African Wildlife & Environment Issue 78

ECO HERO

Hans Janse van Rensburg (cousin from Trompsburg) - Petri came to visit on the farm and as young boys are wont to do, we went hunting. Barefoot and shirtless we set off, but only got as far as the farm dam. We had great fun sliding down the muddy wall into the water, and never saw a grouchy Blesbok watching us. By the time we had spotted that it was ready to go for us, it was too late to run away so we each scrambled to safety in a tree. And there we sat, because the Blesbok was patient. Whenever one of us would move, he was there. And there we sat until late into the night… My dad finally heard our calls for help and came to rescue us. My little aside … Not sure whether the hours and hours of observing the Blesbok that day were responsible for Petri becoming the passionate student of nature that he was! Chimène Lefebvre du Prey ( niece and godchild, Montpellier, France) - I want to remember you like the little girl in 'Le Lion' by Joseph Kessel:You being the eyes of Africa for me, teaching me how to love, respect and enjoy the beauties of this land and its wildlife. You taught me how to see, how to be curious, how to blend with nature better to observe it. I often dreamt of being like you, a protector and specialist of wildlife, having a privileged relationship with these spectacular animals. I will always remember you as a lion watching over your family, looking for adventures, being in total harmony with the African landscapes. You were the King of the savanna, and you’ll be remembered as such. As the song says: 'The lion sleeps tonight'. Tina Lefebvre du Prey (Sister-in-law,Verona, Italy) Tracks left in the dust Washed away in salty grief Soar high Deployed wings Charl Badenhorst (Stilbaai) - I met Petri in 1969 when we started as Science students at university.We became firm friends and did all our practicals together. He was a dedicated student and always did everything with passion and precision. One day he introduced me to his parents, and I was very impressed with photos he showed

as an attorney, Petri and I were speaking so passionately about game breeding and what was wrong with it that we did not notice when the judges had entered and we had to be silenced in Court! Dave Goodwin (White River) - Petri was an example to me of how to stay young and interesting and zestful. Denis Buxbaum (Johannesburg) - We read the story in the Beeld and it said how well respected and well-loved Petri was by everyone he ever worked with. Helena Malan (cousin from Trompsburg) - We were in about Grade six when Petri came to visit us on the farm one winter. Clothes used to be washed by hand in huge metal tubs, but Petri saw other possibilities! We fashioned a little boat to row across the dam … but the holes we had made for our seats did not augur well for the buoyancy of the tub, which ended up at the bottom of the dam. When Petri was around, our holidays were always fun-filled adventures.

Petri and Garth were looking for Blue Swallow nests and always the gadget man, he had affixed a GoPro and light on an extendable handle. Linked via a Wifi app, he could check on his phone whether there were nests in the sinkholes suspected of housing the Blue Swallows.

57 | African Wildlife & Environment | Issue 78 (2021)