GEORGE NEWS - Nick Kolberg (49) is a humble, unassuming, and God-fearing man whose maturity and wisdom belie his age. Raised with a deep love for animals, his future in this direction was set from a very young age.

He has survived numerous snake bites and other gnarly encounters with many different wild creatures.

His interest, particularly in snakes, was sparked when he was bitten by a night adder at the age of three. Instead of deterring him, this incident fuelled his passion for animals.

From that day on, Nick's bedroom transformed into a mini-zoo, with every cupboard replaced by a snake enclosure. Injured animals found their way to him, where they were nursed back to health and released.
The Kolberg household became known in the neighbourhood as the go-to place for any animal in need - even those of the stranger kind.

"My love for nature and animals began when I was a young boy," he says. "I was always more curious about animals, even the scary ones than I feared them. Throughout my life, living and working mostly on farms and wildlife establishments, I have raised, rescued and relocated a multitude of animals.

"Dogs, various antelope, birds, horses, reptiles, cats - pretty much anything that's not human and has a heartbeat. It's a passion I was born and raised with, not something someone can teach you."

Nick attended Outeniqua High School, and although it was admittedly not his favourite place to be, locked up in a classroom when the mountains were calling, this is where he met a life-long friend and mentor.

"Many years ago, a fresh-faced youngster wandered into my classroom and rather shyly said that he believed I kept snakes," says a former English teacher Gavin Falck.

"That was my first encounter with Nick, and even then, I was struck by his absolute passion for and impressive knowledge of our scaly friends."

It wasn't long before Nick arrived at Gavin's doorstep to have a look at his snake collection.
Many years later, the passion for all animals that was apparent in those early days has never diminished - in fact, it has increased.

"I have always been sceptical of people who claim to be able to communicate directly with animals, but Nick appears to have some type of direct line of communication with every type of creature," says Gavin.

"He possesses an ability to calm an animal down, be it a frightened snake, an aggressive dog, or even a swarm of bees.

"Nick's natural aura of calm goes a long way to explain this affinity with animals. He seems to be completely unflappable."

Anecdotes from Gavin's pen

"The first incident occurred when Nick was still housing his then-huge collection of creatures at the pet shop in Langenhoven Street. He let me know that he had just removed a beautiful Boomslang from someone’s property. 

"It was also rather unusual, in that its belly was a bluish colour, instead of the more usual yellow or green. I decided that I wanted to take a few photographs of it, so at the first opportunity I grabbed my camera and drove to the pet shop on Langenhoven Street. 

"The photo session went well, and I was getting some lovely images. Nick was posing the snake in every which way that I wanted it to be posed and the snake was cooperating as a good snake should, especially when under the thrall of the snake whisperer. 

"In retrospect, I was certainly guilty of pushing things just a bit too far, especially with a snake that was as good an actor as Nick. 

"For once Nick’s usually impeccable ability to read what a snake is going to do let him down. 

"The patient creature must have been getting more and more irritated with us but gave absolutely no sign of this until – it leisurely, as if in slow motion, reached out and bit Nick on the upper arm.

"Never believe the nonsense that a Boomslang can only bite you on an appendage such as a finger because its fangs sit far back in its mouth. The reality is that a Boomslang can open its mouth to a full 180 degrees and has astonishingly large fangs. I watch in fascinated horror as this Boomslang opened its mouth and buried both fangs into Nick’s arm. It didn’t strike or anything dramatic like that – it simply reached over, bit and released.

"Nick’s reaction, of course, was the predictable unflappable one. He seemed to be completely unconcerned, even though he had just been bitten by what is, arguably, one of Africa’s most venomous snakes, and blood was oozing from two clear puncture wounds. His reaction was one of 'Let’s wait and see what happens', while mine was to get to a doctor immediately. I prevailed. 

Fortunately, the bite turned out to be a dry one and there were no further consequences.

"The other incident, which involved bees, happened at Nick’s parents’ house in Blanco. I have had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of an irate swarm of bees before and have ever since had a healthy respect for them. We were standing in the front yard area when suddenly there were bees all around us. The air seemed to be thick with them and their buzzing filled the air. My first reaction was, 'Get the hell out of here'.  

"Nick’s comment was, 'Stand still. They won’t do anything. They are just swarming.' Within a short while the bees moved on, and the air was no longer filled with buzzing little bodies.

After school, Nick spent about a year abroad before he started working for the Cango Wildlife Ranch in Oudtshoorn.

He also worked for many years at the Garden Route Game Lodge, where he was a German tour guide and designed and built their reptile park while raising many foster animals.

Nick Kolberg raised many antelope in his life. This little one was a foster Nick raised at the Garden Route Game Lodge in Albertinia.He later joined Umbono Training, conducting snake awareness, handling, and first-aid courses nationwide.
He also appeared on the TV channel Via, has written many informative articles for newspapers and has been hosted by radio shows and bloggers.

The sheer knowledge of animals he possesses, speaks of pure passion and an uncontrollable thirst for knowledge. "I learn every day. Animals evolve and so should our knowledge about them. I love reading up on animals and the only time I watch TV is when there's a nature documentary showing," he says.

To Nick, life is all about finding the balance between humans and the survival of our wildlife.

"It will be a sad day if all we have to show our children are pictures of animals that once walked the earth. We need to find and keep the balance between living and letting live."

Nick is a great lover of the outdoors. This photo was taken many years ago during a mountain hike in Waboomskraal. Something his family did regularly. With him is his father Ralf.

Recalling the first time he met Nick, Neville Wolmarans, a reptile expert and owner of Ndlondlo Reptile Park in Ballito, said he was pleasantly surprised with the extent of Nick's knowledge. 

"My first interaction with Nick was in 2010 when he needed a few snakes for awareness training he did across the country. We spoke at length while I discreetly tried to gauge his level of experience and how up-to-date he was with the latest taxonomical advances. 

"Nick has a broad knowledge of all animals and their relationships with each other and their environment," says Wolmarans.  

Wolmarans first started collaborating with Nick in March 2013 when they were working on a script for the Speed Kills series for National Geographic. 

"Nick consulted for me, creating a beautiful storyline flow between diurnal predators and nocturnal predators. Another production that owes its success to Nick’s insight into relationships between species was the Nat Geo show Cobra Mafia," says Wolmarans.  

When a friend was struggling to save two abandoned serval kittens and the fight seemed to have been lost, he turned to Nick. 

After sending photos and appropriate information, Nick came forward with the solution that saved the day.

"On another day Nick’s expertise made the difference for an adorable fruit bat that required assistance. In 2021 Nick came and spent a few days at Ndlondlo Reptile Park and helped us give the park a much-needed facelift. His artistic flair and innovative out-of-the-box thinking resulted in a cheap job that looked classy and expensive. We have since followed the same theme throughout the park," says Wolmarans. 

Over the years Nick has proven his integrity and has become more than a useful source of information and solutions but also a dear friend that spares no effort when it comes to work.

Nick handling a boomslang during a photo shoot with journalist Jeff Ayliffe. Photo: Kristy Kolberg

Nick while he was recently consulting at a wildlife farm in the Free State. The cheetah cub was very weak at birth. Once it was a bit stronger, it was returned to its mother.

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