Wild about safaris
DANIELLE GILLESPIE,
dgillespie@newsreview.info
November 21, 2005
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SUTHERLIN -- About a year ago, Ursula Kosling moved to Sutherlin in search of a simple life with few responsibilities.
She had just sold her home of seven years in Talent, where she had run a bed and breakfast and horse business, and bought a small place in Sutherlin.
"Boy, was I bored out of my skull," the 74-year-old woman said.
So Kosling decided recently to start a safari in Arusha, Tanzania in East Africa. She is able to start the business, Tanzania Wildlife Adventure Safari, from money she saved from selling her homes and business. She also owned a ranch in California.
Kosling came up with the idea after going on a safari trip in Tanzania for 16 days with the Umpqua Bank Carefree 50s Club. She almost didn't get to go on the trip in May because she had signed up late and was on a waiting list.
But two weeks before the club was about to leave, one of the 14 members canceled, and Kosling got her chance. She had always wanted to visit Africa because she loves animals and desired to see them in their natural habitat.
"I stepped foot on the soil in Tanzania and I said to myself, 'I have come home,'" she said. "I don't know why. I have no clue."
She and the group's guide, Bosco Nango, soon became good friends, and she wanted to help him find a better job in the United States. The country has a high unemployment rate and the people are paid poorly, she said.
But when Kosling returned, Nango was unable to come to America. Not wanting to let him down, Kosling decided to start a safari business and make Nango her partner. She also loved the country and decided to make it her home.
Since then, Kosling has partnered with Jerry Sebastian, a Tanzanian who used to own a safari business. She has finished all the paperwork to make her company legal.
She's also purchased two safari cars, which fit five people each, and has plans to buy 20 more in the next three years. Kosling now needs to develop relationships with the airlines and lodging places in Tanzania.
"That's the next big step that has to be taken," she said.
Her safari will be able to take guests to view animals in parks such as Tarangire National Park and Lake Manyara National Park. They will see elephants, zebras, monkeys and more.
Safari at a glance
To find out more about Ursula Kosling’s business, Tanzanian Wildlife Adventure Safaris, go to
http://www.twasafaris.net/index.html or call Jean Ivey at 459-0716 or Ursula Kosling in Tanzania, 255-787-529-558.
She will find visitors accommodations in places such as camping areas or hotels. The cost for the trip will depend on how much the visitors want to spend, she said.
If visitors want to volunteer, she will find them places they can help out. During her trip with the Carefree 50s Club, she worked at an orphanage and a school. She also planted trees.
Kosling plans to recruit workers who are unemployed or make $60 or less a week. She wants to pay them better wages and teach them job skills. Kosling will hire drivers and office workers. She'll also need people to repair the vehicles after every trip. The roads are full of ruts and potholes, she said.
She would also like to set up a nonprofit organization. Many members of the Sutherlin chapter of A Course in Miracles have said they want to help the Tanzanians, she said. Kosling's nonprofit organization would give them a way to send items such as books, clothes or computers. A Course in Miracles is a nonprofit organization that promotes inner peace.
Kosling is now living in Africa and going through the process of becoming a legal resident. She has two grown children and five grandchildren who reside in California. If her sons, Earl and Michael, are interested in her safari business, Kosling said they can have it someday.
Jean Ivey of Sutherlin has teamed up with Kosling. Ivey is the consultant for the safari company and will book tours from the United States. She decided to help out because she wanted a way to stay in touch with Kosling.
"It's a long ways away and a big undertaking," said Ivey, owner of the North County News.
Ivey and Kosling met about a year ago through the group, A Course in Miracles. She was not at all surprised Kosling decided to move to Africa. She's adventurous and caring, she said.
"She lives in the moment."