The group of four (musicians Hunter Kennedy, Pierre Greef, Fred den Hartog and Phillip Erasmus) are proudly South African and passionate about conservation. The lyrics to songs such as 'Klein Tambotieboom' reveal their love of protected areas and of the Bushveld especially.

“We are thrilled to have Die Heuwels Fantasties as ambassadors of the Wild Card programme,” says programme manager Hein Grobler. “We hope their passion for national parks and nature reserves will continue to promote environmental and conservation awareness and hopefully reach a younger auidence.”

We look forward to hearing about their Wild Card adventures – and hearing new songs inspired by nature.

Read our Q&A with band members Pierre Greef and Hunter Kennedy:

How did the title for the album Wilder as die Wildtuin come about?
Pierre: It’s a metaphor for the urban jungle that we live in!
Hunter: We thought it was funny and we love “die wildtuin”.

Can you remember your first trip to a game park? Where did you go?
Pierre:  I went to the Kruger Park when I was 10. It blew my mind! Those animals look huge when you’re that small.
Hunter: The first trip that I can remember was to the Addo Elephant National Park when I was very young. It was magical.

Why did you decide to support the Wild Card and act as ambassadors for the programme?
Pierre: All the guys love the outdoors and being far from city noise and lights, it seemed like a perfect fit for sure. Nature is part of our heritage and supporting the protection of this is right up our alley!
Hunter: I wish I had known about the programme earlier – we’d have signed up ages ago.

Is there a park or reserve that you would still like to visit?
Pierre: I would love to go back to the St Lucia estuary. I saw a small bit of it when I was 22 but I want to see more…
Hunter: I still haven’t been to Cape Point!

What activities do you enjoy out in nature?
Pierre: Braai, braai, braai!
Hunter: I enjoy taking in the surroundings. Gazing out, listening – that kind of thing.

Is there a particular area in South Africa that has a special meaning to you?
Pierre: The Lowveld is a place that I find particularly beautiful –Graskop, Pilgrims Rest, Kruger, God’s Window, White River – the list goes on!
Hunter: Sjoe. The simple answer would be: yes, everything except the cities.

You are working on a new album. Can we expect any more songs with ‘wild’ themes?
Pierre: We think nature definitely represents Alles Wat Mal Is (the name of the new album).
Hunter: Nature has always been a big inspiration for our lyrics. There’s a song called ‘Volkslied’ that’s themed around urban sprawl. Another song, ‘Warrelwindsaadjie’, has a lot of nature imagery to it.

Which song of yours do you think our Wild Card fans would most enjoy listening to?
Pierre: ‘Wilder as die Wildtuin’ ... hahahaha.
Hunter: I would say that ‘Tambotieboom’ is a good one. In the music video you’ll see that we are in and around the Kruger area. We love travelling and most of the videos from our first album are about travel.

Excerpt from ‘Klein Tambotieboom’ with an English translation:

As die donker my kom haal...
...begrawe my hart op Klein Tambotieboom
En strooi my as oor die Bosveld-horison
....
Die gelukkigste wat ek ooit was 
Op die naat van my rug in die natuurreservaat
Die wind sing my naam


If the darkness comes to get me…
…bury my heart on Klein Tambotieboom
And spread my ashes across the bushveld horizon
…
The happiest that I ever was
Was laying on my back in the nature reserve
The wind singing my name