MP Shares How Kruger National Park Shaped His Life at 100

A South African member of Parliament is celebrating Kruger National Park's upcoming 100th anniversary with a deeply personal story about how the reserve shaped his entire career path.

Andrew de Blocq grew up making the epic drive from Cape Town to Kruger, squeezed between cooler boxes in a cherry-red Toyota Venture with his siblings. His parents invented a brilliant system to keep the kids engaged: spot animals, earn Jelly Tots and Smarties at day's end.

First impala sighting? One Jelly Tot. A big cat? Ten candies. The rewards turned young Andrew into a keen observer with what he calls "bush eyes," scanning the landscape for wildlife instead of complaining about boredom.

Those sugar-fueled safaris did more than pass time. They planted something deeper: an appreciation for nature's intrinsic value that would guide his entire life.

The pivotal moment came in 2013 when Andrew was studying biology at the University of Cape Town. He joined a research project tracking Martial eagles in Kruger, helping scientists GPS-tag the birds to study their territories.

After days of waiting, they finally trapped a male eagle. Andrew held the massive bird against his chest, carefully restraining its powerful talons.

The eagle looked over its shoulder and made eye contact. Andrew saw not fear, but seething anger, as if the bird were asking how a mere human dared to constrain the lord of the skies.

Why This Inspires

That moment with Africa's largest eagle in the continent's premier reserve cemented Andrew's commitment to environmental work. The encounter transformed a childhood dream of becoming a "game ranger" into a real career dedicated to conservation.

His story arrives as Kruger faces serious challenges after devastating floods earlier this year. But it also reminds us why places like Kruger matter beyond tourism dollars or economic impact.

Andrew still visits Kruger at least once a year, taking what he calls a "deep and deliberate, chest-swelling breath of Kruger air" every time he drives through the gates. He knows countless others share that feeling of coming home.

The park creates these connections across generations, turning children into lifelong advocates who carry conservation values into careers, politics, and daily life. Those Jelly Tot rewards sparked something that still drives environmental policy today.

As Kruger celebrates a century of conservation, Andrew's journey shows its greatest achievement: creating people who will protect wild places for the next hundred years.