WILDLIFE VOLUNTEERING: THE RED FLAGS MOST PEOPLE MISS
Get the free guide
From Boardroom to Bush: Why Joan Still Supports Conservation Today
In 2024, Joan Colletta joined African Conservation Experience (ACE) for two unforgettable weeks in South Africa, making her dream come true by joining two incredible projects - Golola Rhino Orphanage and Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience. The experiences Joan had in Africa have touched her life deeply, and since returning to Chicago, she has been a non-stop supporter and advocate of the work being done to save some of the most endangered species. She has donated funds to purchase a K9 attack suit for the anti-poaching team at Vikela, championed the projects through her own networks and marketing expertise, and, following a recent appearance on one of America's most widely listened-to animal-focused radio programmes, her story has now reached thousands of listeners across the United States.
From the boardroom to the bush
Joan Colletta is the founder of The Creative Conservancy and a former senior director of Global Brand at McDonald's. But alongside her professional life, Joan has spent years pursuing what she calls her "animal quest": a personal commitment to spending meaningful time with wildlife in the wild, not just passing through as a tourist.
After many years of working, Joan finally had the time to make a dream come true by taking what she describes as an "animal sabbatical" - travelling to the front lines of conservation in Africa to support the people who are making a real difference for wildlife. This desire to help led her to join ACE in South Africa, making her dream come true by volunteering at two exceptional projects.
A baby rhino at Golola Rhino Orphanage and Rehabilitation Centre
Into the field
Joan spent her time with ACE learning about and participating in the conservation of some of Africa's most vulnerable wildlife. Her first week was spent at Golola Rhino Orphanage and Rehabilitation Centre, which was established to care for orphaned and injured rhinos as a direct result of the poaching crisis. Joan helped care for baby rhinos around the clock, and was always there to help, no matter the time, night or day.
Joan said that one of the most moving parts about her experience was simply spending time with the animals themselves. Speaking on air, she described the rhinos with a warmth that will surprise anyone who has never encountered them up close.
The white rhinos form friendship groups. They have very distinct personalities. They have their friends, and I don't think most people know that.
The goal of the orphanage is to successfully rewild these orphans: returning healthy rhinos to their natural habitat. Once back in the wild, the rhinos still need protection, and that is where the second half of Joan's time with ACE came in.
At our Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience, Joan was based in a private area of the Greater Kruger National Park (GKNP). The GKNP is home to the single largest population of Southern White Rhinos in Africa, and as a result of this, it is also a focus of poachers. Here, Joan had the rare opportunity to find and follow rhinos on foot, monitoring these magnificent animals in their natural habitat. She was particularly struck by the remarkable collaboration between the project leader, who is not only an experienced anti-poaching expert and conservationist but also a master tracker, and his highly trained K9. She was in awe of how this partnership between man and dog is helping to save rhinos!
Why rhino conservation in South Africa matters
During the interview, Joan shared insight into the shocking realities of how rhino populations across Africa and Asia have been devastated by poaching, with several species now critically endangered.
The driving force behind the crisis is the belief that rhino horn holds medicinal properties. However, this is highly disputed as rhino horn is made entirely of keratin - the same material as human hair and fingernails. Despite this, this belief has given rhino horn a distorted value.
A guide and his anti-poaching dog, at our Vikela Kruger Conservation Experience
K9s: Conservation's unsung heroes
One of the most striking parts of Joan's experience was witnessing firsthand the work of the K9s in combatting poachers. These highly trained dogs fall into several specialist categories, each playing a distinct role in the fight against poaching. Scent dogs, which are typically hounds, are selected for their exceptional ability to follow a trail. They are deployed to track poachers through the bush long after they have passed through an area, or to locate a wounded rhino. Attack dogs, exclusively Belgian Malinois and shepherds, are used to actively pursue poachers with the intention of making an apprehension. The third category are trained specifically to detect weapons - identifying bullets, bullet casings and rhino horn, whether at the scene of a poaching incident or at roadblocks and entrance gates where horn may be concealed. Together, these animals are incredibly effective at navigating difficult terrain and dense bush, even at night, making them invaluable partners to the anti-poaching rangers they work alongside.
During her time at Vikela, Joan witnessed a K9 demonstration and gained a first-hand understanding of how the dogs are trained and deployed. Directed by their handlers, the K9s are trained to locate evidence at the scene, such as a bullet casing, indicating their find by lying down beside it and holding their position until law enforcement arrives to collect it for use in prosecution.
Joan spoke with particular admiration about the anti-poaching K9 she got to know during her time at Vikela. Despite the demands of her working life, at home, Letta was simply a happy, devoted companion. "You would never know," Joan said. "She was out there doing her thing with the other heroes."
Heard across America: Steve Dale's Other World on WGN Radio
The platform Joan shared her story on is worth noting. Steve Dale is a Certified Animal Behaviour Consultant and one of the most prominent wildlife and pet radio journalists in the United States. His programmes have been syndicated across more than 100 radio stations nationwide, and he has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Animal Planet and the BBC. His show, Steve Dale's Other World, airs on WGN Radio - one of Chicago's top stations by listenership.
Speaking on the show, Joan shared a detailed, first-hand account of the rhino conservation crisis and her own time in the field. We're grateful to Steve Dale for inviting Joan onto the show and helping share the realities of rhino conservation with such a wide audience.
You can listen to the full interview here: Rhino Conservation with Joan Colletta - Steve Dale's Other World.
When Steve asked Joan whether she would go back, she immediately said, "All I do is think about going back.” This is a feeling that will be familiar to anyone who has spent meaningful time in Africa. The work is real, the challenges are real, and the impact on both the wildlife and the people who join us is lasting.
Ready to volunteer in Africa?
Now you've finished reading, if you're planning a trip to contribute to wildlife conservation in Africa, we are the original and most experienced company providing volunteers with impactful and unforgettable experiences.