GROWING UP ZEBRA

The first television documentary that was filmed at SanWild was Growing Up Zebra produced by Arden Entertainment for Animal Planet. The documentary features the life story and successful reintroduction of three zebra foals back to the wild. 

Cassidy, Shadow and Sky arrived at SanWild as orphans and were all hand raised. SanWild’s techniques to hand raise wild herbivore orphans have proved to be very successful and a great number of wild orphans have been released back to the wild to join other wild animals of their kind. Zebra reintroduction back to the wild is slightly more complicated and it is essential that they be released as kingship groups that can fend for themselves against predators and other zebras. Our methods to introduce zebras back to the wild has been perfected and we are proud to say that we have an almost 100% success rate. Many of the hand-raised zebras have adapted well and have produced many offspring of their own – wild and free! 

All three the foals featured in Growing Up Zebra was successfully joined with another herd and integrated very well. Sadly Cassidy died as result of snakebite 11 months after being released, but both Sky and Shadow still remain with the herd and Shadow has already given birth to her first foal.

SCAVENGER HUNT

The second television documentary shot at SanWild in 2004 forms part of a series by Natural History New Zealand and is called Super Scavengers. 

Presented by Chris Coupland, the documentary features our two hand raised brown hyenas, Nelson and Grace’s progress while being prepared for release back to the wild.  

Nelson and Grace arrived at SanWild from Wildcare Africa after they were orphaned in the Kalahari. The hyena female was captured by a farmer who suspected her to be a cattle killer. After the mother was trapped in a trap cage, the three pups were captured as well and taken to the farmer’s house. That very same night the mother managed to escape but the pups were left behind and unfortunately one died before Karen Trendler could collect them. Two pups survived and were sent to SanWild for release back to the wild. Nelson and Grace were finally released in April 2005 and both are doing very well.

THE LITTLE PRINCE BOMBI

The story of Bombi’s relocation to Africa starts at the Budapest Zoo before his departure and during the long flight with KLM to Amsterdam and then to Johannesburg International Airport. In Amsterdam Bombi spent the evening at the zoo before boarding a flight to South Africa. He cleared through customs in Johannesburg late in the evening and then set off on the final 7-hour road trip to SanWild where he and his entourage arrived in the early hours of the morning – all very exhausted. The program recorded the first introduction of the two lions to each other as well as Bombi’s first footsteps on African soil.

A very special twist of fate brought two young lions together to start a new life at SanWild. 

Matsumi originated from South Africa’s North West Province from where she was purchased as a very small cub from a lion breeder by a film producer. He intended training her as a "film star". Matsumi had been with her owner for a short while when he was killed in a motor vehicle accident and Matsumi was left with his wife. Catherine Radziej was desperate to return Matsumi to the wild and via Karen Trendler of the Wild Care Africa Trust approached us to take Matsumi for possible release back to the wild.

While we were negotiating with Catherine to move Matsumi to SanWild, we were asked by Liezel Mortimer of the Wildlife Action Group to accept Bombi all the way from Hungary. Dr. Gabriella Kiss, a Hungarian Veterinarian working for Phizer who was trying to find a suitable new home for the young lion cub, had approached her. 

Her request came just at the right time. We were eager to find a companion for Matsumi, as the only way to break her dependency on human company would be to introduce her to another young lion ASAP. When Liezel therefore requested that we accept a small lion cub from the Budapest Zoo, we immediately agreed and negotiations started to bring the cub from Hungary.

Three weeks after Matsumi, Bombi arrived at SanWild with an entire film crew from Hungary that was to film the arrival and introduction of the two young lion cubs. This introduction was not without problems and initially Matsumi tried her best to ignore Bombi and there were a few nasty incidents, but on their regular walks into the wild African bush, she could not resist the temptation to make close contact with the strange little creature that arrived from far away. Within three days the two cubs were happy and absolutely delighted to spend there time together. The bond between them has grown over the last couple of months and they have become inseparable.

Bombi is very well known in Hungary and the little immigrant from the Budapest Zoo has grown into somewhat of a celebrity in his own country and two books have been published about this young lion’s return to the continent of his ancestors, they are available from Dr. Gabrielle Kiss – his grandparents were wild captured in Tanzania.  

The television documentary was screened in Hungary and to this day the Hungarian people send cards and well wishes on a regular basis. 

Sadly, a bite from a black mamba towards the end of last year killed Matsumi while she and Bombi shared a large enclosure adjoining another lion pride. Within days Bombi was successfully introduced to Lutalo’s pride and has been fully accepted by his new pride members.

“WILDSLAGTERS”  - GAME BUTCHERS

This documentary screened in South Africa highlighted the plight of leopards captured for the illegal trade that supplies wild leopards for canned hunting. During 2003 SanWild managed to uncover the dealings of an illegal leopard smuggling network that captured wild leopards without the necessary permits and who sold the animals into the sordid canned leopard hunting industry. 

Our enquiries into the trade revealed that indeed there is a huge smuggling network supplying leopards for canned hunts. Information gathered was supplied to Limpopo Nature Conservation law enforcement department and a couple of sting operations were set up to trap the offenders. 

As a result of this operation three beautiful leopards were brought to SanWild for dental surgery after the animals had broken their canines while fighting to free themselves from the trap cages in which they had been trapped. All the leopards were successfully returned to the wild after the dental surgery was performed at Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute and Tzaneen Animal Clinic. 

SanWild decided to get involved with the conservation department after receiving information about a young female leopard that was put down after she had broken all her canines as a result of being captured illegally. The conservation department did not have the necessary funds to fly the animal to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute in Pretoria for dental surgery.

The offenders were charged criminally but all of them walked away with very small sentences. The kingpin in this smuggling syndicate however was never charged and today still continues her hunting and animal trading operation.

Sadly we also have to report that more reports have been received that the same individuals involved in this operation have resumed the illegal trapping and trading of South Africa’s beautiful leopards. Their activities go unchallenged by the authorities

BIG GAME

SanWild has also been featured in yet another television series filmed for Reality Television called Big Game.  The series tells the story of Shaun Rambert of Wildlife Translocation Services in South Africa. WTS is a game capture and relocation company that specializes in the capture and relocation of many wild animals from private farms and national parks and reserves. The series shows the daily activities of the game capture unit and the capture techniques used to capture and transport wild animals. WTS is most probably the most ethical and professional game capture unit working in South Africa. When the first rehabilitated wild animals were moved from the small 21-hectare property in 2000 to the newly established SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary, Shaun and his team relocated the animals for the Trust. It is this relocation and also other subsequent incidents in which animals were orphaned or injured during game capture procedures that are featured in this reality television series.