winning the war.”
Details: Both books are available at bookstores and online, www.grantfowlds.com, @grantfowlds
Text: Leah Shone
Rhino photograph: Lesley Weaver
