Hi! My name is Tanja and first of all I want to say thank you for passing by on my blog Wildlife Travel.
I started this blog after my journey to South Africa where I observed many, many different animals. As after some time the people around me became a little bit tired of my enthusiasm for all these wonderful animals, I decided to share my wildlife adventures online hoping to connect with many other animal enthusiast.
Eventually, this blog was born.
Where does my enthusiasm for wildlife come from?
Well, this question is not possible for me to answer in one sentence. And I actually do not really know an exact starting point. I remember, as a child I loved to collect snails, worms or spiders. I put them into boxes and created my own zoo (but I was not that cruel – I left them free again afterwards). I was interested in them and I loved to observe them. I was curious.
In my childhood I was not aware of all those other animals in other countries on other continents. I grew up in a very small village on a farm in a region called Allgäu in South Germany. As my parents were farmers, we did not travel at all. However, as a child I was not sad about this. I was surrounded by amazingly beautiful landscapes. The Allgäu was (and of course still is!) a wonderful, peaceful and idyllic place to live. Many people spend their holidays in the Allgäu.
However, in my teenager years I started to watch nature documentaries and was amazed by all those animals elsewhere. Then I had itchy feet and wanted to leave.
I wished to see them all.
As I was more than far away from reaching my goal to see them at that moment, I decided to study biology.
I wanted to explore.
I wanted to be at the sea, on mountains or in the forest.
Anywhere in nature with many animals.
In part, I reached my goal to see many wild animals during my biology studies and even afterwards.
However, at the university I spent most of my time in the fields of genetics. Before studying biology, I never would have thought that DNA would be so fascinating. I was involved in studying edible dormice or rhesus macaques, but also historical topics. These years were very educational and important for me. Nevertheless, I left academia to look for another path for me. Still I wanted to be outside and explore many wild animals.
At the moment I live in the capital of Germany, in Berlin. For me it means living in an urban jungle. But Berlin is a very green city and at the moment I very appreciate all the possibilities I have here. However, as a nature enthusiast, I always have to find a way to get some rest of the city and find a quiet place without cars or people.
In the past I have changed quite frequently places. I even went abroad to Spain. I lived in the Northwest of Spain in Galicia and very enjoyed all the nature around Santiago de Compostela. Forests, hilly landscapes and the ocean close-by.
Nevertheless, as you probably know, our Earth is not in its best conditions.
Plastic pollution. Global warming. And the extinction of animal and plant species.
Just to name a few.
As much as I wish to travel the world, I’m also concerned about all that.
So, what are the aims of this blog?
Although I travel to see wildlife, this blog will not be only about my travels. It is also not about seeing one place or animal and heading to the next. I consider myself as a “slow traveler”. I want to explore. Dig into the nature of other places and learn. I will write about my encounters with wildlife – be it at home or on my travels. I want to give animals a voice through this blog.
More topics on this blog will be conservation, citizen science and photography.
Conservation
As there are so many animals which are currently endangered or at risk of extinction, conservation will be a topic here on this blog. For me it is important to minimize my ecological footprint as much as possible and I want to show ways how to encounter animals in a responsible way.
Citizen Science
I think that citizen science is a great way to connect people with nature. Therefore, you will frequently read here on this blog something about citizen science.
Photography
As I believe in the power of images, photography will be another topic on this blog. I do not have any professional education in photography, but I am learning continuously to improve my skills in photography. On this blog I want to share with you my experiences on my photographic journey.
I work very hard to build up this blog and I do my best to blog regularly.
Since I have started with my blog, I was asked by several people, who do not know me personally, how I could afford all my travels. Just to make it clear. I do not travel constantly. I have a full-time job. Sometimes I have more time. Sometimes less. However, my passion for animals drives me to continue putting lots of efforts into this website. Although I’m not a full-time blogger, I do my best to make people aware of all those wonderful animals around us.
Some are at risk of extinction or endangered, while others thrive. I want to give animals a voice – as mentioned above. Therefore, you will see not many pictures of myself here on this blog, but rather my thoughts and photographs of wonderful wildlife. I want them to be noticed. Especially those who are less known. Furthermore, as I’m a biologist, who learned to observe things objectively, for me it is very important to inform you as best as possible.
To come to an end here, I also have to admit that I’m still looking for the right path of this blog. Sometimes I also will question myself. Am I doing the right thing? What is the ecologically most correct way to live and travel? I do not point my finger at others and making them aware about what they are doing wrong. I’m rather figuring out for myself what I can improve in my daily life and the way I travel. I want to inspire you, but also learn from you. I mention this, as I know it is sometimes difficult to talk about conservation topics and changing habits.
One more thing I want to say here. I’m a German native speaker. I do my best to write in English. Please understand that there might be some vocabulary or grammar errors. Thanks for your understanding!
The best way to contact me is via email: info@wildlife-travel.com
But you can also use the contact form.
I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
