Where Are They Now? Cindy Hall – Survivor: Guatemala [Guest Post]

by Lynn on June 20th, 2008

Guest Correspondent: Betsy Hijazi My friend, Betsy Hijazi has been with me at various reality TV events and was kind enough to be the Reality Exploits Correspondent for me at the Survivor: Micronesia red carpet event last month. She’s a very talented blogger in her own right and will be with me again at the Survivor Dogeball charity event in November. She lives in Boston and is elated that the Celtics were victorious.

Cindy Hall appeared on Survivor: Guatemala and was voted out on Episode 13, after having just won a car. Not a bad consolation prize if you ask me! We caught up with Cindy and she filled us in on all that has been happening since her experience in Guatemala. Cindy also sent over several photos for you to enjoy. Thanks Cindy!! Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see you in New York this November for the Castaways Charity Event!

It’s Cindy Hall from Survivor Guatemala. These pictures are of me with the two Ocelots from the Zoo in Naples, Florida where I now work. Yes, it is the same zoo that fired me during the early stages of the interview process for the show. Well, 1 year and 6 months later, I received a call from the owner and director of the zoo asking to have a meeting to discuss the situation and the possibility of my return. Three weeks later he called to ask when could I be there? Now here I am almost two years later.

During that time I have traveled to Texas with these Ocelots which I trained seven years ago, to create awareness that not only do these animals live in the U.S. but that they are nearly extinct with Texas being the only state that they exist in with a population of less than 80 cats all living around the area of The Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge. We have met with thousands of kids at the schools, land owners, land developers, golf course communities, and quite importantly the Texas Dept. of Transportation.

The cats were once hunted heavily for their luxurious coats which placed them on the Endangered Species List in 1982 where of course they remain today, but now due to loss of suitable habitat. Texas has a large amount if privately owned land so it is critical to convince the land owners to use the land in such a way that can preserve and rebuild Ocelot habitat. There are ways to make more money doing less work for the land owners but they need to be made aware of the options as well as the need. Not to mention, convincing a Texan to do something with his land that isn’t his idea is quite a task!

(click on “Read More” for the rest of Cindy’s update!)

I’d also like to share a little about my horses since they seem to consume so much of my time. While unemployed from the zoo due to the circumstances surrounding Survivor, I went to work at a horse ranch since I grew up in KY. and had always wanted to learn about horses. While working there, which involved cleaning out 30 or more stalls and paddocks twice a day, my boss assigned me to a horse she had rescued that had been found collapsed from starvation on somebody’s property.

It all went very well for both of us as we learned to communicate through the techniques of Natural Horsemanship. So well that for my birthday that year, the anniversary of our time in Guatemala on Survivor, she gave me the horse! I had never ridden a horse for real so it was an uncertain future for both of us. We now take lessons from a trainer who comes from Sarasota to Naples each month. She is amazing and I am able to do anything I wish with her. When the trainer first encountered us she told me she may never be able to accept a rider again and that she was one of the most troubled horses she had worked with. My response was, I spent nearly five years trying to get on Survivor and you see where that got me so I think I can spend just as long on this horse! Her name is Katiehorse and she is the white horse in the pictures.

More recently, while living and working at the ranch as well as the zoo, I witnessed the rapid decline of the health of a particular little Arabian. Her owner simply did not have a connecting relationship with her and as well was short on time and finances. The trainer evaluated her and told me that if something did not change the horse could possibly die! She also stated that I may not be able to save her despite my desire to rescue her. After speaking with her owner cautiously but persistently she agreed to surrender the horse to me. She has made a remarkable comeback and I am riding her as well. Her name is now Maggie Moonlight. Interestingly she is the great granddaughter to the horse that played the role of The Black Stallion in the movie! Through my training with these horses, and two years of employment at the ranch, I have been applying what I have learned to assist other people with basic natural horsemanship techniques.

There you have some of my involvement and efforts towards something that is very important to me. Now anyone who has taken the time to chat with me knows that just about everything I put effort into I am very passionate about.

I’ve been back to Guatemala twice this past year and I think I might be the only Survivor to return to the exact spot my adventure took place! I am also training horses and driving a motorcycle.