From elite special operations soldier and Iraq War veteran to one of Africa's most respected voices in wildlife conservation, Damien Mander's story is not what you'd expect, and that's exactly what makes it worth hearing. Damien spent a decade in Australia's special operations units, including clearance diver selection, sniper training, and three years on active deployment in Iraq. When he left the military, the mission disappeared and so did his identity. What followed was a spiral, and eventually a rumour in a bar about going to Africa to protect animals. He went looking for a fight. What he found changed everything. In this episode we cover the full arc of Damien's journey, from the mindset forged in military selection through to the realities of anti-poaching operations on the ground in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and across Southern Africa. We get into the true scale of illegal wildlife trafficking, one of the world's largest criminal industries, and how elephant ivory and rhino horn make wild animals walking targets for transnational organised crime networks. We talk about the moment that made it personal. A Cape buffalo trapped in a wire snare, euthanised, giving birth to a stillborn calf, and the decision it triggered. Sell everything, commit fully, figure it out from there. We also dig into Akashinga, the groundbreaking all-female anti-poaching unit Damien founded in Zimbabwe, and the Abundant Village model of community-led conservation, linking biodiversity outcomes to jobs, healthcare, education and trust across nearly 10 million acres in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania. Connect With Damien & Abundant Village: https://abundantvillage.world/ https://www.akashinga.org/ Instagram: @abundant_village.mm | @damien_mander YouTube: @AbundantVillage | @WeAreAkashinga Donate: abundantvillage.world/donate Watch: Akashinga: The Brave Ones | National Geographic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUYQS40I9mw Credits: Guest - Damien Mander. Founder of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF), Creator of Akashinga, Co-founder of Abundant Village, Former Special Operations Soldier & Conservation Advocate Host, Producer and Editor - Chris Baron Music - Guilherme Bernardes William, Music_Unlimited and Saavane Sounds effects - Pixabay and FreeSound Podcast Access - https://pods.link/noordinarymonday KEYWORDS: Damien Mander, anti-poaching, wildlife conservation, Akashinga, IAPF, International Anti-Poaching Foundation, Abundant Village, Zimbabwe conservation, rhino poaching, elephant poaching, illegal wildlife trafficking, women rangers, community conservation, special forces soldier, Iraq War veteran, Australian military, navy clearance diver, wildlife ranger training, Kruger National Park, Southern Africa conservation, life purpose, military transition, conservation documentary, No Ordinary Monday podcast Send us Fan Mail SUPPORT US - NOM is a 100% independent show. Help us keep the lights on by buying us a coffee (or a beer) - https://buymeacoffee.com/noordinarymonday. We're deeply grateful for any level of support. SHOW SOME LOVE - click five-stars on whatever platform you're on, and leave us a review, or tell a friend about the show. WANT TO BE A GUEST? You can submit your own career story through our website at www.noordinarymonday.com, or email us at hello@noordinarymonday.com.
