Dreams of Africa by Tim L. Tetzlaff, Director of Conservation, Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens

“To witness that calm rhythm of life revives our worn souls and recaptures a feeling of belonging to the natural world. No one can return from the Serengeti unchanged, for tawny lions will forever prowl our memory and great herds throng our imaginations.”
~George Schaller, Pioneering Conservationist

Imagine holding a small chunk of concrete in your hand. You’re asked for words you associate with it: Rough. Gray. Building material. Then you’re told where it came from: the Berlin Wall. In a moment, the ordinary becomes historic and a flood of emotional adjectives and memories fill your mind. Context is key to real understanding.

A black rhino in Ngorongoro Crater born in 1975.

Now imagine being in Africa. You see a rhino. You’re on safari, so you expect to see a rhino. That’s one of the reasons you go. They’re magnificent creatures. Likewise, concrete is an extraordinary building material. But that context is crucial. That rhino you’re watching is in Tanzania. Fifty years ago, there were over 10,000 rhinos there. By the 1990s, their population had been poached down to a few dozen. Now in recovery, this rhino is just one of just over two hundred in the country.

That’s a different feeling. But then you find out this particular rhino was born in 1975. You’re looking at one of the few that survived that slaughter to still be standing today. That’s a real moment in life and a story to tell, especially when you get to have lunch with one of the rhino rangers that protects these animals. It’s a sobering moment as you recall the memorial you saw the day before engraved with the names of the rangers who have lost their lives ensuring rhinos survive into the future – not yet updated with the ranger who you are told was killed a few months before.

Growing up the son of Naples Zoo’s founders, my life has been filled with sharing the wonders and realities of wildlife like these. I loved growing up walking these historic gardens and caring for the animals here. Yet our conservation mission is not limited to this historic garden. There is something profound about setting your feet in the wild places of Africa. It’s also part of a pact I have with my colleagues in Africa: to bring people who will be similarly inspired to ensure those wonders will persist for future generations. Of course, we’ll stay at some luxurious tent camps and lodges along the way.

If you’d like to be part of this legacy, you can join me and an esteemed wildlife colleague co-host as we introduce you to long-term conservation partners and transform a “concrete” experience into something nearly magical. It’s the rare occasion where the reality is better than the dream.

From my widest grins to quiet tears, I am awed by the gift of these lands and look forward to sharing them with you. Explore our two custom 2024 itineraries at www.napleszoo.org/travel