Conservationist Beverly Joubert’s Near-Death Experience

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Let me just ask you last question, sorry. Sorry, I can’t – the technical difficulties are a little difficult. I want to ask you a last question that you have seen firsthand the dangers of this kind of work, the story of you both getting wounded and particularly you, Beverly, by that buffalo three years ago is really dramatic. You nearly didn’t survive, right?

BEVERLY JOUBERT, CONSERVATIONIST: That’s absolutely true. In fact, I get a little bit of a heart palpitating when you say that. Yes, that is true and Dereck said I died three times in his arms and had to bring me back. But it was a precaster that I wouldn’t want everybody to be fearful of Africa. And in fact, there’s similarities to what happened to us to what is happening to the planet. And I think because both Derek and I are sitting here, we feel that we can bounce back if we only create the change. But to give you a quick idea, a buffalo came charging out of the darkness. We were just moving from one tent to the other, and connected Derek and I, it was his birthday and he then connected to Dereck and I and went between us. But he’s horn went up into my armpit through my chest, collapsed my lung and then right through the neck continued into the cheekbone and my face was completely smashed. I had a 27 broken bones.

AMANPOUR: Incredible.

DERECK JOUBERT, CONSERVATIONIST: Yes. But what it teach us is that if you go through that and you mark it, you watch the woman you love dying in your arms four times through the night and survive, you come out of it with a hope and an invigorated mission to change things for the better and not waste a single moment.