Yes, she’s afraid, admitted “Goodbye Germany” emigrant Jenny Amann in the year’s opening episode of the VOX docu-soap. The law graduate has been running a sanctuary for endangered wild animals in Zanzibar since 2013. But the dedicated German is a thorn in the side of some people…
“Now it’s just a dumping ground”: “Goodbye Germany” emigrant Jenny Amann often did not recognize her island paradise Zanzibar and fought back tears several times in the VOX documentary. She has been giving 60 endangered wild animals a home here for nine years, but that survival of their sanctuary was always on the brink.
During the corona pandemic, for example, the tourists stayed away – “Cheetah’s Rock” is financed by donations and the entrance fees for the tours. The animal rights activist needs 35,000 euros a month to feed everyone. She now has almost no reserves left. “Corona has done incredible damage.” She “sent e-mails to every person who was ever here with a call for help. And we did it,” she says, moving and not without pride in her voice.
The two youngest animal residents were the white lion cubs Timba and Vati, who were three months old at the time of shooting. “Aren’t they the most beautiful babies in the world?” Jenny rejoiced. The Hungarian zoologist Danny Vaskay (30) helps her raise them. “Danny is my best partner when it comes to the animals,” she enthused. “He has a mad feeling for the animals.”
Photo: VOX
Jenny Amann: “It used to be wonderful”
In the meantime, guided tours on the “Cheetah’s Rock” site are possible again, but there were other problems: Because not everyone shows understanding for Jenny’s love of animals and the environment. Quite a few trees were cut down in their vicinity in order to lay out huge plastic tarpaulins on which freshly caught fish – some of them still alive! – be poured out to dry. Actually, you need permission from the authorities to fell trees, but many of the fish dryers don’t bother with that.
By the time Jenny informed the authorities, it was usually too late. “Actually, it used to be beautiful,” she says sadly as she leaves her premises. “There were trees – everything is cut down here, simply chopped off, left lying around. One boat after the other is coming in at the moment to fish out the smallest juvenile fish …” Jenny makes it difficult for the fishermen to do their business extremely unpopular. They openly displayed their hostility from the boats and verbally abused her as she walked along the beach with friend Christina Lauer and her seven hired Maasai warriors. She was very happy about these seven reliable men who guard “Cheetah’s Rock” day and night, but of course “they can’t be everywhere”.
Photo: VOX
“Goodbye Germany”: Jenny is already thinking about living in Italy
“Cheetah’s Rock” has already been a victim of six times raids, once a burglar smashed her nose – the displayed photos of her destroyed face and the blood-smeared floor were frightening. Nevertheless, the brave emigrant said: “I’m more afraid for the animals than for myself.”
She would love to leave Zanzibar. “I would love to go to Italy,” Jenny admitted. At Lake Garda or Lago di Lugano. “A little rest. Good food, nice lifestyle …” But she said it with tears in her eyes: “Because I don’t think it will work. If we don’t find a sponsor here who finances and supports everything, […] then I’ll be here in five years” – to continue fighting for the animals and against the destruction of the environment on the former dream island.
