As he moves silently through the dense bush, Hardlife's trained eyes are constantly scanning around him. He’s keenly attuned to the sights and sounds of the 3000h of the Lower Mpushini Valley Conservancy, including the 665h Mpushini Protected Environment Biodiversity Stewardship Nature Reserve under the SA Biodiversity Stewardship Programme.

He is our Game Guard and serves as a deterrent against illegal hunters, poachers and other illegal activities in the nature reserve. Without Hardlife, our beautiful valley wouldn’t be home to a wide range of animals, birds and indigenous plants.

Hardlife came to LMVC with a background in wildlife conservation and a finely tuned instinct for tracking animals and, unfortunately, people. A fit and strong forty-something, his wife and four children live in the northern part of the country. Although he is far away from them, his young sons are looking at following in his footsteps in the conservation world.

Hardlife’s typical day starts early, donning his camouflage gear, checking his radio and other equipment. The quad bike takes him into a different zone each day, where he will typically park the quad deep in the brush to avoid detection. Then he stands perfectly still to listen. He is so acutely tuned in, he hears sounds mere mortals completely miss. 

Surrounded by valley bushveld, Hardlife begins his foot patrol, his eyes constantly scanning above and around him for tell-tale signs of intruders. To the untrained eye, the vegetation and surrounds meld together, dotting the waist-high grass with tall aloes, thorny acacias and towering euphorbia. But Hardlife sees an unnaturally bent twig, a slightly flattened bush or a human footprint on the trail that tell their own tales. Following clues, he slips into the bushes, searching and too often finding, snares and traps laid by illegal hunters and poachers. He carefully removes them, leaving no trace behind.

It’s not just the animals he protects. The LMVC is also home to many indigenous “muti” plants which are legally protected, but fall prey to illegal collectors. And he looks for evidence of other illegal activities in the nature reserve, often finding the rubbish left behind.

Recently, Hardlife played the leading role in apprehending four men in the process of illegal hunting. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the men were not charged and released, which has added to the dangers he faces. He has also recently dealt with some severe medical issues, feared to be associated with the apprehension. 

Hardlife is a huge part of the Conservancy and is one of the main reasons for our fundraising effort. We need him. We need his expertise, his passion and commitment to protecting the animals and the land.

Please help us support Hardlife, our amazing Game Guard on patrol by clicking on any of the secure DONATE buttons on the site.