“True success is about a passion to create a better world, live a life that you can look back on and be truly proud of.”
This quote by Dr Ola Orekunrin, a medical doctor, helicopter pilot and founder of Flying Doctors Nigeria (West Africa’s first Air Ambulance Service) is something that *Monica, a member of the Table Mountain National Park’s (TMNP) Sea, Air and Mountain (SEAM) special operations ranger team, can identify with.
Well, except for the helicopter bit.
“That is possibly the least favourite part of my job, flying around in a helicopter. But it is something that we have to do. In the movies, they always make it look so exciting, but it is something that your body either accepts or doesn’t. I hope that one day mine will and I am wishing that day comes soon,” she jokes.
Helicopter rides aside, Monica says she loves every aspect of being a ranger and with her passion for nature, she says she was never going to be anything else.
“I always say it is not a job for me, it is who I am. If you take me away from the outdoors, I won’t be me.”
She ascribes her zeal for nature conservation to her parents. Having grown up in the Cape Flats, she says there wasn’t much greenery around but her parents made a point of exposing her to Cape Town’s natural attractions, especially the ocean. She says these experiences moulded her views on sustainability, climate change and how important it is to protect the environment.
“If we don’t conserve now, we will have nothing left in the future. It is part of human nature, to take ownership of things, to want to make them ours. For example, cutting flowers because they are pretty; Arum lilies being sold on the streets. But by removing them from the field, we are taking away their beauty.”
Her fervour for nature conservation has stood Monica in good stead in her career. Considering that less than 11% of the global wildlife ranger workforce are female, the term “a traditionally male role” is rarely more on the nose than when it comes to talking about rangers and the high-risk environment they work in.
Monica, however, never let preconceived ideas of what women can or can’t do stand in her way.
As part of her nature conservation studies through Unisa, she did her practical experience at TMNP in 2014. Upon completion of her studies, South African National Parks (SANParks) offered her a contract job as an environmental monitor. Recognising her commitment, SANParks made Monica part of their permanent ranger workforce in 2016, with her main duties being overseeing the clearing of alien vegetation, footpath maintenance, and terrestrial law enforcement.
Five years later, an opportunity came along to which Monica said “hell, yes”.
Described as the first of its kind in South Africa, SANParks last year announced it would be starting a programme focused on training and assembling specialised teams for protected areas. A call went out for volunteers from the ranger corps to participate in the pre-selection, selection and training.
“Everyone had the chance to volunteer but there were certain criteria that you had to have. They emphasised that the team would be active on sea, on land, and in the air. Each section has its own dangers. That is why they made it so strict. We needed to be not only physically but also mentally prepared for what we were going to be exposed to.”
Ticking the dog handling training box on the application form, Monica was among the first to step forward.
“I am the shortest on the team. They could have wondered, can she handle a dog, can she do law enforcement? But the area managers knew of my work ethic. When I requested to be a dog handler, they came to me and said we want you.”
What followed was three months of dog handling, firearm and tactical training. Monica says it was the most physically demanding experience of her life. “It was very similar to being trained as a soldier.”
Demanding or not, she proved she was up for the challenge. At the 18-strong SEAM team’s passing-out parade held at the Newlands Fire Base in December last year (“SEAM team rolls out”, People’s Post, 7 December 2021), she earned the best dog handler award. However, Monica is quick to point out that it is a joint award.
“It was not due to anything I had done on my own, rather it was my relationship and bond that I had with my dog.”
She says they connected so well because she and her dog, a female Dutch Shephard, share the same temperament.
“She can be so loving and affectionate but, then again, when she works, she works. I think we are exactly the same.”
Today with years of experience behind her, no one can question Monica’s place in this male-dominated field. But she says it was hard in the beginning.
“When I was a student there was that aspect of ‘stay behind us, it’s too dangerous’. But I was like, no, just give me a chance. As women, that is all we want. A chance to show what we are capable of. And once you show you have that braveness, that you can perform that task, then it is about what you bring to the team. Being a woman falls away.”
To the girls who want to be in the nature conservation field, Monica says the onus is also on them to put themselves out there.
“Once that door cracks open, show them what you can do. Don’t be scared. Try. Climb that rock. Take every opportunity to show them what you are capable of.”
- The dog handler’s name was changed to protect her identity.
