Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!

by DAKTARI Bush School & Wildlife Orphanage
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!
Provide food&care for ALL our animals for 1 year!

Project Report | Aug 3, 2016
What is DAKTARI's Wildlife Orphanage?

By Sonja Heineck | Marketing Manager

Yster serving as an ambassador
Yster serving as an ambassador

Hello and Welcome!

Thanks to several amazing stories on the Dodo and through GlobalGiving there are a lot of new people receiving this report. If you are one of them, welcome and thank you for your support! 

There are many different types of wildlife sanctuaries out there, especially in South Africa. There are game reserves and farms where the animals roam free, rehabilitation centers that help injured animals, breeding programs to bolster the populations of endangered species, and more. 

DAKTARI's wildlife orphange is a bit of hybrid. We have a camp with animal enclosures and a farm surrounding us where animals roam free. We have some injured animals but don't consider ourself a rehabilitation center. We are not a breeding program, though we often care for abandoned baby animals. 

The animals in our enclosures are often there because they would not survive if released. Our eagles and owls cannot fly; our wild dog, Dongo, has maimed legs from being hit by a car; and Martin, our cheetah, was raised in captivity and is too old to thrive in the wild. These animals live in comfort at DAKTARI and serve as ambassadors for the local children that visit our camp. Other animals are only here temporarily, like our mongooses, who will be released once they have established the family unit necessary to survive. 

There are also animals in the farm that visit the DAKTARI camp every day. A collection of antelope species that were hand-raised by DAKTARI's staff keep coming back to say hello and get a snack. Maxi, a bushbuck, has been thriving for the past 8 years on the farm. She comes back every day to serve as an ambassador for the kids. Her many children also stop by for a visit from time to time. 

One of our favorite animal ambassadors is Yster. Yster is a porcupine that was rescued by DAKTARI as a baby. She was abandoned by her mother and bottle-fed at the DAKTARI camp. She was immediately affectionate and would cuddle up with volunteers and even the children! Once she was strong enough, she was released onto our farm. Much to everyone's surprise, that evening, Yster showed up right around dinner time! She continued to come back for a carrot and some love every night. Today, Yster is a fantastic animal ambassador. She will arrive right around dinner time and every Monday, the first night we have new children at the camp, we introduce them to Yster. She shows the children that wild animals, like Yster, should not be killed out of fear or uncertainty. As they watch her munch on a carrot, they learn to respect her and as they give her a belly rub, they learn to admire her.  

All of our animals have a special place in our hearts. They have unique, and sometimes quirky, personalities. Most importantly, all of them teach the children who visit us the importance of protecting the wildlife and the environment. Every week, the children leave with an appreciation for animals and a passion to keep them safe. 

To all of our furry (and not so furry!) residents, we say thank you and we love you!

To all of their supporters like you, we hope you get to come and see our family here at DAKTARI and meet our ambassadors in person. They, and we, thank you for the support that allows us to do what we love every day. 

Until next time, 

A humbled and grateful DAKTARI Team

Sir Martin, our resident Cheetah
Sir Martin, our resident Cheetah
Dongo, our Wild Dog
Dongo, our Wild Dog
Maxi, left, with one of her babies
Maxi, left, with one of her babies
Three of our baby banded mongooses
Three of our baby banded mongooses
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Organization Information

DAKTARI Bush School & Wildlife Orphanage

Location: Hoedspruit, Limpopo Province - South Africa
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Twitter: @Daktari_Africa
Project Leader:
Edouard Chabanne
Marketing Manager
Hoedspruit , Limpopo Province South Africa

Funded Project!

Combined with other sources of funding, this project raised enough money to fund the outlined activities and is no longer accepting donations.
   

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