BLOOD ORIGINS
Blood Origins is a global nonprofit whose mission is to tell the truth about hunting and promote conservation efforts around the world.
They do this by creating content such as documentaries, podcasts and social media that convey the impact hunting has on people, wildlife, and communities as well as what motivates people to hunt.
There is so much MISinformation about hunting around the world – we make it our goal to tell the TRUTH.
Why do you hunt? What is YOUR truth?
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Meet Robbie Kröger
South African native, proud American, Robbie is the founder and Chief Spokesperson for Blood Origins. Blood Origins is a global non-profit that is a forerunner bringing awareness to hunting, education, and global conservation efforts. Robbie's ability to create awareness, incite action, and raise conservation funds is unrivaled in the hunting industry.
"In South Africa, where I was raised, there were and currently are no hunting seasons. There are no public lands to hunt on, no public licenses to purchase. Strange, right? You probably have a vision of what Africa is like, with its open expanses of savanna and herds of game flowing through the plains, a hunter’s paradise. Your vision is correct. South Africa is a wonderful country with awe-inspiring vistas and amazing wildlife. But hunting is not what its like here in America.”
Interestingly being from South Africa and now being a proud American, I am privy to two great wildlife conservation success stories through hunting. South Africa went from 500,000 head of wildlife to almost 26 million today because of the value placed on wildlife through private ownership. America has seen a resurgence in pretty much every game species because of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation which has hunting as a pillar within it.
I’m blown away that every day I get to push the stone up the mountain for hunting, wildlife conservation and the sustainability of wildlife for our kids one day. When I am hunting in America, I often catch myself walking down what seems like the middle of nowhere, a shotgun or rifle over my shoulder wearing one of those face-splitting, ear-to- ear grins that screams, “What is this life!” because of this privilege you have to hunt. I can’t help to exclaim the freedoms provided to us, but am keenly aware of how easily it can be taken from you.
Next time you are out in the wild, take a moment and look around. Smell it. Feel it. Breathe it in. Let those hard-fought freedoms soak into your pores. That’s what we push for and fight for every single day. Only a minute percentage of the world’s population will ever get to experience what we have inherited, and we get to experience daily, which makes it all the more important to secure the legacy for those who will follow us.
Meet Robbie Kröger
South African native, proud American, Robbie is the founder and Chief Spokesperson for Blood Origins. Blood Origins is a global non-profit that is a forerunner bringing awareness to hunting, education, and global conservation efforts. Robbie's ability to create awareness, incite action, and raise conservation funds is unrivaled in the hunting industry.
"In South Africa, where I was raised, there were and currently are no hunting seasons. There are no public lands to hunt on, no public licenses to purchase. Strange, right? You probably have a vision of what Africa is like, with its open expanses of savanna and herds of game flowing through the plains, a hunter’s paradise. Your vision is correct. South Africa is a wonderful country with awe-inspiring vistas and amazing wildlife. But hunting is not what its like here in America.”
Interestingly being from South Africa and now being a proud American, I am privy to two great wildlife conservation success stories through hunting. South Africa went from 500,000 head of wildlife to almost 26 million today because of the value placed on wildlife through private ownership. America has seen a resurgence in pretty much every game species because of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation which has hunting as a pillar within it.
I’m blown away that every day I get to push the stone up the mountain for hunting, wildlife conservation and the sustainability of wildlife for our kids one day. When I am hunting in America, I often catch myself walking down what seems like the middle of nowhere, a shotgun or rifle over my shoulder wearing one of those face-splitting, ear-to- ear grins that screams, “What is this life!” because of this privilege you have to hunt. I can’t help to exclaim the freedoms provided to us, but am keenly aware of how easily it can be taken from you.
Next time you are out in the wild, take a moment and look around. Smell it. Feel it. Breathe it in. Let those hard-fought freedoms soak into your pores. That’s what we push for and fight for every single day. Only a minute percentage of the world’s population will ever get to experience what we have inherited, and we get to experience daily, which makes it all the more important to secure the legacy for those who will follow us.
What Does Conservation Mean to Blood Origins?
To us, conservation means ensuring that our children and our children’s children will still have wild places to hunt, ample wildlife to hunt, and the continued right to hunt.
It means protecting our natural resources, protecting the sustainability and biodiversity of our wildlife populations and training new generations of ethical, conservation-minded hunters.
It also means teaching our children that hunters give back. There are so many ways that hunters contribute to conservation efforts around the globe, and we at Blood Origins place a priority on giving back to those less fortunate through our Hunting for Hope program, whether by providing fresh water sources for villages without clean drinking water, building schools for children in Africa, donating game through hunters for the hungry programs around the globe, or educational scholarship programs. Hunting for Hope does all of this and more.
How Can People Support Blood Origins?
One, buy a hat and spread the word about our organization.
Two, get outside and hunt, and while you’re at it, take a child or a friend.
Three, join our supporters program by going to our website at Supporter Program | Blood Origins or take it up a notch and really make an impact by becoming a Conservation Club member at Conservation Club | Blood Origins. You can directly participate in on-the-ground conservation efforts around the world, whether that be through documentary projects, species relocation efforts, species collaring and data/research collaboration with wildlife agency and NGO partners, or legislation advocacy efforts to advance pro-sportsman initiatives.
Which Project Do You Believe Has Made the Greatest Impact?
That’s a tough question to answer.
All of our projects have such meaningful impacts from feeding those less fortunate, to championing hunting for those that don’t have a voice, to see incredible things being done for people and wildlife. But if you pressed me, we invested a small amount of funding into a small community in Southern Zimbabwe for anti-poaching and wildlife conservation and bringing water to a community
Little did we know when we did that, the project and community were literally on their last legs – they had no more resources to continue. That initial investment, which came through one of biggest conservation partners, Bergara International, has since spurred a 10x donation investment into the project.
Wildlife is flourishing, the people have access to water, and they have significant vegetable gardens and fruit orchards. Its incredible to witness. Incredibly humbling to be a part of.
Who Has Influenced You the Most?
That’s also a tough question.
I didn’t grow up hunting, I only came to hunting late, and naturally I am not a film maker, cinematographer. So I don’t have influencers in those communities that I aspire to be. I have had to work hard at everything I do all my life, and I just have this dogged patiently persistent attitude that wakes me up at 4:30am every morning and we go to work to ensure that we are staying ahead of someone else that may be trying to chase us.
I guess I owe that to my Dad. I fondly (now, ha!) remember him kicking my bed on a Saturday morning at 8:00am and saying stop sleeping your life away there are things to do. I hated it in the moment, but look at me today. So yeah … that’s my answer.
What's A Hunting Misconception You'd Like To Set Straight?
That hunting is cruel to the animal. In fact, it’s the opposite.
The vast majority of hunters eat what they kill. They also go to great lengths, and there are laws designed to ensure this as well, to make ethical shots that result in the most quick and painless kill possible.
Contrast this to the way most animals die both in the wild, as well as through commercial meat processing operations – which is via violence and suffering, and often not that quick. Hunting affords a quick and usually painless manner of death and then the animal is harvested to utilize every part of the animal as a food source to sustain another form of life.
Why Team Up with Lost?
We chose to team up with Lost Hat Company because they walk the walk. They are hunters, conservationists, and they believe in giving back to their community. Plus, they’re just good people.
We are honored to partner with them on this endeavor and thrilled they’ve chosen to walk down this path with us. It’s through partnerships like this that we will save the world.
