Daktari was created by Michèle and Ian Merrifield, who registered it as a non-profit company in 2002. It is situated on an animal reserve that has 700 hectares of pristine natural habitat and can house several natural wild animals.

It is an organisation of people who care, not only for animals and nature, but also for those less fortunate than themselves. The word “Daktari” is an indigenous form of the word “doctor” – one who cares for life.

Daktari is a wildlife orphanage which uses orphaned wild animals as an education medium. Volunteers and staff supplement the school curriculum by giving a hands-on education, in existing school subjects, and at the same time provide an environmental experience.

The goals of the organization include learning through working together and improving the quality of life of all participants, including the animals.

The Daktari Bush School and Wildlife Orphanage can be found here: www.daktaribushschool.org

What is the history of Daktari and what backgrounds did yourself and Michèle come from that enabled you to set up such an undertaking?

I worked for the Government in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia), was actively involved in wildlife all my life. I moved to South Africa in 1981, and again worked for the Government. I have had many orphaned animals during this time. Michele ran a hotel in France.

While we were kids, both Michele and I were fascinated with a TV program called “Daktari”, which shown in France and Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia). It was about a family (I think in Kenya) that looked after orphaned wild animals. Both of us have always dreamed of doing the same thing.

We met when she came on a visit to South Africa and I was working on a private game reserve. We eventually married, and during our time together on the game reserve looked after many orphaned wild animals together.

We also had, as guests on the reserve, several people with disabilities, and found it fascinating to “make a plan” for them to have an experience of a lifetime with the animals. There were also many children as guests, and they were always fascinated by the wildlife.

Later we “adopted” a young local boy (then aged 14) and introduced him to the wildlife….he was fascinated, never having seen any of these animals before.

We then formulated a plan to start Daktari, and use orphaned animals as a medium for education, mainly for the local under-privileged children, but also for anyone interested, irrespective of race, creed, financial or physical ability. It took a lot of work and money, but finally started in January 2006!

How were your endeavours first perceived by the local communities and how has their interaction with you developed?

Well, at first, it was difficult to find children. We were viewed with suspicion, being “white” but after the first group of kids (brave people!) came, the word spread pretty quickly. All the kids at the school (1,500 of them!) wanted to come to Daktari, and the kids who had been, all wanted to come back! We have now established very good communications with the teachers, headmaster and parents of the children. All confirm there is tremendous improvement with the children – they are stronger in character, more interested, and learn better after their week here. The kids who have been here have now formed a club at the school, called “Daktari Eco-Zone” and they save money for extra trips to Daktari over weekends or school holidays, clean up refuse in the local village, and generally have a good time. We have supported the club, arranging meetings, excursions, wildlife books etc. We often invite the executive (10 members) to Daktari and give them guidelines for the club. It is really working very well, and the kids show great initiative.

Please describe the region in which you are situated, and the reserve where Daktari is.

There is a large village at the bottom of the Drakensberg mountains, some 60 Km from Daktari, called Sekororo, and it is a very poor community. The village has several schools, all teaching about 1400 – 1500 children. Not far from the village is an orphanage for vulnerable children, run by Catholic Nuns, which looks after some 80 HIV/AIDS orphans. Many of the children have HIV/AIDs, and are on anti-retro-viral drugs. We host many of these children during school holidays, to give them the same experience.

Daktari itself is a portion of a very large area of game reserves, called the Harmony Block. Daktari is portion 81. Many of these reserves have dropped fences and formed large “conservancies”, containing the “big five”, and their main focus is tourism. There are quite a lot of lodges within the conservancies. Daktari is a portion of 620 hectares (1500 acres) which is not part of any of the conservancies, but has many of the wild animal species living naturally on it. We have leopard, hyaena, giraffe, jackals, zebra, kudu, steenbok, impala, bushbuck, wildebeest etc living on the reserve. We do get occasional visit from other animals such as elephant and lions, when they break through our fences.

What is the local population and how many villages are close to you?

There is no village really close to us. There are several villages within a 60Km radius, but we concentrate only on one village at this time, called Sekororo. Sekororo is huge, and divided into about 30 sub villages.

What is the major source of income generation and how do such rural communities compare with larger population centres?

Most of the people work either on agricultural farms in the area, or on game reserves. Many, many, are unemployed. There are a considerable number who work for the Government, either local municipalities or whatever. There is no assistance for people with disabilities in the village.

What are the transport infrastructures like and basic amenities?

The main form of transport is by the informal mini-bus taxis, of which there are hundreds. The roads are good, several of them having recently been tarred. When people go to collect water or firewood, they use donkey carts. Each house now has electricity, but no running water, and the people sometimes have to walk 3-4Km to dig in the dry rivers for water. This is very unhygienic, as the water is seldom boiled, and contains dung and urine from the many donkeys, cows, goats, pigs and chickens in the village. Toilets do not exist for most of the houses, and they use trees nearby. Some have had Government help to build houses and septic tank type toilets. There are plans to pipe water to the village, but who knows how long that will take!

How do you educate a child of the importance of wildlife conservation and environmental issues when perhaps they have never seen a wild animal and come from a background where very little thought is given to protecting the environment?

This is very difficult. For generations they have destroyed the wildlife in their surrounds. Many animals are killed for food, some just for the hell of it, and many endangered species are killed for traditional medicine. Any animal that is not a goat etc is killed. There have been no animals in the region of the village for many, many years, and those who do want wild animal meat, usually poach it from the private game reserves.

The way we approach this problem is to show the children (the future custodians of the environment) what animals exist, and by letting them handle and care for the animals, they develop a bond and compassion for them. The extra lessons we give them in various school subjects include the importance of the environment, and we show, by models, how each animal and part of nature is essential to our own survival. It seems to work, as the kids are really interested, and by joining their own club, they can continue with this education and spread it.

Describe a week’s curriculum: what changes do you see taking place in the pupils throughout this time?

We leave Daktari at 07h00 each Monday and arrived at the school at 07h45. We meet the teachers who have selected between 6-10 children for that week. We then meet the children and they climb aboard our vehicle. The usually do not even say hello, and are very shy.

We arrive at Daktari at about 09h00, where they are introduced to our dogs, the volunteers and staff, and shown their rooms. They then meet at our “lapa” where they are given a breakfast of cereal, bread, jam, tea, coffee and juice. They sit at a table, and each child has to stand up and introduce him/her self, the staff and volunteers doing the same. They are then given a tour of the facilities, and the rules and safety procedures explained.

From then on, it is work, work, work! We (the volunteers and staff) give lectures until 12h30, then they have lunch, and free time until 14h00. During this time they can swim in the swimming pool, play volleyball, football etc. 14h00 to 16h30 is more lectures. 16h30 they help feed the orphaned animals, having been divided into teams with the volunteers. After feeding, they have free time until dinner at 18h45. They then play educational games with the volunteers until bed time, usually around 21h00.

Each morning, they do “stables” from 07h00 (after tea and coffee) until 09h00, which means cleaning animal camps, refreshing water, etc. They have breakfast at 09h00 to 09h30. Again the teams are involved in setting the table and washing up. Then the lectures start again. The lectures consist of straight forward lectures and educational games. For example we play Bingo, where each child has to work out a mathematical equation to get the correct number etc.

By Wednesday, the children all say “good morning” and “good night”, smile and are happy. The accommodation is far better then they get at home, as is the food, so they are all really happy!

By Friday, everyone is on first name terms and there are tears when they are returned to their village. We take photos of each kid with their favourite animal as a reminder of their time, and these are printed out on the computer for each kid.

How are your activities integrated within the curriculum of the schools from where the children come?

The headmaster and teachers have helped design the program with the volunteers. In fact, the volunteers have made the program, and the teachers examined it and given their viewpoints. The final program is one that agrees with the curriculum at school. We have the school text books as well, but usually try unconventional methods to implant the basics.

How are the children selected and does a week at Daktari benefit them in their school career?

We have so far, only aimed at the children attending their first year of high school (ie. Grade 8). The teachers select the children (by what means, I do not know), and the idea is for each and every child in that year to attend Daktari for a week. For the children from the orphanage, the nuns at the orphanage select the children.

What is it like for a child to have such a close encounter with an animal in your care and what are their reactions to such a hands on experience?

At first there is giggling and awe, then later, as they become more involved in the care, there is a growing bond and compassion between the animals and the children. The animals are now used to the children. Most of them, however, still chose the dogs as their favourite animal to be photographed with! Each animal at Daktari has a history, and the children also refer to our library of reference books, with the volunteers, to find out more about them. Some of the animals they have never even heard of!

At the end of their week what message do you think the children take away with them?

I believe the children certainly improve in their self confidence and are no longer as shy or inhibited as they were when they first arrived. I think the most important message they take back with them, is how important each organism is so vital to their own survival.

Can you provide examples of the children’s feedback to share with Safaritalk readers? And what does it mean to you personally knowing how much of an affect you have had on their lives?

Feedback is verbal, as they have no internet. Some of the comments include:
“I never knew ostriches were so big!”
“I heard a giraffe was big, but these are giants!”
“I feel sad for the duiker when she cannot see this beautiful bush” (the duiker is blind)
“I like to learn about the different trees and what we can use them for”

Personally, this is a much harder job than we anticipated. Our hearts swell and we have lumps in our throats when the children beg to come back. There are many sad instances, such as when volunteers, who have lived with us and the children for some months, return home. Some of the orphans do not make it, and this causes tears of frustration and disappointment. Over all of this is the happiness we feel when the see the joy in the faces of the children, and when they greet us at the school when we collect new kids.

It is difficult to describe how you feel when an HIV/AIDs child cries when he leaves, hugging you so hard, struggling not to let you let him go. He may not even live the year out, but he was so happy here. It is also difficult to describe the feeling when you remember the shy, downward looking faces of the children when we first met them, and the joy , happiness and hugs you get when they see you again at the school.

What wildlife are you equipped to deal with and can you envisage a time when you will be able to cater for a wider range of orphaned animals?

Our permit allows us to keep a large variety of animals. We have the land, and should any type of animal find its way here, we can “make a plan” to make sure it has adequate, safe and comfortable accommodation. The sky is the limit, really! And yes, we do forsee having a larger variety of animals. We do not actively go out to look for orphans, but spread the word to the private game reserves. We are getting better known, and I am sure we will get more and more animals. We certainly do not buy animals, and hope to discourage the trade in animals by refusing to be part of this market.

What do your holding facilities comprise of and what kind of life do those animals in your care lead?

This is a difficult one! One must remember that an animal’s basic reasons for movement and freedom are to look for food, water, company and shelter. If he gets all of that here, he really doesn’t need to move much. Unfortunately they are kept on a reasonably strict diet (otherwise they would get fat), so when you see them walking around the fences of their camps, they are really impatiently waiting for the next lot of food! It has happened that an animal has escaped, but he is always waiting the next day or within a few hours at the gate, ready to be let in again, when the food arrives! I honestly feel they understand life is easier and happier here than out in the bush!

From where do your animals come and do you actively seek new admissions? And in what condition are the orphaned animals when you first aquire them and what steps do you take to ensure their immediate survival?

Most of our animals have come from a rehabilitation centre, who have decided the animals are not able to be rehabbed. Some have come from the local wildlife vet, and others from caring rangers who have found orphans.

We decide that if the animal can possibly be rehabilitated, we transfer them to a recognised rehab centre, and if not, such as the eagles with one wing, blind duiker, blind impala etc., then we keep them.

When an animal arrives, it is first examined at our on-site clinic, for any injuries, infections etc. If necessary, it is taken to the local wildlife vet for examination. We injected them all with a micro chip for future identification, and advice the local nature conservation authorities of the arrival, micro-chip number etc.

We have considerable experience, and the vet is always available on line by telephone for advice, and I really think the animal has a better chance of survival here than most other places.

With Daktari there exists the possibility of volunteering: what is the application process and how do you vet the applicants?

Yes, in fact, the volunteers pay for the experience, and their constribution pays for the kids and animal care. We also take in guests for overnight (or longer) accommodation, and they have a unique wildlife experience as well! These are the only two forms of funding we get, so far, although we are continually looking for funders and sponsors.

Volunteers apply on line through our web site at www.daktaribushschool.org or by sending an email. The web site gives most of the frequently asked questions and details. Our email address is daktari.sa@mweb.co.za. We usually enter some form of correspondence, asking pertinent questions, to ascertain the character of the volunteers. We do not specifically need qualified people, as the animal care training is given on-job, as are the lectures they need to give to the children. I think anyone who likes to do good for the environment and the poor would be interested.

If successful what can a volunteer look forward to working with you? Their efforts are obviously beneficial to your activities and the children but on the other hand how does working at Daktari benefit the volunteer?

I believe this is an exciting period of life for the volunteers. They are part of our family, and so far, we have had none that get homesick! They form a bond with the children – many of the volunteers continue correspondence by normal mail with the children and us. I believe the experience is life enriching, and very rewarding. It helps in making decisions in life, and really provides maturity and self-satisfaction.

In your website you talk about school children: are you equipped to welcome disabled visitors, both of a school age and above, and what special facilities can you provide for them?

We have had several disabled visitors and children. The facilities are very basic, and we have no electricity (except when the generator is switched on). However, all the rooms have ramps and are wheelchair friendly. The camp, too, is wheelchair friendly, with conveyor belting on the pathways etc. It obviously depends on the disability, and we do not as yet have hand-rails in the bathrooms etc. If the disability is bad, as has been the case a few times, a carer usually accompanies them and we can always “make a plan”.

In your opinion what kind of experience do South African national parks offer those visitors who are disabled, especially those in wheelchairs?

I think, although stand to be corrected, that most of the camps in the parks are wheelchair friendly. I am sure that people with disabilities can have an equal opportunity in our parks.

How can their special requirements be met and thus such areas become more accessible to them?

I know that we have difficulty finding the money to fit hand rails, or even to have a special vehicle, so I am sure that money is the major barrier preventing this access. If suitable funds can be made for a specific case, I am sure the park concerned will use the funds for the purpose they were collected for.

It is obvious that to secure the future of wildlife conservation / habitat preservation the best way forward is by educating the younger generation to appreciate the environment. However, how easy is it for a disadvantaged family to make use of the national parks and reserves?

Access to the parks is favourable for the South Africans and very affordable. The trouble is, what may be affordable for most is not affordable for some. The major problem would be finding transport to the reserves for the poor. It is quite a long distance, and the transport would be expensive. The entry fee is low, but special arrangements can be made with the National Parks board to perhaps arrange for free entry. Another problem is the lack of initiative – because it seems too hard to organise, nobody organises it. The poor certainly are not known for their organisation skills!

Indeed is the government keen to promote such facilities to this sector of the South African society or are they only interested in targetting the affluent visitors, both from home and abroad?

Oh no, the Government is very keen on helping the poor. I believe their funding is limited, but significant progress is being made. There are very good departments within the Government who really are keen on helping, but really dedicated people are very few and far between. I am sure this applies to all governments!

If you had the power, what would you do to ensure that the disadvantaged sector of South African society, including those from rural areas such as those whom you work with, have equal access to parks and reserves as those with money, and likewise play an equal part in conservation?

I really do not know. We certainly contribute by creating awareness, and by following up so interested children could make careers within the eco-tourism industry. We have the children, then the wildlife club, and for those a bit older, we have a “tracker” training school, and have also established links with other NGOs who try to provide bursaries etc to put really interested children through 4 x 4 classes, rifle handling classes, and even university.. I know we are on a very small scale, but I believe every little bit helps. We cannot target the whole nation – but perhaps by our example, others will follow and it may be possible.

What is your opinion on the canned hunting industry and when so much financially is at stake, how do you perceive the new regulations being enforced after February 2008?

I deplore canned hunting. However, realistically, if the lion or whatever is old and redundant, and will be hunted anyway, I suppose it doesn’t really matter if he gets killed in the wild or in an enclosure. I certainly do not want to be part of this, though!

Can you see as a result of the regulations more public interest in places such as Daktari which seek to educate the public about environmental issues and offer care to injured / orphaned wildlife?

I actually know nothing about the proposed new regulations, so cannot comment on this. I really doubt places such as ourselves would get any benefit. We are really at the bottom of the rung when it comes to sponsors for financing etc. I believe it is ourselves who should promote awareness about what we do, and I am sure the Government and regulations will not really help in this.

What is your action plan for attracting more sponsors and donors, and at present, what is your most urgent requirement for which you seek financial assistance?

My wife and one or more of the volunteers are full time emailing and submitting proposals for funding. We have been successful for a few projects, such as the animal clinic, and making the accommodation wheelchair friendly, but we get maybe one positive reply in 200 requests! Even then, out of 10 positive replies, only one may succeed!

I suppose there are three major requirements we need…

One is a vehicle to transport the children. Daktari does not own a vehicle, and my wife and I use our pick-up for this purpose (and for everything else!). This would cost about R160,000 (Maybe 16,000 euro, or 14,000 pounds). It would be a truck, with proper canopy (with windows) and seats for 10 children at the back. We could even us this to transport animals, shopping, or trips to the Kruger park!

The second would be to equip the camp with solar power. For this we would need 3 x banks of (5 x 80w) solar panels, regulators (to control the voltage) and 3 x banks of batteries (5 x 90a/h) batteries, then 3 x inverters (to convert 12v to 220v power). I believe this project would cost in the region of R95,000 (9,500 Euro or 6,800 pounds)

The third would be to get a new generator for power. This would be a diesel 10Kw generator, electric start, and would cost in the region of R21,000 (2,100 Euro or 1,500 pounds)

Aside from Daktari, what could be done on a more global scale within the country to combat the apathy with which many treat environmental and wildlife issues?

I think the Government is certainly upping the awareness of our environment, both here and overseas. I think there is a lot of money wasted on high salaries etc with NGOs, new cars etc, and a lot of this “admin” money may be better suited for awareness campaigns. I recognise the importance of wildlife programs, and the wildlife channels are great. Perhaps more documentaries should be done on specific organisations doing good for the environment (and there are thousands!) Maybe one channel could be devoted to Environmental campaigns- they could have thousands of episodes, making a documentary from each environmental NGO. There would no shortage of material!

How would you like to see Daktari evolve and how can you make this vision a reality?

We are making it a reality. We are very positive. If we were negative, we could never have achieved what we have. Things do not have to be perfect before you start. Start anyway. The first step has to be taken. We started with no animals, no money, and no land. We now have animals (not many yet, I agree), the land, and sufficient volunteers and money to start with children. I would like Daktari to be able to handle more children, more volunteers and house more animals. We have made many links with organisations, travel agencies, volunteer agencies etc and we are getting known. We only started in January 2006, when we got the land, and we have already put through over 200 children (and the children really only started coming in March 2007!) We would like more animals, and more volunteers, and more children. We will get them…things are just beginning! The camp will eventually improve, accommodation, animal camps, variety of animals, self sufficiency…these are all things that WILL come.

You can read about Safaritalk's visit to Daktari here.