We are glad to share the following animal updates with you!

DASSIES

The four youngsters of the dassie family had grown significantly so we decided it was time to let them go! We released the family of 6 altogether at the end of June. We keep feeding them from time to time to help them adapt to their new environment. It is nice to see them running or climbing trees around camp!

There were also four other dassies in a separate enclosure. After the death of Gini and Big Boy, we decided to set free the other two dassies, Caline and Little Boy. They now live free in camp, and enjoy having their afternoon nap on the couch with Michele, or keeping warm by cuddling the dogs!

CROCODILE RELEASE

Tugela had been rescued from a crocodile farm but it was now big enough to live a happy life in the wild. We explored different options as to where we could release him, and sadly the dam on our farm is drying up to quickly to consider it as a safe alternative. So, we safely transported him to the neighbouring farm around mid-July, where the flowing river is his new home! 

NEW RESIDENT

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation had kindly sponsored the building of an aviary that we finished a couple of months ago. And we have just welcomed the first resident of the aviary! Sigourney is a beautiful White Stork with a permanently injured wing after flying into a fence. DIY Wild looked after her and provided the upmost care, but unfortunately her wing never healed properly. Thus, she cannot fly and we cannot release her back into the wild. She will stay at DAKTARI to live happy days while educating the children.

white stork daktari wildlife orphanage

GOODBYE JACK

The last of the animal updates is not the happiest but it is important to share. The lovely Myna Bird, Jack, sadly passed away last week. Jack was free during the day, landing on people’s heads unexpectedly or having a sip of tea in the morning. He was also very talkative, imitating sounds around him! One evening, we did not manage to find him and bring him back to his enclosure for the night. The next morning, we only found feathers scattered on the ground. This is when we understood that we will sadly not see him around again.