DAKTARI Bush School & Wildlife Orphanage

We asked this Cause 3 Questions: >> Who are you and what do you do? >> Why did you get started? >> Tell us a story - a person you helped - that keeps you going...

Tell us a bit about your Cause - who are you and what do you do?

DAKTARI Bush School & Wildlife Orphanage works in the South African bush to educate local children about the environment and ignite their passion for wildlife. Each week, DAKTARI welcomes eight new students to our camp to attend lessons, do activities, and interact with the animals in our wildlife orphanage. The wildlife orphanage is home to more than 80 animals that are unable to survive in the bush. They live out their lives at DAKTARI, acting as animal ambassadors to teach the children.

Our work also extends outside of the camp. We host weekly Eco Clubs at the local secondary schools to reinforce the education the students receive at DAKTARI. We also run a Job Hunting Program where we help local unemployed youths gain the skills they need to find a job.

Why did you get started?

Before starting DAKTARI in 2006, we were running a restaurant in the Hoedspruit area. There, we met a young boy named Thabo who was often waving at us when he would visit his mother who was working on a nearby mango farm. At this time, we were already often given animals to rescue and when Thabo was passing around, he was a bit curious about these animals. We invited him a few times and realised that he did not have any knowledge about wildlife and conservation. It is when we welcomed a few of his friends to our restaurant for pizza that we discovered that none of them had never seen wild animals and were even terrified by them. We took them all for a tour in a rehabilitation centre and their enlightened faces gave us the idea and passion to create DAKTARI for the local children who do not have the opportunity to know or learn about their environment.

Tell us the one beneficiary story – a person you helped – that keeps you going

We have many success stories that keep us going, but Mina’s story is particularly touching for us. Mina was one of the first children we welcome at DAKTARI for environmental education in 2005.

Here what she said: “… In 2005, when I was in Grade 8 at Rakgolokwana High School, I was selected as one of the learners who got an opportunity to go to DAKTARI Bush School & Wildlife Orphanage and be part of their Eco-Club. During this period, I realized that I wanted to do Nature Conservation, but my focus was more on Veterinary Sciences. I didn’t know which one to choose until I went to Daktari where I learnt how to make good choices in terms of my future plans and studies. I decided to do nature conservation because I was always feeding animals and I enjoyed every moment of doing that - I wanted to conserve, preserve and maintain the natural resources. I continued visiting Daktari during weekends and holidays, because I wanted to learn and gain better knowledge of conservation. I knew that I had the potential to become a conservationist and I was always going the extra mile. Daktari has done more than what people can offer, they gave me knowledge, awareness, skills and motivated me me to strive for the best …”

After being employed as a data collector/fiedl assistant for Kruger To Canyion Biosphere and registered as as a B-tech student, she is now employed by Sanparks as a health instructor. We are so proud of our little Mina!