Cycling for rhinos
Former Edenvale resident, and Edenvale High School pupil, Mr Tim Vuyk has pledged to cycle 10 kilometres for each rhino poached last year.
To bring awareness to the plight of South Africa’s rhinos, former Edenvale resident, and Edenvale High School pupil, Mr Tim Vuyk has pledged to cycle 10 kilometres for each rhino poached last year.
1 004 rhinos were poached in South Africa in 2013.
That is a staggering 10 040 kilometres.
“From a young age I have had a love for nature and wildlife. I received my first bird book as a gift at the age of 12 and from then on there was almost no looking back. I grew up in Johannesburg and my school holidays and weekends were spent in nature reserves or simply at the park,” said Mr Vuyk.
He moved to Kwa-Zulu Natal at the age of 18 and it was there that he started developing his love for and understanding of nature.
“Natal is well known for its nature reserves and pristine beaches. Most weekends were spent taking friends and family out on excursions and just explaining what I was seeing,” said Mr Vuyk.
It was on one such weekend that a friend asked Mr Vuyk why he did not pursue a career in the wildlife industry.
“I said it was too difficult and would never make it but my friend handed me a newspaper clipping from the classifieds. It was a simple advertisement “game rangers wanted, call this number” and as they say, the rest is history,” he said.
In 1997, after six weeks of training, Mr Vuyk was an inexperienced guide but a guide nonetheless.
He soon became head ranger for a reserve and was training new rangers.
“I was able to spend a lot of time with rhino. I am one of the lucky ones, I have spent countless hours observing these animals,” said Mr Vuyk.
“I owe it to every person out there who has never seen a rhino in the wild and I owe it to my one-year-old nephew who, given the current projections will never get the chance of seeing a rhino in the wild, to do my best,” he said.
“I am not naive enough to think that this cycle of mine will stop rhino poaching. What I hope for is that it gets people talking, thinking and acting,” said Mr Vuyk.
He started his cycle for rhinos in the small town of Hogsback in the Eastern Cape on July 1.
Most of the first two weeks was spent on gravel back-roads, passing through small towns.
He reached Bloemfontein around July 15.
After a few days’ rest in Bloemfontein, he headed north towards Johannesburg.
“Again, the majority of my travels were on gravel back-roads, through small towns and farming communities while passing through towns including Winburg and Ventersburg.
Mr Vuyk arrived in Pretoria in the first week of August.
On August 13, he arrived in Bela Bela.
After a short break Mr Vuyk set off again, heading towards Zimbabwe.
“Once I enter Zimbabwe, I will make my way north towards Matare, then Harare and then Victoria Falls, before I cross over into Botswana,” he said.
In Botswana he will pass through towns such as Kasane, Maun, and Ganzi as he heads to the Namibian border.
“I will then travel to the Namibian capital Windhoek, before I start making my way south towards the South African border and then Cape Town,” said Mr Vuyk.
From Cape Town, he will follow the garden route back to the start point in the Eastern Cape.
To find out how to donate towards Mr Vuyk’s cause, visit www.ten2onechallenge.co.za
