In this episode, I'm talking with Marianne De Kock. Marianne along with her husband, Ruben, and their close friend, Martin Mthembu, founded and ran  African Field Ranger Training Services, or AFRTS. Together they developed the coursework and trained tens of thousands of rangers across Africa and beyond. AFRTS continues to operate as a program of the Southern African Wildlife College's Protected Area Integrity Department. Marianne served in the South African Military Defence Force, where she became a sharp shooter and participated in  National Key Point shooting competitions. In 2018, Marianne was recognized as a Rhino Conservation Supporter at the Rhino Conservation Awards. She also plays a major role in our documentary film, RHINO MAN.

In this conversation, we talk about Marianne's path into the military and how the training she received prepared her for her future work as a ranger trainer. We go into how she and Ruben met, and the leap of faith they took in starting AFRTS. She tells many stories of the early days, of the bonds she had with Martin Mthembu and Anton Mzimba, and the passion she has for the frontline of conservation, our rangers.  This was such a lovely episode, and Marianne's life of dedication to a bigger purpose shines through.

Subscribe, Like, and Review The Rhino Man Podcast on #Spotify, #ApplePodcasts, and #YouTube today!

Listen here: rhinomanthemovie.org/podcast/

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CREDITS
Produced by @theglobalconservationcorps
Music by @simon.wilson.music
Edited by @karaborej
Host @johnjurko

Thank you for listening to The Rhino Man Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode and you're excited to see the film succeed, please subscribe and review our podcast on #Spotify and #iTunes. Then follow us on Instagram and Facebook @rhinomanthemovie. More details about Rhino Man, the social impact campaign, and future screenings are at rhinomanthemovie.org.

To learn more about the Global Conservation Corps and their work visit globalconservationcorps.org, sign up for the newsletter, and follow GCC on all of the social platforms.

If you liked this podcast, make sure to subscribe to and catch up on GCC's Voices of Nature Podcast, where Bob Ludke interviews a wide range of people who have dedicated their lives to making a difference in conservation.

A special thanks goes out to Simón Wilson for the music for this podcast. He is the brilliant composer for Rhino Man the movie. Learn more about his work at simonwilsonmusic.com.

Ep 48: Marianne De Kock - A life dedicated to training the next generation of rangers.

A conservation podcast hosted by filmmaker John Jurko II about rangers, rhinos, and what we can do to stop the poaching crisis. Recorded in support of the Global Conservation Corps' feature-length documentary, RHINO MAN. A film about the courageous field rangers who risk their lives every day to protect South Africa's rhinos from being poached to extinction.

New tracks tagged #AFRTS