"Most people do not know how to behave around animals. Humanity is suffering from separation sickness, a real disconnect from nature. My sense is that by understanding animals more deeply, we can begin to heal ourselves."
Anna has been practising for several years in South Africa, Europe and the USA with both domestic and wild animals.
"Being the human bridge in communication is difficult. I see both sides and the two sides do not always match up together," Anna said.
Sentient beings
"When looking into the eyes of an animal, how can we not see intelligence and a being in there; how can we not know that they have thoughts and feelings? Animals are sentient beings.
"Communicating with animals is an intuitive experience that focuses on the internal voice of the mind. It requires an animal communicator to pay close attention, to be on the same wavelength, to involve all five the senses to make contact," she added, explaining how quantum physics play a role in establishing a connection.Born and raised in Cape Town, Anna holds a degree in Psychology, Economics and Marketing from the University of Cape Town. Her career has taken her to Australia, Silicon Valley and Seattle in the USA, where she lived out her passion for wildlife and conservation by volunteering at various rehabilitation and educational centres.
"Interspecies communications happens in the wild all the time, and tracking is one of the oldest forms of interspecies communication," Anna said. It is for this reason that Anna trained in tracking and mentoring at the Wilderness Awareness School in the USA.
Today she is a qualified and experienced master training facilitator and works with domestic animals and wildlife in both Southern Africa and abroad.
Raise awareness
According to her website at www.animalspirit.org Anna's goal is to raise awareness and advance the relationships among human and non-human animals, on both a personal and spiritual level. In her communication and conservation work, she guides people to deepen their connection with all species in an honouring manner, and is inspired by being a voice for the animals and natural environments.
Jukani
One of the greatest successes she is known for locally is with the black leopard, now named Spirit, at the Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary before it was relocated from Mossel Bay to Knysna.
The animal had been rescued from a European zoo, where he had suffered abuse. When he arrived at Jukani, he was called Diablo. Sanctuary manager Jurg Ohlson frankly admitted that he had been sceptical about Anna's ability to communicate with animals. However, he had also been desperate to get help for the leopard and agreed to have Anna visit Jukani.
After spending time with the leopard, Anna told Jurg the animal had been unhappy with its name, overawed by his new surroundings and that he commanded respect.
"When Anna mentioned two cubs that were transferred with the leopard, information she had no way of knowing, I had to rethink my opinion of her. After she left, I went up to the animal when nobody was looking and told him that I respect him, that I would rename him 'Spirit of Jukani' as a token of this respect," Jurg said in the interview.
After Anna's visit, Spirit the black leopard, for the first time in the six months at Jukani, voluntarily left his shelter to move around in his enclosure and, when Jurg spoke with him and spontaneously told him how beautiful he was, the leopard grunted an answer. He repeated his grunts about 19 times in that conversation, leaving Jurg totally overwhelmed by the experience.
Choices
"We are living in a world borrowed from our children's future," Anna concluded. "This is a most delicate time in human history on the planet. The future of the planet and all her inhabitants rely on what we do now and what choices we make. The question is, how are we going to respond?"
Conservationist Fred Orban hosted an informative presentation by animal communicator Anna Breytenbach at his Sandpiper Cottages in Boggomsbaai on Monday, 16 December. Photos: Nickey le Roux
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