“If you’re an alpha, why would you want to kill something that can’t defend itself? Or even worse, why would you want to pay someone else to do that for you?”

On this week’s episode of the Eat Green Make Green Podcast I sit down with the legendary Damien Mander. Damien is a former special operations sniper for the Australian Defense Force who did 12  tours to Iraq in the years following September 11th. In 2009, after a trip to Africa, Damien liquidated his life saving to found the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, which now protects over 20 million acres of African wilderness. We talk about what led Damien to the military as a young man, what he learned from his time in Iraq, when he decided to stop exploiting and start protecting animals, why he founded the IAPF and what they’ve done over the past decade, why he formed the first ever all-women anti-poaching unit Akashinga, why empowering women is the greatest force for positive change in the world today, why removing animals from his diet was the best decision of his life, why real alpha males protect the vulnerable, and how you can support the IAPF. Recently featured in James Cameron’s Game Changers, Damien is truly making kindness and respect for all, badass.

Show Notes

DONATE! - International Anti-Poaching Foundation Site

More on Akashinga

IAPF Instagram

Damien’s Instagram

Damien’s TEDx Talk

The Game Changers Film