Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Dr Alan Kloeck of MSD Animal Health South Africa Is Helping To Change Our World
An Interview With Penny Bauder
Nobody warns you of the intense emotional attachment you will form to the rhinos themselves. No matter how many there are you get to know each of them personally and you learn their peculiarities, their moods and their daily habits. You begin to feel the threat to their lives as if it was to your own. Every time you struggle to locate a specific rhino your heart races and you spend hours searching for them anxiously, expecting the worst. Nobody warns you as to how this churns your innards until you find them alive and safe, but also about the surge of relief and happiness when you safely locate them.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Alan Kloeck, General Manager of MSD Animal Health South Africa.
Dr. Alan Kloeck originates from Johannesburg and has been involved in the veterinary industry and animal health segment for the majority of his life. He qualified as a veterinarian in 1986 from Onderstepoort veterinary faculty and after practicing as a veterinarian in private practice and in the government, he joined the veterinary pharmaceutical industry in 1991. He became General Manager of Intervet (Pty) Ltd in 1997 and has since been the general manager of MSD Animal Health, responsible for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.
Alan has had a passion for the African bush, wildlife and conservation since childhood and became involved in rhino conservation through a volunteer anti-poaching group, “Mark of the Rhino Expeditions,” which patrols reserves at night to protect rhinos.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, I began life in a dog-training and dog-breeding family, becoming extremely involved in the training and judging of dogs in a variety of working disciplines. I have always had a love for the outdoors and wildlife…camping, fishing and spending time in the bush have been a big part of my life. My older brother is a veterinarian and my involvement in the “dog world” led me to become a veterinarian as well.
You currently work with a social impact organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and the organization are trying to change in our world today?
We follow the philosophy that a healthy planet is essential to both human and animal health, and that in turn is essential to the sustainability of our business. We believe that companies have a responsibility to use resources wisely and to drive innovations that will enable global development while protecting and preserving both the planet and the communities in which we live and work.
One of the ways we help protect the environment and our community is by partnering with organizations that work to combat rhino poaching here in South Africa. At an organizational level, we support the health and wellbeing of canine units working with the anti-poaching organizations. At a personal level, I volunteer with these organizations in my free time as often as I can.
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
I was spending large amounts of my personal time in game reserves, amongst African wildlife, enjoying the true wonders of the natural world, watching elephants and rhinos in their natural habitat…and seeing the scourge of poaching that was impacting these amazing, yet sadly endangered species. I felt a responsibility to “do something” to make a difference!
Many of us have ideas, dreams and passions, but never manifest them. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
I had the unfortunate experience of having to assist the police with the post-mortem of two poached rhinos (that I personally knew) following on their tragic and violent death at the hands of poachers. This triggered my commitment and passion to become personally involved in this war against poaching.
Many people don’t know the steps to take to start a new partnership between organizations. What are some of the things or steps you and your team took to get the partnership started?
In many cases the reserves protecting the rhinos have severely limited funds and are suffering from the continual onslaught of poaching. One of the most effective poaching countermeasures is the use of patrol and tracking dogs. Training these dogs is an investment to try and prevent poaching but the upkeep is very high. Our organization was approached by some conservationists for help. We were able to partner with them to help keep the dogs healthy, particularly when it comes to preventative medicine and keeping them flea and tick free. We partnered with our first anti-poaching organization, Pit-Track, in 2016 and have continued to add other partners since then. Organizations such as these are truly passionate about not only the wildlife they protect, but also the incredible K9s that work alongside them.
My advice to those looking to start new partnerships between organizations is to keep an open mind. Collaboration ideas can come from many places.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began working on this cause?
One of the counter measures used to try and prevent rhino poaching is the regular de-horning of the rhino. Although this can seem “disfiguring” of a natural beauty, it is essential to preventing their ongoing slaughter and does not harm them in any way.
In the dehorning process the rhino is darted with tranquilizers so that the horns can be removed painlessly under sedation. It is amazing to see these massive, modern day “dinosaurs” come to a halt and lie down peacefully to have their horns painlessly removed….and only to stand up a few minutes later and be on their way again as if nothing has happened. Truly an amazing experience!
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson or take away you learned from that?
Early on during my rhino encounters, while following some tracks through immensely thick undergrowth with a colleague, we stumbled upon a rhino cow and her calf. She took serious offense, having a young calf at foot, and immediately charged us. We chose the line of least resistance and sought tall trees to climb up and escape. Good fortune presented a large tree close at hand, but only after I had reached the upper branches did I realize that the tree had a vast array of hooked thorns. The rhino and her calf moved on several minutes later and we were able to climb to the ground, but the journey down was excruciatingly painful (as was the later recovery).
The lesson learned was to not only be exceptionally alert but also be far more aware of your surroundings when traipsing through the bush — and select your escape route with much care!
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
Over the years I have had a number of mentors that have inspired me and provided excellent guidance through various scenarios. The primary learning from all of these relationships has been to always believe in yourself, never see any hurdle as too high and capture the joy in the successes you achieve every day.
Are there three things the community, society or politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
The community and society at large must tackle the age-old myths and perceptions of the effects of rhino horn to stop the slaughter of rhino. Rhino horn is sadly used as a “magic medicine” for treating cancer and allegedly curing all sorts of diseases. It is used by high-ranking officials, royalty and businessmen, particularly in the Middle and Far East as a symbol of their status or power (often in the form of traditional daggers and ornaments). Some rich men use it as a perceived form of virility improvement, although it is completely ineffective. Global society and community leaders must actively demolish the myths around the use of rhino horn as well as implement the necessary laws to prohibit its use for any purpose.
A further (however contrary) debate, which attracts societal attention, is the concept of allowing active trade in rhino horn to meet these “traditional” needs. There are literally tons of rhino horn locked in safekeeping, which may not be traded under current laws. However, if this was released onto the open market for trade, the theory is that it would meet the traditional needs for many years to come (and lower the current illegal pricing) as well as stimulate game farmers to actively conserve rhinos and thereby “farm” with their horns. This may in turn lead to significantly improved and profitable conservation of this incredible species and reduce the ongoing illegal slaughter.
At this moment in time rhinos are only a financial liability to private and public rhino owners (mainly national and government reserves) with the extinction of this free-living species looming in the very near future.
How would you articulate how a business can become more profitable by being more sustainable and more environmentally conscious? Can you share a story or example?
We believe that companies have a responsibility to use resources wisely and to drive innovations that will enable global development while protecting and preserving both the planet and the communities in which we live and work. Our environmental sustainability strategy includes a number of areas of focus: driving efficiency in our operations and utilization of natural resources, designing new products to minimize environmental impact and reducing impacts in our upstream and downstream value chain. These include really simple things that we all can do, like conserving energy by turning off lights and equipment when not in use; reducing water use by turning off faucets/hoses when not in use; using green and sustainable science principles in developing new processes and new product packaging; minimizing waste by finding ways to reduce and recycle materials; etc.
In being environmentally and sustainably focused, we also fully support taking a “One Health” approach to collaboratively improve health for the people and animals that share our complex and ever-changing environment — keeping humans, animals and the planet healthy.
Recently, health challenges have emerged and gained momentum because of the many changes in our society, including population growth, increased mobility, urbanization and varying environmental and habitat conditions. These environmental and societal changes have led to conditions that have increased the vulnerability of people and animals to both existing and new health issues. Companies attuned to these challenges and addressing these changing needs will benefit in the long run.
In Africa, the plight and demise of the rhino, through ongoing poaching, lies very close to the heart of the greater community, so our support of the multitude of anti-poaching activities currently implemented brings us close to the heart of our community and clearly displays our empathy and support to the good of the community.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
Nobody warns you of the intense emotional attachment you will form to the rhinos themselves. No matter how many there are you get to know each of them personally and you learn their peculiarities, their moods and their daily habits. You begin to feel the threat to their lives as if it was to your own. Every time you struggle to locate a specific rhino your heart races and you spend hours searching for them anxiously, expecting the worst. Nobody warns you as to how this churns your innards until you find them alive and safe, but also about the surge of relief and happiness when you safely locate them.
Nobody tells you that you will develop a deep love for the anti-poaching dogs — dogs highly trained in poacher detection and apprehension or skilled in tracking. They play such an enormous role in the war against poaching and are at high risk at every encounter. You wish you could take them home with you and they remain in your mind and heart at all times when you’re not in the bush with them.
The deep interpersonal connections and broad friendship ring that you build with all the other members involved in the anti-poaching effort are relationships that you have no idea you will make. These people are equally and even more passionate about the preservation of rhinos and their love for the bush. They become like close family with incredibly strong shared values and a commitment to keeping rhinos alive. When they are wounded in a poacher encounter it feels as if somebody has attacked your own family.
One wishes you were told how heart-wrenching it would be, whenever you come upon the carcass of a poached rhino and how angry and powerless one will feel seeing this amazing “pre-historic” creature dead. It’s very disturbing, to see the waste of life for the purposes of taking a horn. Nobody warns you of how this will affect you — how it imprints on your soul and how it will drive you to even greater lengths to protect them moving forward.
Nobody warns you that you will develop a completely new love and respect for the bush and the wildlife you are trying to protect. That you will form an increasing need to be in the bush as much as you possibly can, enjoying the scents, the sounds, the serenity and the sights of the bush. That this passion will grow inside you as you spend many long hot days and scary cold nights looking after the grey “gentle giants.” That you will develop a new perspective of what is really important in your life and how you face its challenges.
And all of these things together change your life.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
We only have one world, one planet — if we don’t look after our environment and give back to it tenfold, our planet will be unable to sustain us in the future! The world we live in has so many natural wonders that we enjoy today without a second thought, but these will not exist into the future for our children and grandchildren if we do not preserve what our environment gives us now.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Grab every opportunity that life presents and be the creator of your own destiny.” This motto has formed the basis of everything I have done in my life and has proved to be true in all extents. We are the “creators of our own destiny” — we make our choices and our decisions and we live by them. Life throws us a multitude of opportunities and it is up to us to identify them and grab every single one that we can, with heaps of optimism, and turn it into something good and make it successful…something that will take us down our life-path to the destiny that we want.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them.
Leela Hazzah, an Egyptian conservation biologist behind “Lion Guardians,” which aims to mitigate conflicts between people and lions in East Africa’s Amboseli-Tsavo ecosystem. She is actively driving this project to improve the survival chances of Africa’s lion population which is dwindling — it is rapidly losing about 100 lions per year and is projected to fall by another 50% over the next two decades. I would love to hear how she is successfully driving this project and how it could be applied in other parts of Africa.
How can our readers follow you online?
Unfortunately, I do not have much of an online presence in my personal capacity, but readers can follow @MSDAnimalHealth on Twitter to learn more about our work.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Dr Alan Kloeck of MSD Animal Health South Africa Is Helping To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.