RGS London 2026

There is a review of my book "HIPPOS, A MONGOOSE AND ME" at Se7en.org
Please read it at : www.se7en.org.za/2024/02/23/hippos-a-mongoose-and-me-a-virtual-book-launch
There are also other reviews on amazon so here are a couple of things that were said on amazon :

Inge Skliros

"As I read Karen’s second book about her life at Hippo Haven in the Zimbabwean bush, I can smell the bush, feel the scorching heat of the sun, and hear the birds chattering in the trees and the barks and wahoos of the baboons, with the grunts, bellows and squeals of the hippos in the Turgwe River providing the background score. I am transported to wild Africa, a place that has always been close to my heart. I have visited Africa on 5 separate occasions and Zimbabwe remains my favourite place to visit. Karen is leading the life that I, as a young child, had dreamt of, but never had the courage to follow. It takes a very special person to wholeheartedly dedicate their life to wild animals, knowing full well that with such devotion, there will be unbearable heartbreak - the loss of a beloved animal whether wild, or tame - is a physical pain like no other. Karen’s description of the finding of an abandoned newborn mongoose she and Jean-Roger set about raising, her impact on their lives and her sudden death at age 9 years, had me practically in tears. Being a dog lover myself, I know what it feels like to lose a beloved pet, so I could relate to Karen’s feelings. The continuing hardships she and Jean-Roger face due to political pressures and poaching are hair-raising and I admire the courage with which they continue their work against all odds. To stock 18 feeding stations for over 14 months during a prolonged drought in the mid 1990s, with money for feed coming only from donations to Hippo Trust needs faith, determination and back-breakingly hard work. Nevertheless, she persevered and not one hippo was lost during the drought. Many other animals - elephants, and varied ungulates - also attended the feeding stations and Karen estimated that they were feeding 24 hippos and about 250 other animals! Karen is an extraordinary person, and she is fortunate to be supported by a loving husband as well as receiving the support of many sponsors of Hippo Haven from all across the world. She is also a talented writer whose words transport you to the bush in south-eastern Zimbabwe, where you can share her life through her vivid descriptions of living in the wild. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Africa and especially hippos!"

C.J Carver author of many published thriller books as well as the popular Dan Forrester series

"I absolutely loved this book. Utterly engaging, evocative and heart-warming. The narrative is stunning – I could feel the heat, see the vast open spaces, smell the bush and hear the lioness’s motorbike-growl as though she was prowling behind me. I loved the observations of the animals in their natural habitats along with Karen’s witnessing some extraordinary behaviour, especially between crocodiles and hippos.

Karen has a near-magical gift for combining warmth and gravitas as she writes about her passion for animals. No creature is regarded less than another, from scorpions and violin spiders to hippos and leopards. She treats them all not just with enormous respect, but a deep love.

What sets Karen apart is her extraordinary storytelling and sheer authenticity. A marvellous book. But what stands out is her relationship with wild animals, who allow her to treat them when wounded. Astonishing, wondrous.

Full of wonder and downright thrilling in its descriptions of facing armed poachers and fleeing from enraged elephants, this book is utterly engaging. What an extraordinary, powerful and rewarding life Karen has led. I am in awe.

If I could give this book ten stars, I would! "

Derek Kilgariff

"This is an inspiring book from a passionate animal advocate, who has lived in the bush in Zimbabwe for the last 30 years, fighting tooth and nail to protect the animals from poaching and drought. She does this without fences or guns. Although her love is for the hippos, her knowledge and awareness of all the local wildlife is wonderful. She writes with the same passion as she lives her life and you will be thrilled and shocked by her tales of the events she has experienced. Buy this book and you will be taken on an amazing journey."

Mark Powell

"Karen Paolillo takes us on a journey back through her life in the bush. Beautifully told in a natural style, she brings every chapter to life. We learn about some of the individual animals that have been significant in her life along with the self-reliance required to deal with everything from earthquakes to Parabuthus scorpions and the relentless battle against poaching. What shines through is Karen’s determination, commitment, and love of the natural world – brilliant."

https://turgwetrust.org/donate-to-help/

To buy tickets please follow the above link and select the donate in £'s. Donate the amount for the number of tickets required and Karen will forward them to you.

Hear about feeding wildlife especially the Turgwe Hippos and many other wild animals in severe droughts where they all would have perished. Presented by Karen Paolillo the founder of the Turgwe Hippo Trust.

Watch video footage filmed from trail cameras in situ at the feeding areas during the 2024 drought. See unusual and interesting footage of various wild animals that fed during that 10-month period. Hippos, Elephants, buffalo, warthogs, wildebeest, zebra etc.

Meet Anthony Martin CBE, of the AVM Foundation.

Watch 15-minute film created by Actor, Filmmaker and Producer Dan Richardson. Filmed on site in Zimbabwe in July at Turgwe Hippo Trust.

Meet Actor and Animal Advocate and Auctioneer for the evening PETER EGAN, After Life, Death at a funeral, Downton Abbey, Chariots of Fire and so much more from stage and screen. Also meet Actor Mark Bonnar, Shetlands, Napoleon etc.

Donate to a cause that helps not just the Turgwe Hippos but any wildlife in the area. Protecting them from poaching, sport hunting, and natural events such as droughts and floods. People that step in every single day to keep them all safe and alive in the wild.

Purchase one or both books, A HIPPO LOVE STORY or HIPPOS A MONGOOSE AND ME published by Penguin South Africa, written and personally signed by Karen Paolillo; memoir and stories about living and protecting hippos and other wild animals in a remote area of the African bush for over three decades.
Purchase ‘Legacy of Love’, a book that celebrates the relationship between animals and actors, artists, photographers, animal charity founders; this includes the Turgwe Hippo Trust.
Purchase the 2027 Turgwe Hippo Trust hippo calendar presenting some of the hippos of the Turgwe River or the 2027 wild animals calendar. Images for both calendars by Karen Paolillo.
Join all of us for an inspiring evening learning more about the hippos, one of Africa’s iconic species, and helping to protect the Turgwe Hippos to continue their wild lives in the south east lowveld of Zimbabwe within the Turgwe River.

Auction items:
1)Stay for 2 people with Karen and Jean-Roger at Hippo Haven, headquarters of the Turgwe Hippo Trust in Zimbabwe for 9 nights, which can include 2 nights in the Gona Re Zhou National Park at a rustic bush camp where you pay National Parks for that experience. Jean-Roger and Karen Paolillo will personally drive you there (2 hours from Hippo Haven) and bring and prepare the food.This does not include air tickets to Zimbabwe or travel by courier service Harare to Hippo Haven and Return. (5-hour drive).Jean-Roger and Karen Paolillo will pick you up at the entrance to the Conservancy which is 70 kilometres from Hippo Haven and return you to the boom at the end of you stay , where you will be collected by the Courier service.

Accommodation in Harare at your own cost, the Paolillo’s can suggest hotels and guest lodges. Dates this is available at this moment are between June to end of September, date to be arranged with the Paolillos by end of November 2026. Winter months in Zimbabwe i.e. cooler nights June to August. August and September hotter around 30 degrees in August in daytime but it can go as high as 36 degrees in September, climate change notwithstanding.You may be lucky enough to meet Max hippo, the Turgwe Hippo Trust house hippo if he is still visiting the house in 2027.

Value of Stay at Hippo Haven, Turgwe Hippo Trust Zimbabwe £3700

Transport Harare to boom and return to Harare 900km. £800 to be paid by winning bid

2) Oil Painting: - by Zimbabwean artist ANT FYNN
CHITAKE

CHITAKE This is one of several paintings I have done of Zimbabwe’s Chitake Springs, one of the wonders of the wildlife world. The Chitake river bed itself is sandy and dry for most of the year, flanked on both sides by cliffs gouged out by the river over hundreds of years. On top of the cliffs the iconic towering baobab trees, perhaps a thousand years old, add to the grandeur of this gem of wild Africa. A spring wells up and is the only water for many miles. When myself and my family camp here the best times are when we are alone – just us with no noise other than those of a wild world that pays no attention to us. On the occasion of this painting the Cape Buffalo herd of over a thousand has not yet arrived, the lion pride of over 30 individuals is waiting patiently in the shade of the giant baobabs, and the elephant have ambled up for their midday drink. Small numbers of Impala are left after the main herd has finished drinking, Helmeted Guineafowl have arrived, and huge numbers of Cape Turtle Doves are milling around, drinking as fast as they can, then leaving in a flash of wings before the Lanner Falcons strike. This is raw untamed Africa at its best and a paradise for me as an artist.

Value of Chitake £3700 Ant Fynn

Framed size 26”x 36”

3) Pastel painting includes frame approximately 24 x 38 inches by British artist RICHARD SYMONDS

Richard Symonds passion and commitment to wildlife spans over 20 years.
He has held a number of exhibitions and auctions in and around London including Christies and Sotheby’s and his work can be found in private and corporate collections worldwide.
In 2006 Richard hit the headlines with his life size oil painting of an African bull elephant which sold for a staggering $100,000 to a private collector. With a large donation from that sale going to the Born Free Foundation. Richard has always pledged to himself that whilst making his living from his wildlife art it only feels right to balance his success with giving back to the wild by raising funds through the sale and auctions of his originals and prints.

Value of LION by Richard Symonds

£3500

Framed 24”x38”

4) Framed embellish print size 658mm x 365mm Image size 450mm x 150mm HIPPO by British artist GARY HODGES

I've known about Karen's dedication towards hippos, warthogs and other creatures living locally to her area for a few years now and am happy to help through my art whenever possible. So when she contacted me recently about her latest event being organised for the Turgwe Hippo Trust, I chose this special framed print for her auction at the Royal Geographical Society. Having the THT patron, Peter Egan as the esteemed auctioneer will surely help as he's one of the good guys, involved in many wildlife charities.

Besides 'Hippo' being an embellished print, which means I have personally added many thousands of new pencil strokes over many hours on top of the print making it more dynamic and quite unique. It becomes much closer to an original drawing and this particular copy has also been co-signed by two shining lights of the conservation world, Dame Virginia McKenna and Rula Lenska.

I've been fortunate to have witnessed serene scenes like this many times over the past 36 years, in Kenya, Tanzania, Gabon, Botswana and most of all in South Luangwa, Zambia where hippos abound in their thousands.

Value of HIPPO by Gary Hodges £845 unframed

Size 45.5cm x 15.5cm

5) Bespoke silver hippos by Zimbabwean silversmith and sculptor of Luxury brands PATRICK MAVROS
6) One-off stoneware hippo 45cm long x 24cm deep x 29.5cm high by UK artist SUZIE MARSH

Suzie’s animal sculptures have gained great acclaim over the last 35 years and she now has a loyal following both in the UK and abroad. She has undertaken many private and business commissions including sculpture exhibits for a museum in Taiwan and two public installations, one of Nelson the Seal at Looe Harbour in Cornwall, the other of Police Dog Finn at Layston Court Gardens, Buntingford, Hertfordshire. Her work reflects her love of animals and her fascination with their character and form. She often produces work to aid animal charities close to her heart and this has taken her to the Animals Asia bear sanctuaries in China and Vietnam as well as the Turgwe Hippo Trust in Zimbabwe. In recognition of her own four cats who double as artist’s models, Suzie is also a keen supporter of Cats Protection. Her initial work is in clay and her originals can then be cast in bronze resin and/or foundry bronze. All of her work is suitable for the home or garden.

Value of stoneware HIPPO Suzie Marsh £2000

Weight 10kg 45cm long x 24cm deep x 29.5cm high

She is a one-off original sculpture made in stoneware clay.

7) Hippo Sculpture by Zimbabwean Gift C. Rusere

The Turgwe Hippo Trust does its best to promote indigenous artists by suggesting to guests and volunteers which markets to visit. In Gift’s case many of the Trust’s volunteers have purchased his work as his talent shines through in the details and accuracy of the shape and look of the wild animals he sculpts.

We so look forward to meeting you all and hope you have a wonderful evening with us.

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