I was born in Etosha National Park in Namibia. My father is a former park ranger, and as far back as I can remember, I accompanied him when he helped injured marine animals on the beach. I feel responsible for their welfare.
In 2015, our daughter, Nina, was diagnosed with a rare paediatric cancer and underwent 15 months of intense chemo and radiotherapy. Fortunately, she recovered. At the time, my wife Katja and I owned a kayaking company at Pelican Point, but Nina reminded us that life is short, which encouraged us to take seal rescue more seriously.
With fellow wildlife protection activists Alva, Antoine and Roman, crewmen on the MY Ocean Warrior, which the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society owns and operates, I ran a campaign to disentangle as many…