Recorded over breakfast in the stunning surroundings of Royal Thabane Lodge, South Africa, Episode 23 marks a first for the Rigby Campfire Podcast. Danielle McDonald joins Managing Director Marc Newton as our first female guest, bringing insight, perspective and experience from the heart of modern African conservation and safari life.

In this conversation, Danielle explains how fenced preserves, under private custodianship, have evolved into thriving ecosystems through careful land management, rewilding initiatives and responsible, sustainable hunting. She discusses the remarkable growth of game populations across South Africa and what this resurgence means for wildlife, habitat and rural communities.

The discussion also turns personal. Danielle shares the story of how she and her husband met, offering a glimpse into the life behind the safari operation. Marc asks for her perspective on the hunting industry as a woman working within it, and together they explore the traditional roles within a hunt, and how they continue to evolve in the modern world.

This episode lifts the lid on the people behind the safaris - those for whom hunting is not simply a pursuit, but a way of life.