We live in interesting times. Who would have thought that we would be writing off 2020 as the year we didn't do anything?

Well, not traveling aside, there are so many things that are happening right now, that when we do eventually come out of this forced hibernation will be a shock to us. Nature has put us in this situation, but as we all know, nature continues whether we are here or not. Sadly, so do the criminals. Like a fetid virus, criminals will still go into the bush and kill the animals we hope to see when we come out of the lock downs.

So our battle will continue from the safety of our own homes to save the animals that are at risk. But, have you thought about the situation for the charities that rely on our visits to keep them going. The charities that need the money that we don't have because of the lock down?

We are not only at the brink of losing many iconic species in our lifetimes, but also the charities that have the passion to care for and fight for these species. The charities that perform valuable research into understanding the ecosystems, fixing environments, brokering peace with local communities, and educating future generations.

Take a charity I support. AfriCat not only works on research projects to better understand the animals, but fund the building of local schools to give a better level of education to the next generation. AfriCat's sister charity Namibian Lion Trust has been building a school in Northern Namibia, near Etosha National Park. In the framing conservancies where the children will grow up to inherit the farms their parents have. If their education works well, they will have an amazing appreciation of how they fit in with the wildlife of Namibia, and how it brings hard currency into the regions where they live.

But what happens if you take away the charities? The governments have so much to tackle right now, they cannot deal with everything and the long term game is not the focus right now.