BUCKiT® #16-Thandiwe Mweetwa: Big Cat Protector, Zambian Wildlife Biologist

Racing through the bush in a four wheel drive, a young wildlife biologist is on an urgent mission to track down a lion that has been caught in a poachers snare. It threatens to suffocate the cat if she doesn’t get there in time. It’s a daily battle for this young Zambian conservationist who has made it her life mission to save these large carnivores from extinction. Thandiwe Mweetwa was only 12 years old when after the loss of both her parents she moved from a small town in southern Zambia to a rural area up north, to live with her uncle in her mother’s home village, Mfuwe. Unknowingly at the time, this painful transition gave way to a new passion and future career. Thandiwe’s introduction to the wildlife previously only seen on TV or heard about in stories from her mother awakened something deep inside. The move would forever change her life and allow her to find her calling... becoming a senior wildlife biologist with the Zambian Carnivore Program. Her mission -- to ensure the survival of the big cats for generations to come.