There are some people who inspire you simply by the way they choose to show up for the world. Karoline is one of those people.
At Love Our Trails, we’ve watched her use her love of trail running not for medals or personal glory, but to make a real difference for the wild places and wildlife she cares so deeply about. She reminds us that conservation isn’t just for scientists or environmental organisations—it belongs to all of us. Whether you hike, run, ride, climb, paddle or simply love spending time outdoors, we all have a role to play in protecting the places we love.
Her latest challenge is beautifully, and slightly ridiculously, Karoline. She’s taking on the PUFfer route three times to raise funds for Sage, a sea turtle being rehabilitated by the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation. It’s going to hurt, but if there’s one thing we know about Karoline, it’s that she’ll suffer with purpose.
We hope her story inspires you as much as it inspires us. If you’re able to support her journey, you’ll be helping protect one incredible turtle and the wild places that connect us all.
On the 21st August, I will be setting off from the Cape Point gate at around 4 am and heading along the PUFfer route to the Hamilton’s Rugby Club in Green point….I will then turn around and head back to the gate. When I get there I will turn around again and head back to the city. Essentially, I will be doing PUFfer three times.
WHY?
I have managed to raise the amount of R80k a few times before using Back-a-Buddy AND GivenGain platforms….once for the TOAF – 13 Peaks for the rehab of 13 Turtles; once doing back to back 13 peaks for the TOAF to purchase a tracking device for Bob the turtle (plastic ingestion survivor who was release after 7 years of rehab at the TOAF); 100 miles to raise funds to get William and Edger home (and for the project) and then Backyard Everesting (to clear Rooikrans off the slopes of Chapmans Peak). Somehow the figure of R80k has stuck as an achievable target….so let’s see if that is possible again!!
I asked Talitha Noble (Conservation Manager at the TOAF) what R80k would get Sage and she came up with the following shopping list:
R80 000 will cover much of Sage’s rehabilitation from admission through to release. This includes the four essential components of her care: nutrition, providing a varied diet of fresh, high-quality food; medical care, including veterinary assessments, blood tests, radiographs, CT scans, body cavity air drains, fluids, and ongoing monitoring; enrichment, encouraging natural behaviours such as diving, foraging and resting to prepare her for life back in the wild; and life support, maintaining the warm, clean seawater systems that are critical to her healing. It will also cover the cost of an acoustic tag, enabling us to track Sage after her release as part of a national research programme, contributing to our understanding of the movements and survival of rehabilitated sea turtles along South Africa’s coastline.
Inevitably there are dark moments with these runs, but having a fundraising element helps keep focused and helps sustain & motivate me out of the pain cave. Somehow when you have about 40 donors who have already backed you in the weeks preceding the event, you just CANNOT let them down! At the 140km mark of my 212km back-to-back, I was suffering chronic blisters and intense pain, but I realised that I could not let my donors down… as at that point, they had pledged up to R70k! How terrible would it be to not complete the challenge and have to go back to them all with your tail between your legs!!!!!??
An acoustic tag is just R15k, so if I only reach that amount, I will feel I have added value to her rehab and release journey. The turtle’s movement patterns will be monitored, which will provide insights into the species behaviour, feeding grounds and habitat utilisation. Tags also monitor turtle’s post-rehabilitation experiences, and this helps assess survival and integration into wild populations. Data collected is shared with researchers and contributes to a better understanding of their needs and vulnerabilities. Most importantly, data collected informs conservation strategies and management plans aimed at protecting these vulnerable animals.
I have been blessed to have had some incredible encounters with large leatherback females nesting up in northern KZN. After my very first encounter with one of these females (on a very polluted, yet remote beach), I remember feeling very impacted and motivated to make big changes to my behaviour at home and to also try and influence others to alter their dependence on plastic…
Turtles have become my spirit animal. I have two turtle tattoos (!) and may get another one before my PUFf3r challenge….they represent endurance, resilience, groundedness and wisdom…(I am perfecting the first two, and working on the last two!!!)
The risks faced by these ancient, incredible reptiles are ALL related to us as humans, and I feel that the very least I can do is suffer over a few days to raise funds for ONE animal….Sage is the poster child for entanglement and ghost fishing gear. I find it horrific that she was entangled in a 30 kg fishing net…..thank heavens she made it out alive.
Many don’t make it.
This suffering is invisible to us.
I need to suffer a little for her….
In the weeks leading up to the event, I will be exploring behaviours we can adopt on land to reduce the risks of entanglement in ghost fishing gear and sharing these in my networks. Of course we should just stop eating fish, but that is not practical for many. SO….we need to seek out sustainable fisheries and rethink the way we eat fish. Fish with a Story (ABALOBI) is fully traceable seafood harvested by small-scale fisher using low impact fishing methods. It is ethical, ecologically responsible and socially fair. Other practical shifts include the REFUSING of all single-use plastic and changing what we buy (packaging wise). It is of course not just turtles we are talking about….ALL marine wildlife is threatened by human-induced climate change, fishing gear, fishing methods, plastic pollution and bycatch.
