Flip Stander

Earlier this evening I watched an awesome documentary on the BBC's Natural World. It dealt with the conservation/reintroduction of the desert lion in the Namib Desert. The photography was magnificent and I am always biased toward programs narrated by David Attenborough. But what I found most fascinating is an incredible man called Flip Stander.

Flip has a thick blond beard - perhaps a mane would be a better description - and skin that has been turned to leather by the sun. He tracks, studies and fights for the survival of desert lion in an old beat up Toyota Land Cruiser. Flip wears worn out t-shirts and rugby shorts. No shoes. There is no designer adventure wear (think North Face) in sight. Flip smokes Peter Stuyvesant cigarettes and spends his days doing what he loves under a big sky.

I remember thinking that I envy Flip.