Connie is a UK-born conservationist and content creator now based in Central Vietnam – also one of Next Continent’s dearest friends. We’ve had the opportunities to support Connie in meaningful documentary projects like For the Love of Monkeys and, most recently, Queen of the Primates. Her work shines with a decade’s worth of experience, dedication, and passion for advocating ethical wildlife practices.

Today, we’re delighted to sit down with Connie for a thoughtful conversation. Through her journey, we hope you’ll catch a glimpse into the world of conservation and wildlife ethics, as well as the challenges and opportunities that come with it. We believe her story will be especially inspiring for young readers who may be considering this career path themselves.

So without further ado – welcome, Connie!

Connie, to begin with could you introduce yourself and share a little about your journey with wildlife care and ethics?

Of course! I am a wildlife educator and storyteller – which really are both titles I just made up for myself to try and explain my work!!

I first started being interested in wildlife when I was a child on a trip to Kenya with my mum. It was the first time I had ever seen an African elephant in the wild and as soon as I made eye contact with a large bull, I fell in love. But at that stage the only wildlife related careers I knew about were vet med or zoo-keeping, neither of which appealed to me.

But when I was 19 I was really unhappy with my current path in life and I was still feeling so drawn to being around animals. So, I dropped out of university and used all my savings to travel to South Africa and volunteer on an African Elephant Research Unit. Once I started getting involved in the world of conservation there was no going back!

That was around 10 years ago and in that time I’ve returned to university to get two undergraduate degrees (philosophy, and psychology specialised in animal behaviour), volunteered on wildlife sanctuaries in the UK and across Southern Africa, carried out independent research projects on primates, worked on a primate sanctuary in South Africa, travelled southern and Eastern Africa visiting conservation sites and learning about their work, and completed a masters degree in Anthrozoology (the study of human wildlife relationships).

Along the way I started sharing everything I learnt and experienced through social media, and that grew and developed into my career today. I use social media to make education about wildlife and conservation as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. It’s not about scientific publications or complicated language – it’s about inviting everyone in to the conversation so more and more people can fall in love with wildlife and learn how to engage with them ethically. Recently, this evolved into me experimenting with more long-form documentaries about the role tourists in particular play in supporting conservation and protecting wildlife.

In your view, what does “wildlife care and ethics” really mean? If you were explaining it to someone who has never thought about it before, what’s the one most important thing they should understand?

It’s about recognising animals as individuals that exist with their own needs, desires, and freedoms – not as beings that exist for our entertainment or enjoyment. This means that their care is about advocating for their needs, and prioritising those over what we humans want or expect for them.

To give an example – The primate pet trade is something that is still very prominent all around the world – lots of people want a pet monkey! But, monkeys are not domesticated. They have social needs, complicated diets, and natural behaviours that just aren’t suitable for living in a house or in a cage. So when we take one in as a pet (even if we do it because we love monkeys and want to look after one) we are prioritising our needs and desires above theirs and they often end up suffering greatly because of it. Which just isn’t fair. A much more fair and loving way to show kindness to a monkey is to let them be wild, stay with their family, and appreciating them for exactly what they are. WILD animals.

Wildlife care and ethics is about putting aside what we as humans want an animal to be, and accepting them for exactly what they are.

Tell us about project.wild. It’s all about breaking down barriers to conservation—what inspired you to create it, and what makes it different?

project.wild is the name for my business, which is still very new but growing every day!

Like I said, when I was young the only ways I knew to work with wildlife was though vets or zoos. And a huge part of that was because the conservation industry seemed completely out of reach. It was hard for me to learn much about the work being done, or how to get involved. And that is something I wanted to change!

So, I decided to create project.wild. Combined with my social media accounts, this is a hub where people can learn about all things wildlife and conservation. Everything is explained simply – no scientific language or complicated terms. Just accessible, easy to access information about wildlife and how we, as humans, can be part of protecting them.

And that is what sets it aside really. We got to a point in the conservation industry where most knowledge was behind pay walls or only accessible to scientists, and that means we started to exclude the everyday person from conservation. There was this attitude that the only knowledge worth having was published in papers, which completely disregarded ancient indigenous knowledge and lived experiences. I could see how elite the conservation  industry was becoming and I didn’t know what to do about it, so I decided everything I learnt or knew I wanted to be accessible, for free. And that, I suppose, is my attempt to move away from the exclusive nature of conservation.

Over time, I’ve come to focus more on ethical wildlife tourism and helping every day people experience with wildlife rather than exclusively speaking to people who want to work with wildlife. Which I absolutely love! Because the conservation industry should be accessible to everyone, whether they want a career in it or not. Conservation is for all of us, not just some.

You’ve spent nearly a decade in the wildlife industry. Is there one story or experience from that time that has stayed with you the most?

Such a hard question! When you work with wildlife it becomes really hard to not fall in love with every individual you meet. They’re all so special and the people working with them are such incredible human beings. But if I had to answer there is one little monkey who I think about daily – so much so I have his face tattoo’d on my arm!

His name is Mini Max and he is one the orphan monkeys I cared for while at the Vervet Monkey Foundation. I met him when he was just a few days old and at the time I was overseeing all the orphan care and rehab on site. He was not only orphaned, but also came in with a serious leg injury, so was obviously in a lot of pain and had experienced a lot of trauma for such a small baby. Because of this, he was quite tricky to care for. He was cheeky, temperamental, and some people really didn’t enjoy their shifts with him!

But I felt differently. I had him with me in my cabin on his first night at the sanctuary when he was still coming out of sedation from having his leg treated and I remember so clearly his cries that night – how hurt and confused he felt. From then on I couldn’t blame him for anything. Any time he was difficult to manage I just remembered that none of this is his fault. That he didn’t deserve to lose his mum and feel so much pain at such a young age. And that is was humans who had led to this, so it was now our responsibility to pull him out of it.

He was in human care for months, getting stronger and stronger, before eventually he was healthy enough to be re-introduced to monkeys and he now lives in a troop with his own kind again! He even got a brand new monkey foster mum. I am so so proud of his journey and how strong and resilient he is. He reminds me daily to have compassion for others because we never know what they’ve been through. And he reminds me that when it comes to wildlife rehab, you know you’ve done your job right when the animal just doesn’t need you anymore. It’s about creating a future where they can thrive, not about keeping them with us forever (even if we sometimes want to).

Many people want to help wildlife but don’t know where to start. What small, everyday actions can individuals take that really make a difference?

The more you learn about wildlife, the more you realise how we humans live day-to-day impacts them! So living more mindfully and considering the impact of what we do or buy can make a difference.

For example, I choose to live vegan and have done for over 10 years. This is my way of respecting animals every day and demanding less habitat destruction in the name of animal agriculture. Other things such as avoiding products with palm oil wherever possible can massively help animals that are losing their homes to deforestation. Buying and using less plastic is also a huge one as single-use plastics often end up in rivers and oceans where wildlife eat or get tangled in them. In general, being conscious of what we buy and where it ends up when we’re done with it.

Volunteering is another great way to get involved. If you have any local nature or wildlife groups near you, ask if they need help! Simple tasks like helping them in the office, helping with stalls at events, or even cleaning or basic animal care if they are an animal-based facility can make a huge difference. And there are even ways to help remotely if you don’t have time or the ability to access places in person! Many facilities need people to help with social media, data management, or website work.

And in general, just be mindful when you are around animals. Simple things like not feeding monkeys if you encounter them, supporting conservation projects and avoiding exploitative shows or activities, and talking to those around you about the importance of respecting wildlife makes a huge difference. We don’t all need to be dedicating our lives to wildlife to make a difference – just going through life with respect for animals has an impact.

Ethical wildlife tourism is a big focus of project.wild. How can travellers recognize the difference between a genuine conservation initiative and one that only markets itself that way?

It’s really tricky, I can’t lie.

There is a lot to consider when deciding if a wildlife facility is right for you to visit or support – not only how the animals are cared for but also how local community and staff are treated, what their long-term goals are, how they contribute to our understanding of wildlife, and exactly where the money they raise is going.

But if I were to give one, simple piece of advice for people to start with, it would be to know the golden rule of wildlife tourism: If they let you touch the animals, it’s not ethical.

Human contact can be important for animal rehabilitation, but only when done by a trained professional who really understands the animals individual behaviours and needs. Tourists who see the animal for maybe a day just don’t have that knowledge, and it’s not safe for them or the animal to be touching them. Genuine conservation facilities won’t be encouraging tourists to cuddle, pet, ride, bathe, or feed wild animals. So always look for those offering hands-off, observation only activities.

Beyond the education and resources, you’ve recently begun planning group tours (congratulations!). What inspired this next step, and what’s the long-term goal for these tours?

I think travelling can be scary for some people, and especially when wildlife is involved because you’re often travelling to more remote areas. Not to mention, there is a lot of research that goes into making sure the experiences you have with wildlife are ethical. Doing that research is quite literally my job, whereas for other people it can seem really overwhelming and time consuming.

So, I wanted to make it as easy as possible for people to travel and know they are engaging with wildlife in a kind and compassionate way. And I decided a good way to do that was to just plan the trips and invite them to come with me!

I’d love to make this a big part of what I do, so that people can book trips without any stress and just enjoy wildlife for everything they have to offer. I’m really excited for my 2026 trips and to see how it grows from there!

A lot of your work has focused on rescue centres, reserves, and larger conservation projects. Where do you see wildlife guiding companies like ours fitting into the bigger conversation about ethical wildlife experiences?

I absolutely love rescue centres and sanctuaries – that’s where I have done most of my hands on work with wildlife and learnt the most about them! But a well known fact about the conservation industry as a whole is that they are massively underfunded and over worked.

We already ask conservationists to wear many hats: researchers, carers, fundraisers, communicators, educators…. I think it’s really important that we are able to take some of that off their hands. So wildlife guiding companies are able to partner with organisations or protected areas and take on some of the work marketing experiences there, educating tourists, bringing eyes to the valuable work being done and therefore bringing in potential funding and support.

When people experience wildlife for themselves and learn about their struggles, it becomes hard not to fall in love and want to protect them. That inspiration is what guiding companies can offer – their priority can be nurturing that connection and helping people engage with wildlife, so that the sanctuaries and rescue centres and other projects can focus more on the animal care and research to keep protecting the populations on the ground.

Conservation does best when we work together.

What first brought you to Vietnam, and how has your time here shaped your work and perspective?

I came to Vietnam almost by accident, honestly. I was travelling with a friend through Southeast Asia and she was really keen to come to Da Nang as she had heard there was a very good vegan scene here. I wasn’t very interested because I thought it was just a big city with not much nature or wildlife around, but I agreed to come with her. After about a week here I met someone who told me about the monkeys on Son Tra and took me to see them for myself. After that, I fell in love with Vietnam.

It’s been a really valuable reminder that humans and wildlife do not exist separately from one another. That the intersection between cities and nature can be an incredibly rich and important ecosystem to understand, and that we don’t have to be trekking hours into the middle of nowhere to feel connected to nature. I think I really needed that reminder.

Finally, we feel lucky to have found a kindred spirit in you, especially so close to home. How did you first come across Next Continent?

Actually, it was Next Continent who found me! I had just started advertising on my Instagram account that I was putting together a short documentary on the macaque monkeys here on Son Tra and I received a message from you saying you’d be interested in being involved. And honestly, it completely changed the documentary! The fact that you were so keen to be involved in a macaque project (knowing they are often considered pest species and not as ‘interesting’ as some other primates here in Vietnam) was so exciting to me – it immediately told me you’re here to speak for ALL wildlife. Not just those that are considered the most charismatic or sought after.

The world of wildlife advocacy can feel very lonely sometimes, so knowing a whole team of people who share my passion and can teach me so much about the nature here in Vietnam is incredible. Especially being able to learn from local guides and being invited in to the conservation community – it’s so special. I feel very lucky!

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Connie’s journey is a powerful reminder that conservation is not reserved for scientists, veterinarians, or those already “in the field.” It’s a space that welcomes anyone willing to learn, care, and act with compassion for wildlife. 

At Next Continent, we’re grateful to walk alongside Connie in this mission. Her passion for ethical wildlife practices and her belief that conservation is for all of us, not just some align deeply with our own values.

Together, by listening, learning, and acting mindfully, we are creating a future where wildlife thrives!