Blake Moynes & Rachel Recchia: Getting Real from South Africa — Part 1 | Happy Hour

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Bachelor Happy Hour

Episode: Blake Moynes & Rachel Recchia: Getting Real from South Africa — Part 1 | Happy Hour
Date: June 4, 2026
Hosts: Rachel Lindsay (note: Rachel Lindsay, not Rachel Recchia, serves as interviewer for this episode)
Guest: Blake Moynes
Location: Filmed in South Africa on site at a rhino conservation project

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Episode Overview

This episode of Bachelor Happy Hour is a special on-location recording from South Africa. Rachel Lindsay reconnects with Bachelor Nation favorite Blake Moynes to discuss his ongoing conservation work, the intensity and realities of life on the ground in Africa, and the sacrifices that come with dedicating one’s life to animal welfare. Together, they dive into the real stories behind rhino conservation, highlight the incredible leadership of a woman named Karin, and touch on Blake's personal sacrifices—including finances, friendships, and mental health—made in the pursuit of protecting wildlife.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reunions, Friendship Dynamics & Catching Up

• Reunion: Rachel and Blake note it's been about a year since they've seen each other, despite maintaining contact and sharing major life updates sporadically.
• Recent Trip Recap: Blake recounts his recent trip with fellow Bachelor alums Greg and Justin, comparing the group dynamic to past trips with Rachel.
  • [04:43] Blake differentiates between his friendships post-show, highlighting the unique challenges tied to his past engagement with Katie.
  • [06:45] "I just think they're very different...I can party and I can do all those things but like I think they just really bonded...I'm not hanging out with anyone—even back home, my own friends, let alone trying to hang out with the season." – Blake [06:54]

2. Behind the Scenes: How the South African Trip Came Together

• Spontaneity & Logistics:

  • Rachel explains how Blake called her to see if she could join the trip—ultimately booking her flight when she gave even a “70%” inclination that she'd say yes.
  • "If you gave me the inkling, I pull the trigger. I don't—It's like—I will figure it out." – Blake [08:03]

• Trip Accommodations: Rachel insists on non-tent accommodations due to Africa's unpredictable wildlife (spiders, bugs, snakes, etc.), joking about Blake’s wilder side.

  • "When I come on a trip, it has to be not in a tent." – Rachel [08:56]
  • Blake recalls a Mozambique spitting cobra in his tent just two weeks prior ([09:34]).

3. The Real Work: Conservation vs. Travel Adventure

• Past vs. Present:
  • Botswana was more luxury-focused; this time, the work is hands-on, focused on the “underbelly of conservation”—especially around rhino poaching.
  • "This is a massive impact project...trying to shine a light on a bigger picture story in the underbelly of conservation, rhino poaching and rhino conservation in South Africa. This is more raw, it's real." – Blake [10:30]

4. Celebrating Karin: The Woman Leading the Charge

• Female Leadership in Conservation:

  • Rachel and Blake highlight Karin, the powerful female director of the reserve and orphanage, calling her the “Laura Croft” and “Lisa Vanderpump” of the wildlife world.
  • "She runs everything here and all the men respect her. I have never seen someone take control of a group of men the way she can. And to me, as a woman coming in who is in a male dominated field, I was so excited..." – Rachel [19:17]
  • "I would trust her with anything because I just see all decisions she has to make." – Blake [20:30]

• Karin’s Role: Manages a 25,000-hectare reserve, the orphanage, pangolin/leopard programs, and regularly leads crisis response during poaching events.

  • "It's usually dominated by men...she owns who she is...she manages everything across the board." – Blake [17:12]

5. Rhinos: The Dehorning Dilemma

• The Why and How of Rhino Dehorning:
  • The group explains dehorning as a necessary (albeit heartbreaking) anti-poaching practice: removing horns reduces the risk of a rhino being killed, even if it’s distressing to witness.
  • Rachel describes seeing the chainsawing of the horn and the trauma of it, while Blake explains it’s akin to trimming nails or a horse’s hoof—painless, but symbolically heavy.
  • "It is so sad to see. But to watch her [Karin] be so confident in what she does and to dehorn these rhino, that's a big thing that they do here to make sure that the population of rhino don't dissipate." – Rachel [22:16]
  • Blake details the finances behind it—tourists are allowed to watch the procedure in order to help defray the massive costs ([22:26]–[25:05]).

6. The Heartbreak and Hope of the Orphanage

• Baby Rhino Rescue:

  • When poachers kill a mother, teams rescue orphaned calves, who require bottle-feeding and close care, sometimes for years.
  • The orphanage also supports these highly social animals emotionally—with one memorable story about a baby rhino and his companion goat.
  • "So when a poacher comes and kills the mom, the team here is alerted...then they go find the calf and bring that calf in so that it doesn't have to fend for itself." – Rachel [33:08]
  • "Now they're back together. Rhino's actually super healthy. Hit a milestone today of 100 kg, which is huge." – Blake [36:14]

• Notable Moment: The staff and entire reserve searched for the companion goat using a drone and were relieved to find it safe with a herd of wildebeest.

  • Memorable moment: "Everyone on the reserve was convinced that overnight it would be eaten. But the next day, found this goat being protected by a pack of wildebeest." – Rachel [35:21]

7. Personal Costs of Conservation: Blake Gets Candid

• Sacrifices & Struggles:
  • Blake discusses the invisibility of the true costs of this kind of work—the friendships faded, the financial risks, and the personal isolation that comes with being on the road constantly.
  • "I've sold my house, taken all my investments...put everything into this. Now it's forced me to be on the road. There's no way out other than through it...I've just kind of become out of sight, out of mind...I have no time for anything but this." – Blake [38:25]
  • Rachel reinforces this with observations about his sleeping and eating habits, highlighting his almost total self-sacrifice for the cause.
  • "You see me, I'm nuts right now." – Blake [39:27]
  • "I don't think he slept more than three hours since I've been here with him." – Rachel [40:21]

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Memorable Quotes

• On Respect Among Bachelor Alums:
  "There was always a respect level there...we'd send each other interesting memes..." – Blake [06:16]

• On Karin:
  "She's like the Laura Croft of wildlife." – Blake [19:12]
  "She's like the Lisa Vanderpump of this game reserve. She runs everything here and all the men respect her." – Rachel [19:17]

• On Rhino Dehorning:
  "Do you want to save the life of the animal or do you not?...dehorning a rhino is going to protect it." – Blake [30:33]

• On Personal Sacrifices:
  "I've sold my house, taken all my investments...now it's forced me to be on the road...I have no time for anything and I neglect everyone and everything because I have no money left other than making it happen through these projects." – Blake [38:25]

• On Orphaned Rhinos and Animal Friendships:
  "Now they're back together. Rhino's actually super healthy. Hit a milestone today of 100 kg, which is huge." – Blake [36:14]

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Notable Timestamps

• Catching up & Friendship dynamics: 04:43–08:56
• Logistics of the trip & accommodations: 08:03–09:55
• Conservation vs. past travel: 10:30–11:13
• Karin’s leadership & background: 17:03–20:52
• Rhino dehorning explained & witnessed: 21:30–25:06
• Orphanage stories (baby rhino and goat): 31:46–36:39
• Blake discusses personal sacrifices & mental health: 38:25–41:01

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Tone & Atmosphere

• Authentic, heartfelt, and at times raw: Both Rachel and Blake are candid, emotionally invested, and bring a vulnerable openness to the discussion.
• Informative with an emotional punch: The episode weaves in educational elements about conservation and wildlife rescue, while highlighting the human costs and triumphs involved.
• Occasional humor and camaraderie: Amid the serious subject matter, the longstanding friendship between Rachel and Blake brings levity, warmth, and Bachelor Nation in-jokes.

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For Listeners

• Next Episode Teased: This is part one of a conversation—listeners are encouraged to tune in for part two, promising even deeper insights into conservation, Blake’s journey, and more on-the-ground stories from South Africa.

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Transcript

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[Rachel Lindsay]

Welcome back to Bachelor Happy Hour. Today I have an exciting episode. We are filming from South Africa. I know we just had Blake on the podcast, but today's gonna be fun. We're gonna talk all about his previous trip, this trip, and everything that's going on in between. So, Blake, welcome to Bachelor Happy Hour.

[Blake Moynes]

Thank you for having me. Thank you for being here. We do have tea to talk about.

[Rachel Lindsay]

We have so much tea to talk about. And it's so funny because we, I feel like don't see each other for a year.

[Blake Moynes]

It's been at least a year.

[Rachel Lindsay]

It's been a year.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah.

[Rachel Lindsay]

And then we see each other and we talk all the tea, everything in between. But let's start at the top. You just went on a trip with Greg and Justin. It looked amazing. How was it having Justin and Greg on the trip and were they more fun than I was? Because for those who are listening, the trip that you just went on, I went on with you last year and we had the best time ever.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah. I mean, listen, they're both. But they're both. The dynamics are very different.

[Rachel Lindsay]

So different. Because I want to get into that all. You haven't really seen Greg.

[Blake Moynes]

No, I haven't.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Since Katy season.

[Blake Moynes]

No, I haven't.

[Rachel Lindsay]

So how did that all go

[Blake Moynes]

I've, I, I've, I've seen him one time and it was downtown, downtown la. It was like we're at Venice Beach. I think it was Nate, Rodney, Andrew, Greg and maybe that was it. The five of us randomly met up and we had drinks and we did a whole night out and things got a little crazy that night and like we spilled tea there. But it's not like I'm. We honestly have the most interesting relationship where I think there's a lot of respect there. Coming down towards the end with Katie and I and then from there obviously through everything with a lot of the tough debate between them and who was right and who was wrong and how it all ended.

[Rachel Lindsay]

What do you mean who was right and who was wrong During Greg and Katie, the Internet.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah just like everything right. There's this rumor, this, all these things. Right. And I think knowing Katie's whole sided thing and being engaged to her it was very easy to just be supportive of her regardless of any, any rumor. And so it was an interesting development over time but there was always a respect level there because I do felt like he really was in it and feeling it especially down towards the end.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Totally.

[Blake Moynes]

So then we always had a, just an interesting relationship where like it was like interesting memes because he has a very interesting sense of humor and I do too deep down and so we would send each other interesting memes so

[Rachel Lindsay]

you, that's how we communicated. Okay.

[Blake Moynes]

But very sporadically if it was something that was like and then would trigger it. So that was really the, a lot of the conversation that we had up until then. But there was such a respect level there and then with Andrew and Justin who we didn't have that same type of weirdness because of it wasn't the same between them.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Do you feel like because you were engaged to Katie you didn't get to really have the same friendship that they all have?

[Blake Moynes]

Yes, but I just think they're very different from I, you know, I can't, I'm. That I can party and I can do all those things but like I think they just really bonded but they're all very much the same style of humor and that's just you know, a different lifestyle and tone and style that they are. So we get along great but like I can't, I don't hang out with anyone even fucking back home, my own friends, let alone trying to hang her out with the season.

[Rachel Lindsay]

And we'll, we'll get into all that because you obviously have shared so much on social media Sense. But before we get into you, because I really do want to dive into what you've been going through, but let's talk about this trip and how this trip happened, because it was so out of the blue, you called me and you asked, can you come to South Africa? And I was like, I have this, this, and this going on. And he goes, okay, well, when's the soonest you could be here? And I said, well, you know, I have a wedding on this day, and all of a sudden, I wake up and my flight is booked. So walk me through this.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah, because you gave me the inkling that, like, yeah, like, if. If, If. Like, if you could. If it could happen after Cleveland, I could potentially fly from Cleveland. I don't have time when I'm out here. You see how. So I'm just like. I pull trigger. I don't. It's like. And I will figure it out. So if you gave me the 70% vibe to which I just made it up in my head, that that's what it was like, going to be likely if I booked, you would have felt terrible if you didn't then pull through when you said, yeah, if it's after Cleveland, should be okay. So I just booked it.

[Rachel Lindsay]

So I want to ask you, because people see us going on these trips together. What makes a trip be like, okay, Rachel could come on this trip, because some things you do, you know, I could never accompany you on.

[Blake Moynes]

No. And I think if a lot of things didn't pan out last minute the way they did here, you probably would have got on a plane and went home, because you would have.

[Rachel Lindsay]

And let's talk about that. So Blake sends me pictures, this lovely tent behind us, shows me the accommodations, and I get here, the water. You know, we're in Africa. Not necessarily always warm, but luckily, I am staying across the way in a beautiful home owned by a woman who truly is my hero. And we'll get into all that and why we're here. But when I come on a trip, it has to be not in a tent.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah. I think there's certain levels in which you can manage to handle, you know, cold water is one thing. You know, that's not really working out right now. Bed. Right. But that's not too terrible. But, I mean, there is a piece that. Like that tent right there. Two weeks before you. You came. So it was right after we got back from Botswana in here. A Mozambique spitting cobra was in. In.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Correct. And I've been hearing that people are spider bites and frogs in their shoes and the worst problem I've had is a couple wasps in my room that I asked like to come and kill. Yeah, listen, but it's been fantastic so far.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah, it's been two days and there's four left. But yeah, the thing is once you got here you would kind of just. There was no. You would have to buy in.

[Rachel Lindsay]

So for the listeners who know about the Botswana trip, how is this trip that we're doing right now different from that one?

[Blake Moynes]

The Botswana trip was a one off, you know, luxury tag along, see what is that we're doing and you could be supportive in, you know, minor ways. This is a massive impact project where we're trying to shine light on a bigger picture story in the underbelly of conservation and rhino poaching and rhino conservation in South Africa. This is more raw, it's real. We're following the lives of people that dedicate their life to protecting these animals from the anti poaching team. Blake at the orphanage. Karen, Karin is the one that we all connect to the most and that I connect to the most.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Yes.

[Blake Moynes]

And you can see why.

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[Podcast Host]

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[Rachel Lindsay]

So what we're saying here is basically that this here is not a luxury trip. This is conservation. And this is people who are dedicating to their lives, to the rehabilitation of rhinos, to the conservation of where we are at. And I would love if you could talk a little bit more about Karen, who is this amazing woman who I've truly never met anyone like her, who dedicated her life to saving these rhinos. And I think this story is so important to you because you discovered that this is your passion because of a rhino.

[Blake Moynes]

Well, let's spin this, spin it around. Because real. I know all these things, but for someone that's only spent just under 48 hours with her, the amount that you come over and say like an iconic.

[Rachel Lindsay]

How many times a day do I say I love her?

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah. How would you describe her? Because I know and I can do it. But like for someone who's never doesn't know this space and is coming into this space and seeing her move and do what she's doing.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Yes.

[Blake Moynes]

Like how would you describe that to one of your best friends being I met this person. This is what. Like how would. Because I can do it. But it hits differently for you not knowing this space. So I mean realistically when it comes down to it, this conservation space and reserves and running lodges and all this is usually dominated by men. And so you have this woman that's come in and you see how she owns who she is and makes moves, is kind of wants to become this queen of zooland. There's no reason why she couldn't. She manages Mignoni Game Reserve. She's the director, manages everything across the board. And that means there's two different organizations underneath that. Zooland Conservation Trust. You got the pangolin research, you have leopard programs, you have all the rhino and the orphanage. There's so much happening here in managing reserve, that 25,000 hectares, which is a massive piece of land. Then you have the orphanage. In the orphanage is a rescue center. And you never know how many. Yeah, you never know how many babies are going to come in on a regular basis based on the poaching crisis. So moms will be shot and killed for their horns, calves usually left to die. And one of the closest orphanages in this area, which is one of the highest densities in the world of rhino, they get hit the most by poaching. So, you know, we lost seven over here and they're on the reserve to, to the right, over here on the left we lost two. And this was like in the last three weeks. These things are regular happening regularly. And so the rhinos are coming in at a crazy rate. This is why we have little rhinold here. Corin manages all those things from the orphanage to all the pangolin research, all that, and then the actual reserve itself and trying to balance the ecosystem and the amount of animals. And there's just so much that goes on here. And it's this woman that handles all of it. And you see, she's like the Laura Croft of, of wildlife. It's wild to see her do her thing.

[Rachel Lindsay]

And for the listeners who know anything about Bravo. I always say she's like the Lisa Vanderpump of this game reserve. She runs everything here and all the men respect her. I have never seen someone take control of a group of men the way she can. And to me, as a woman coming in who is in a male dominated field, I was so excited to come onto this project when Blake told me about her because she is here dedicating her life to something that she loves. And it is so hard, I feel like, as a woman, to command that respect and still feel like a woman and still do the things that she does every single day. And it's been so inspiring to see her just dominate this space and dominate what she does, but still have so much compassion for everyone that works under her and everyone that's here. And she's just so, so open to having us here and it's been so amazing. So thank you again for bringing me on because I feel like I connect so much to her. And I love that this project goes back to the reason that you started Sosa.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah, I think there's just a lot of alignment. So I think it's so easy for me to like get behind and support and respect her. It's like I tr. I would trust her with anything because I just see all decisions she has to make. That's very challenging and difficult. We even saw those things yesterday. It's like it's that normal and it's not. But just things that you have to pull trigger on here.

[Rachel Lindsay]

So let's just. If we can give one example to the listeners about things that she has to do. Can we talk about the rhino dehorning, which is a big thing that they do here? So yesterday we got to experience something that I didn't even know happened. So what happens is that there are poachers who will kill the rhino on this reserve for their horns. Because in certain countries they believe that the horns have medicinal properties that they're just valuable to have on their mantle. And so what is really, really sad, but what has to be done, and this is what Blake has to talk me through, is that they have to find these rhino and often they'll go up in a helicopter and they will dart the rhino, they'll be tranquilized and they have to chainsaw the horn, which to everyone listening I asked this, I feel like it's so funny cuz I asked the same questions. It was like traumatizing to see. But she said it's something like their nail, like almost like a horse hoof that they can't feel it. But to watch this happen and to know that this is for the better of the population of rhino here, it's so sad to see. But to watch her be so confident in what she does and to dehorn these rhino, that's a big thing that they do here to make sure that the population of rhino don't dissipate. Is that the right word?

[Blake Moynes]

Basically, I mean, they're trying to relieve the pressure off this reserve. Right. So if a rhino has massive kiln, this reserve's gonna get a ton of pressure. So poachers want to come in, break the fence lines, come in and they'll devastate just like just over here. Seven were lost within. But if you can take the horn off the rhino, you decrease the value of that animal and decrease the risk in which people will come in and then kill the animal. So is it worth having really long nails or is it not right to save your life? And although it's the iconic piece of what the rhino is. It, unfortunately is the most prized part of them. And if you can trim it and keep it down, although it is terrible, it costs a lot of money to do, especially depending on how many rhino you have and all the rest that we can't get into here, then it's something that has to be done. And it is sad. The thing is, is it's this really interesting complex trying to find the money for it to which you allow tourists to come and view it from the side. Right. To see it happen, because otherwise you can't trim the rhino. The cost to go into the. The helicopter and the fuel and the teams to go in to do this across, you know, I can't say the number of rhino, then it's challenging because tourists will just be like, this is really cool. This is awesome. But that's where I have little moments because.

[Rachel Lindsay]

And I had a moment so hard when that was happening.

[Blake Moynes]

Well, sometimes I just can't talk about it right now.

[Rachel Lindsay]

I know.

[Blake Moynes]

So anyways. But it's the one thing that gets me every time. So I have little moments when I'm with the animal because I'll sit there and be like, why? Because they have to go through that, you know, always. And there's always a moment I take because I see people really pumped about it and like, this is awesome. And it's like, take a moment and try to be present as to why this is happening.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Yeah. So basically what, like you're saying, because I'm. It's so funny because you are so, like, educated on this topic and I'm so new to all of this, but basically what happened yesterday was we went out with the team here who their job is to dehorn these rhinos. And it is a very, like. The process is long and it's thought out and they have to plan this, but they do allow tourists to come view it who were along with us yesterday. And to them it's this, like, exciting thing. But to you and to people who work here, it's devastating to know that to have the money to fund this, that the tourists have to, in a way, fund it.

[Blake Moynes]

Where are you going to get the money from?

[Rachel Lindsay]

And they're so excited to see it and it is so hard to watch because knowing that that's the only way that they could survive.

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[Blake Moynes]

Yeah, I think that's the piece and that's where you see such a long briefing that you like sat and listened to it all to really understand the dynamics that go into us because it can look terrible. The thing is they would, the rhinos would lose their life if they didn't remove the horn. That's what happens in places that don't. And it's, it's challenging and there's so much we get into and we can't because it literally is so many crazy layers. Of course. Do you want to go to reserve? Would it be better for this reserve to sell the tourism and their lodges to have run a big massive horn? Yes. But it's not worth bringing tourism dollars to then lose all those rhino. When there's gang syndicates that do a hit on all these reserves locally and you lose dozens at a time just because you want to make sure that your lodges had. You could market rhino with a massive hornets for photographs and all that stuff. Do you want to save the life of the animal or do you not? And so you find tourism dollars in other ways that will never pay. But dehorning a rhino is going to protect, protect it. You're not going to make nearly as much money but it's the way to protect anyone. For Karin, who's the one that hasn't taken all the orphans if they do

[Rachel Lindsay]

from all these reserves, we'll talk about that too. On a lighter note, once we get off the dehorning because it is so devastating to watch because these animals should be allowed to just, I mean live free and not have this. But again it's just unfortunately the circumstances we're in. But there is such a beautiful light note happening here because on this, I guess I always don't know the terminology. Game reserve. Is that the right word? Not even a couple feet away from us is such a beautiful thing that I got to see today which is a baby rhino orphanage and I love to call it the nursery because you get to see these baby rhino that are fed by bottle that are so loved and cared for by the team. So the polarity of, of having to see these rhinos get to horn but then to get to go to the nursery, let's talk a little bit about the baby rhinos and why they're here.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah, so I mean there's dozens that come through here. Unfortunately but the orphanage here is the one that takes in all the. The, The. The calves that are left to essentially fend for themselves in the wild. So when a poaching happens, helicopters go up, they'll find the calf, they'll bring it here, K. And the team will then manage them for the.

[Rachel Lindsay]

So I'm just. I know what you're saying, but I'm trying to, like, listener wise, like, okay, so when a poacher comes and kills the mom, the team here is alerted that there was a moment that was poached. So then they go find the calf and they bring that calf in so that it doesn't have to fend for itself. Because I also learned this, that the rhinos are very social. And so it is really important for them to be brought in in the case that their mother is poached, because then they can be raised by the team here, right?

[Blake Moynes]

Yes. So they. They require milk. They need to be with their mother for potentially up to two years, oftentimes a little bit less. So a long time. They're highly sensitive animals, can be distress, and so they need bonds, which is the exact reason why Reinhold, the little tiny baby.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Yeah, let's talk about Reinhold. So they, first of all, are bottle fed, like every three. Every three hours. Is that correct? And there is the newest baby to what I love to call the nursery, and that is Reinold. And how old is he?

[Blake Moynes]

I think he's really close to about maybe two months now.

[Rachel Lindsay]

He is two months. He is not even up to your knee, that tiny. And he lives in the nursery and he has a companion because he can't be with the other rhino babies yet. So tell them about his little companion.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah, so he's so small that he's just. He just started growing a little bit of horn. Tiny bit. To which he can start to kind of defend himself.

[CeraVe/Tide/Facetune Advertiser]

He can't.

[Blake Moynes]

So until they get to a point where they can bond them with other rhinos, they can get lonely, they can kind of get depressed. And so they brought in a goat. And I forget the goat's name now.

[Rachel Lindsay]

I do, too. Is it Bookie?

[Blake Moynes]

What is his name? Lenny. What is it?

[Rachel Lindsay]

There's a goat.

[Blake Moynes]

There's a goat. And the goat lives within the pen with Reinhold. And now they're. They're a bonding pair. The goat can't hurt the rhino, obviously, but it's small enough where they can. Yeah, it's just a replacement until rhino can then be released, which I think is very soon.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Yeah, because he's growing today. He actually gained 20 pounds, I learned. But also a story about the goat is the goat got thrown out of the pen pretty recently by Rynold, the baby rhino. And when the goat got thrown out, everyone on the reserve was convinced that overnight it would be eaten. But the next day, they ended up finding this goat being protected by a pack of wildebeest. And now Reinold has his companion back, which I think is so beautiful. He was protected.

[Blake Moynes]

It was literally Christian that came over. He's like, the goat got out. What are we gonna do next? We had to get the drone up with. With. With infrared in the nighttime, trying to find this goat, his friend.

[Rachel Lindsay]

They were trying to find the baby rhino's friend. It's so important. They're bonded.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah. So now they're back together. Rhino's actually super healthy. Went through a lot of health challenges here, and we were documenting a lot of that, and it wasn't looking good for a while. But he's on the right track now. Hit a milestone today of 100 kg, which is huge.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Yes.

[CeraVe/Tide/Facetune Advertiser]

Over.

[Rachel Lindsay]

A little over, I think.

[Blake Moynes]

Sorry. £100. £100.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Because he got switched to horse milk, which he actually likes. They said yes. Yeah, it's, like, sweeter.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah. And, yeah, he's growing well. And we're gonna have a lot of footage of him. There's a lot of stuff that we've been building to help support Ronald, his adoption, and getting him all the formula and everything that he needs to be released back in the wild another two years from now.

[Rachel Lindsay]

So we're really excited for him. And this project is obviously very exciting, but along with that, and as much as people want to support the project, I think people are also very invested in you. And it's so funny because when I got picked up at the airport, the first thing I said to you, I'm like, are you okay? And I know that we talk about this on the phone and you always tell me and you always are like, I'm fine. But I think for me, what, like, brought me to ask this was what you posted recently, because you always put on such a brave face, even when we talk and we're very close. But when I see you and I see everything that's going on, there is so much that's happening behind the scenes, and I think it could bring such a good impact to what you are doing here for everyone to know that this isn't glamorous and to know kind of what you go through. Let's go through a couple of things that you posted and we can get into detail with some. So the first one says you see me traveling the world, working with cool animals for conservation, but what you don't see is a sacrifices made, the personal relationships lost, the financial burden and the stress that it's caused. Can you go into that a little bit or should we go to the next one? I don't know if that one has that much.

[Blake Moynes]

No, I mean, I mean it does. I've spent, I've sold my house, I've taken all my investments that I put into it. I put everything into this. And now it's forced me to be on the road. There's no way out about other than through it. I don't have the same relationships that I used to have with my best friends. Why I don't get notified that, you know, my best friends are having kids in the next, you know, four months. And I'm finding out through the grapevine and it's like, you know, almost like out of sight, out of mind. And I've just kind of become that. Unfortunately, through not responding to texts. I don't have time for anything. You see how I am. I have no time for any, anything other than this between being on the road and the time zone differences while I'm on the computer or in the field. Like there is no time for anything and I neglect everyone and everything because I have no money left other than making it happen through these projects. And so I can't have.

[Rachel Lindsay]

Because all pitter patter goes into making

[Blake Moynes]

this and small talk conversations with text. Like I'm literally work. You see me, I'm nuts right now.

[Rachel Lindsay]

And so, so you feel like because you're not checking in on your friends, they forget you and then you see posts of them like having children or getting married and you didn't even know that was happening.

[Blake Moynes]

Yeah, like I'm, you know, some of my best friends, their kids are three years old now. I've never met their kids because the last three years I've been so deep in this. And when I get home, you know, maybe I have a week before I'm off to Alaska, to wherever I am in the world and it's back to back to back to back that you don't even find the time when you're home. Because why? Because typically, okay, I gotta see mom, I gotta see maybe my dad first, if anything before trying to get time with every single one of my friends in a two week period. But I also have all the back end of the accounting and the this and the that that I have to get the computer time done because I'm

[Rachel Lindsay]

out here doing this because for those who are listening, I don't think he slept more than three hours hours since I've been here with him. So on top of the fact that you're trying to make relationships happen, your mental health is suffering at the cost of all this that you are doing for these organizations and for the animals and and not sleeping. I I literally I think at 4pm today I said have you eaten? Did not because you've been so busy with everything today which is just showing the dedication and like I really want to get across to everyone listening like how much you really do put into this.

[Podcast Host]

Okay guys, there is still so much more to get into with Blake so we will be finishing this all up on episode two so make sure you guys follow along. You can follow us on Bachelor Happy Hour and Bachelor Nation. Make sure you rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcast and we will see you back for part two. Bye guys. Guys,

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I've tried out Facetune and it's so fun to see what I look like with different hairstyles and different lighting. I definitely recommend it. Before you make a big change, you can even try out different makeup looks. Facetune can also smooth skin, vanish flyaway hairs, and fix whatever your photo needs. It will make your pictures and videos flawless. So even if the lighting is not on your side, Facetune has you covered. Download Facetune free on the App Store or Google Play. You know that pile of clothes that you've been meaning to deal with? Yeah, same. This is the easiest way to clean out your closet, send your clothes somewhere better and actually get rewarded for it. No more letting things sit around wondering what to do with them. You just fill up a take back bag with clothes that you don't wear anymore, send it in and Trashy takes care of the rest, keeping it out of landfills and giving clothes a second life. It's such a simple way to feel good about clearing space and doing something better for the planet. And here's the best part. You earn cash rewards back for every bag you send, which makes it even easier to stay consistent. You can check it out at Trashy IO Plus with Trashy Unlimited you can get unlimited bags for just $48 for your first year. An easy at home clean out system so you can stay on top of things all year long. Clean it out, donate, earn rewards and head to Trashy I.O. to get started. Today, history is full of mysteries like how people ever survived before Modern laundry detergent. Luckily Tide is here with boosted stain fighting for cleaner, whiter, brighter and fresher laundry versus Tide. Simply no wonder it was America's number one detergent in sales last year. If it's got to be clean, it's got to be Tide. Tide is a proud sponsor of the Elton John Impact Awards, honoring those who have helped shape a more inclusive and compassionate world with their artistry, advocacy and unwavering commitment to equality. You won't want to miss the Elton John Impact Awards podcast available on June 1st on the iHeartRadio app and everywhere where podcasts are are hurt. If you are looking for a cute new pair of sandals for summer, you have to check out Reef. I have been on the hunt for a perfect pair of flip flops. So I was so excited when I got my pair of reefs because not only are they so cute, but they're actually comfortable and exactly what I've been pinning to my Pinterest board. They have been doing this forever. It's kind of their thing. Flip flops, platforms, slides, premium materials and so stylish. So whatever your vibe is, they have your wardrobe set for everything on the agenda. Styles for the beach, brunch, date night or vacation. They're super comfortable, they look great and you'll feel effortlessly put together. Explore the full collection on reef.com and get 15% off your first purchase. This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.