Navelan - The Friend; The Hero; The Legend
In 2008 I moved to Pretoria to begin my studies at the Technical University of Tswane. It was here where I would meet two brothers, Kailen and Navelan Padayachee.
These twin brothers were my seniors studying for our diploma in Nature Conservation, a passion we all have shared from childhood and were now working towards achieving. I cherished the times we could sit together between or after classes and I could listen to them talk, learning from their experiences and wisdom; feeding off their passion for what we all wanted to achieve and grow towards. They were an inspiration to me, role models for myself and the other junior students in my class. Never did the thought ever cross my mind that we would lose one of these amazing humans, that I would not get the chance to say goodbye. A few years passed and the last time I saw Nav was when I was leaving Clearwater mall after watching a movie with my Mother and he stopped next to us in his bright yellow Land Rover, He flashed that huge welcoming smile he always had on his face and we caught up about what we were doing in life and how his research with the Vultures was going. It was a minute in front of the traffic light I will never forget. It was the last time I would see my friend.
Skip on a few more years, I am now working on a private game ranch in Limpopo and was busy with
Social media marketing when it hit me, a post informing friends and family of Nav's passing. My heart sank to the lowest depths and tears welled up in my eyes and all I could think about is not having been able to say goodbye.
Years later his brother Kailen continues the great work they started with the
Kainav conservation foundation. Navelan's legacy present in every new project they take on and in all the great work they do. I asked Kailen for some more information and stories about his brother's life and legacy so I may write a tribute, Instead, I give you his brothers words as they were sent to me. Pure, honest and shattering to the bone, Kailen's story about his brother reminded me of what an amazing man my friend Navelan was and inspires me to live his legacy as my own truth each new day.
"Navelan, or Nav as he was (and still is) referred to as by his friends and family, was always drawn to nature.
As young boys growing up in Kwa-Zulu Natal, Nav and I were introduced to the marine environment by our father. He was a volunteer at the NSRI, STATION 19 in Richards Bay, and every chance he got he would take us out on the boat or to the beach. In fact, our daily routine as children would include finishing school at 12:30, heading home to change and then spending the remainder of the day on the beach, snorkeling in the shallows. Even at that young age Nav knew that he wanted to work with animals in the ocean, he didn’t know what job exactly it would be, but it had to be with marine animals in the wild!
In 1996 our parents found work in Johannesburg and this path lead us to experience completely new environments. The dry grasslands and savanna habitat of the Highveld was foreign and honestly, not as inviting to Nav as the ocean and mangroves he
was used to in KZN. As we grew and matured the ocean still held a special part in both our
hearts but particularly for Nav.
When the time came to choose a university, we were certain
of one thing, where ever we go and whatever we choose to study it must take us back to the
ocean. After discussions with many wildlife practitioners, professors and scientists, we
found ourselves enrolled in TUT, pursuing a qualification in nature conservation. To be
honest, it was a term that we were not too clear on and as we were the first in our family to
choose this career path we were completely in the dark. However, we had each other and a
strong end goal… get back to the ocean! After two years in the program, we grew, learned a lot and refined our goals. For our final experiential year of our qualification, we found ourselves interning at SAAMBR (South African Association for Marine Biological Research) in Sea World, Durban.
Nav felt like for the first time in years that he was finally on the right track, well on the way to becoming a world-renowned marine ecologist. During his time at Sea World, he used the opportunity to grow and prove himself as a dedicated young scientist
willing to do what it takes and put in the hours necessary to become a marine ecologist. It
was at Sea World where Nav fell in love with predatory fish, specifically sharks and started
gaining an interest in marine and shark research. He began SCUBA diving every chance he
got and spent most of his spare time under water, trying to dive with as many shark species
as he could.
Towards the end of his experiential year, he was offered a life-changing
opportunity to work for the Walt Disney World Company in Florida, USA, as a cultural
representative. The position gave him the opportunity to teach visitors to Disney’s Animal
Kingdom Lodge about wildlife and South Africa. Navelan grew tremendously during his time
at Walt Disney World, he saw South Africa and his career in a completely different light and
was determined to come home and make a lasting difference in wildlife conservation. This is
why the first thing he and I did when we got home, was start the KaiNav Conservation
Foundation. An environmental non-profit organization dedicated to biodiversity
conservation and environmental education and awareness.
Upon returning home, Nav also had the opportunity to become part of something that he loved almost as much as wildlife conservation, and that was search and rescue. He loved helping people and took pride in being part of the Off-Road Rescue Unit, where he could combine his passion for the out-
doors with his drive to serve the community. He worked tirelessly to ensure that KaiNav
Conservation Foundation became a credible, sustainable organization that made quality
contributions to conservation.
He developed a number of projects such as the S.N.A.R.E
(Snare Neutralization, Awareness and Removal Effort) Initiative which monitors snare poaching in and around urban areas of Gauteng, the SNARE Art program which uplifts local, underprivileged artists and transforms snares into pieces of art, the African Dragon Project which monitors South African varanid species (monitor lizards) in urban and peri-urban ecosystems of Northern Johannesburg, all while completing his Mtech in the Durban harbor on fish species diversity. Above all his commitments, he made the time to assist me
in my Verreaux’s eagle research, traveling across the country to monitor nests with me and
identify prey remains.
He also still managed to fulfill his commitments to the search and
rescue unit, all with his signature smile plastered across his face.
That was the type of person Nav was, dedicated, passionate and ALWAYS willing to help anyone in need. On the 9 the of May 2016, Nav responded to a call-out in the Magaliesberg to assist in the rescue of an injured climber, it was to be his last act on earth.
Nav died after assisting in a successful
rescue while descending the mountain. The KaiNav Conservation Foundation and the
projects he started, persist as his legacy and a dedication to him and his passion for not only
conservation but for our community, the people who depend on the environment. A few
weeks before passing away, Nav began planning KaiNav Conservation Africa, an
environmental and conservation education training company dedicated to training and
educating young South Africans about wildlife conservation and the environment.
The first group of students to participate in KaiNav Conservation Africa’s unique education and
career awareness program attended our inaugural program in February this year." - Kailen Padayachee
This is a tribute to Navelan. He will forever be in our hearts and is sorely missed each day. His presence remains in every success of the
Kainav Conservation foundation and everyone who has become a part thereof and participated in their programs.
We will never forget Nav, the Man, the Friend, the Legend.
Please follow me on Twitter and Instagram via the links below to see the world from my perspective, with a foot in the door.
https://twitter.com/BiancaBothab211
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Read my scholarship articles for The WOMA at the links below:
The WOMA Scholarship: Conservationista by Bianca Botha
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US, UK and South Africa:
Back-a-Buddy Conservation study fund
Some couples choose not to have kids. This may be because it
allows them more freedom of movement in order to travel or move from one lodge
to the next, others because they are simply content with the way things are or
maybe because it’s just a personal preference. However, for the moms who do
choose to go on that great adventure with their little and loved ones it’s a
long road ahead.
