SanWild Sanctuary: a groundbreaking idea
Established by the visionary Louise Joubert.
A refuge for animals with nowhere else to go.
A wildlife rehabilitation center and protected reserve - combined in a single location.
A mission born in childhood
Louise Joubert spent much of her childhood outdoors in Namaqualand, a region of South Africa known for its vivid wildflowers. Neighbours often brought injured and abandoned animals to her family’s wine farm.
As an adult, Louise built a successful career in advertising. In 1989, her work on a national rhino conservation campaign became a turning point. She left advertising and moved to Limpopo Province to work in the capture and relocation industry.
Louise was deeply affected by number of animals injured and orphaned during these operations. She often stayed behind and helped where she could – and reared an orphaned zebra foal she named Kwakkies, who is now seen in the SanWild logo.
SanWild Sanctuary:
an idea emerges
In 1998, Louise leased a tract of Lowveld savannah near Gravelotte and immediately began to use the site as a rehabilitation facility combined with a managed, protected wildlife reserve; a groundbreaking idea at the time.
In 2000, she officially established the SanWild Wildlife Trust, a registered South African wildlife charity and non-profit organisation, which acquired the land.
Under Joubert’s leadership, SanWild expanded from a small rehabilitation centre into a larger sanctuary and reserve and became well-known for efforts to protect rhinoceroses and other animals threatened by over-commercialisation. During this period, the organisation relied primarily on donor funding.
From tragedy and decline to new leadership
In April 2018, Louise Joubert died in a tragic car accident. In the period that followed, the sanctuary fell into disrepair and faced significant financial strain.
In 2020, the remaining trustees approached conservationist and entrepreneur Didi Schoeman to help stabilise and rebuild SanWild. Didi had worked with Louise before leaving South Africa to pursue his studies and career abroad, and he had remained connected to the sanctuary over the years.
Didi comes from a family with a long history in wildlife conservation. His grandfather and later his parents were involved in raising and rehabilitating orphaned wildlife on their family farm near Tzaneen. This early exposure shaped a lifelong connection to conservation and laid the foundation for future work in the field.
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Sustainable operations,
return to core principles
After returning to South Africa, Didi stepped in to support SanWild at a critical time. The sanctuary was facing financial pressure and increasing external threats, including poaching.
Didi worked closely with Lukas Geldenhuys, Louise's daughter Lizel Kacheloffer and his sister Michelle Picolo in restructuring SanWild to become operationally sustainable. They introduced initiatives such as the Scout Ranger Volunteer Programme and SanWild Lodge, creating a model where conservation work is funded through carefully managed, purpose-driven activities.
At the same time, the focus returned to core principles. Transparency, ethical conservation, and long term impact. Partnerships were rebuilt, new collaborations were formed, and protection measures were strengthened.
Today, SanWild is stable, growing, and once again recognised for its role in ethical wildlife conservation.
What started as a practical response to animals with nowhere else to go became SanWild Sanctuary. Shaped by lived experience, and carried forward by those committed to protecting it for future generations.