Hard at work here at Daktari Over the past several months, the DAKTARI team works tirelessly on a safe and secure enclosure. At last, Daktari welcomes 12-year-old lion brothers to our camp. With the help of our network and wildlife vet, Dr. Peter Rogers, we have successfully relocated Duma and Telo to our reserve here [...]
Pretty, 31, lives in Turkey Zone 1, South Africa. She discovered DAKTARI at secondary school because her school, Rakgorokwana, regularly sent pupils there. Pretty dreamed of going to DAKTARI with her school, but at that time it was always the same children who went. At the end of her studies, Pretty found herself unemployed at [...]
Former students of Daktari Wildlife Orphanage and Environmental Education Centre in South Africa created a homemade sign bearing the center's name, which they personally signed. The sign now proudly stands in front of the camp, serving as a touching and appreciated gift. It reflects their deep appreciation for their time at Daktari and the experiences [...]
DAKTARI Bush School & Wildlife Orphanage, located in the heart of South Africa, is dedicated to fostering education and conservation. Every week, DAKTARI selects the best student who has demonstrated exceptional effort, active participation, and good behavior. Those students are rewarded with a tree to plant in their village and an unforgettable game drive experience [...]
On the sunny Saturday of May 20th, DAKTARI Bush School & Wildlife Orphanage warmly welcomed a group of important guests from the surrounding community. Among them were Reaben Lewele, the esteemed chief of Oaks, Makoosha Shai, a valued cooperation partner, Peter Makwala, the principal of Maahlamele school and the respected headman of Finale Village Robert [...]
Michele's emotional testimony about her relationship with Senior is a beautiful reminder of the deep bonds that can form between colleagues who work together for a common cause. In her words, we see a story of two women who have shared many challenges and triumphs, and who have formed a lasting friendship based on mutual [...]
Thirteen years after his time at Daktari Bush School & Wildlife Orphanage, we had the pleasure of interviewing Raphael, who returned for a visit to the place that gave his life and career meaning. As a law student at the time, Raphael discovered DAKTARI in SouthAfrica while looking for a fulfilling volunteer opportunity. Little did [...]
Ground-up Community Development DAKTARI strives to work from the ground up, focusing on direct impact and local community development. Many of our students often return to Daktari through our internship program. Our Internship Program helps local youth develop their CVs through work experience and professional skills development. Freedom Sibiya is a former DAKTARI student who [...]
Last month, we welcomed Luna, a blind Southern African hedgehog from the Gauteng area. She was found with her baby. As she was blind, she could not be rehabilitated contrary to her baby who was old enough to live on its own. The separation must have been hard for her but we gave her another [...]
Saying Goodbye to our Little Boy Yesterday was a painful blow for the whole DAKTARI family, as we lost one of our iconic personalities. Our very pregnant Dassie Little Boy breathed her last in our office. She went into labor around 5 pm next to all of us working in the office. She settled in [...]
Thank You Brigitte Bardot We would like to say a huge thank you to the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for their latest donation! This will contribute to the food and card for all our animals! Thanks to this donation from Brigitte Bardot, we can choose the best for our animals, and feed them with a specific [...]
Learning Through Positive Impact During their week at DAKTARI, the children receive many lessons, through games, in their classroom, in nature, with animals, and with volunteers through positive impact. Our goal is to have a positive impact on every child, through our teaching program as well as all the moments of life shared at DAKTARI... [...]
Maake's Story Maake Matlou, a 21-year-old former DAKTARI student we had in 2016, for our environmental education program. This post is about one of DAKTARI's many success stories. In 2020 as Covid-19 hit the world, we were busy with a project of distributing food parcels to the people who need it the most in our [...]
Cassius's Success Story A few months ago, a young student named Cassius contacted us. He was studying at the University of South Africa, completing his degree in Animal Welfare. Cassius reached out to us via email because he needed to complete a practical in animal care to complete his qualification. All doors were closed to [...]
Remember Dongo, the wild dog that was injured after being hit by a car? He was looked after for more than 20 years! Normally they live to about 7 years in the wild so, despite his permanent injury, he was well looked after! We are sad to tell you that he was put down to [...]
Nyalou the Nyala Nyalou the Nyala joined the DAKTARI Family in 2016 as an orphan. He was abandoned by his mom for two days in the bush and was in desperate need of help. Without any hesitation, Michele cared for him and bottle-fed him. With a lot of patience, dedication, and love, Nyalou became healthy [...]
THE STORY OF WELCOMING TWO UNEXPECTED BABY DASSIES Saturday afternoon, as I was in the Lapa, I heard Nikita our (Rottweiler) dog crying in fear, I immediately thought she got bitten by a snake. I ran and found Nikita’s tail between the legs and head down. As I was searching for the snake, I heard [...]
Discover the Wildlife Vet Online courses! Wildlife Vet Expedition Project. As a Wildlife Orphanage, we are the forever home to many injured or orphaned animals that require special attention and care. Ian and Michele have many years of experience caring for wild animals. However, it is critical to have a qualified vet to care for [...]
The Brigitte Bardot Foundation is a French Foundation created in 1986 by the famous actress Brigitte Bardot. Their mission is to protect animal welfare and animal rights in France and all over the world. Over the years, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation has shown great support to DAKTARI. For instance, they have sponsored the building of [...]
This is the lovely story of Michele and her dassies: The time we are going through due to the pandemic is very sad and lacks all forms of enthusiasm. Therefore, I decided to share my Dassie story hoping it will put a smile on your face at least for the day! Everybody knows by now [...]
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 [...]