Chené Barnard, born in 1992, is currently employed with Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) as a Data Capture Administrator. She started at the company as an intern in 2018 and has been on a few adventures within the organisational structure since then. In 2019, she started as a Research and Development Intern with the New Technologies Programme (NTP). At the beginning of 2020, she moved on to Human Resources and helped with data capturing. She is now assisting the Combating Wildlife Crime (CWC) department with financial and budget-related data capturing.
Prior to her employment, Chené found her passion for the outdoors and wildlife when she took a gap year on a game farm near Upington in 2011. Three years later in 2014, she was employed as a Wildlife Veterinarian Assistant in Bloemfontein and fell in love with this type of work. Holding this position for four years, Chené will always have a passion for the wildlife veterinary field and value the part she played in the industry.
In 2019, Chené worked as an air hostess for Qatar Airways, a position that grew her passion for travel, foreign countries, and cultures of the world. After a year on the job, she decided it was time to trade in the uniform and make up and return to Africa to pursue her career in wildlife.
Chené has her degree in Animal Health and is registered as an Animal Health Technician with the South African Veterinary Council. She has practical and theoretical knowledge in handling wildlife and assisting a wildlife veterinarian. She is always willing to learn and improve her knowledge on many aspects of life, and recreationally, she enjoys hiking and spending time outdoors in nature, walking her dog and trying to stay fit. Chené is a keen cook and enjoys experimenting with food décor. Reading is one of her favourite hobbies, but being among wild animals is her primary passion.