Cango Chronicles

Oudtshoorn is about to gain a new kind of neighbour: a working campus, built on sustainability principles, aimed squarely at the town's future workforce. On 1 September, Cango Wildlife will officially open its new Africa Skills Cango Academy site to an invite-only audience of civic and business leaders. Four days later, on 5 September, the doors open to the public for a community open day at 291 Adderley Street. Locals will be...

At Cango Wildlife, learning is not something that ends with a qualification. It continues every day through the animals in our care, the people we work alongside and the knowledge shared across the wider wildlife community. For Pippa, one of our dedicated Animal Caregivers, that passion for continued learning is now taking her beyond Cango Wildlife as she begins making her mark within the broader animal-care community. Recently, Pippa was invited to...

How patience, trust and training created a special bond between Animal Caregiver Pippa and Patricia, our Cape Porcupine When Patricia arrived at Cango Wildlife as a tiny baby, few could have predicted the relationship that would develop between this little bundle of quills and Animal Caregiver Pippa. For Pippa, however, the connection began with something very simple: time. Bottle feeds, playtime, cleaning and every spare opportunity to be around Patricia became the...

For Australian mother-and-daughter duo Tam and Lily, volunteering at Cango Wildlife became far more than part of a South African holiday. It became a shared experience of learning, conservation and connection, one they chose to mark permanently. When Tam and her daughter Lily travelled from Melbourne, Australia, to South Africa, they knew they wanted their trip to be about more than simply seeing the country. For Lily, it was an opportunity to...

It takes a village and at Cango Wildlife, believe you me, there is a village that keeps everything running here. And to do this, BOA Café has the responsibility to ensure that the village is fed. So… why did we mess with the staff menu? Well, BOA Café has been pushing its own boundaries a little, and we thought it was time to shake things for the team that keep the Facility...

Behind every puzzle feeder, hidden treat, new scent or cleverly designed activity is a much bigger purpose: animal welfare. Enrichment plays an essential role in ensuring that animals in human care are not only physically healthy, but mentally stimulated, engaged and able to express their natural behaviours. In this article, we take a closer look at what enrichment really means, why it is such an important part of daily animal care at...

What do you get when you combine tourism professionals, creative costumes, challenging trivia and plenty of team spirit? An unforgettable evening of fun, networking and friendly competition.

As our final Loop Abroad group prepares to complete their two-week adventure at Cango Wildlife, we are also bringing another remarkable season of international pre-veterinary education to a close. Over the past few months, we have welcomed several groups of aspiring pre-veterinary students from the United States, each spending two weeks immersed in conservation, wildlife medicine and hands-on animal care. Every group arrived eager to learn. Every group left with unforgettable memories,...

For most people, the thought of taking a porcupine for a walk sounds impossible. For Pippa Fourie, Animal Caregiver at Cango Wildlife, it's simply part of the daily routine. Every day, visitors stop in their tracks as Patricia, our curious Cape Porcupine, confidently waddles alongside Pippa wearing her custom harness. While it certainly makes for an unforgettable sight, these walks are about far more than turning heads. They build trust and patience...

But behind every story is a person whose dedication often goes unseen. Earlier this month, Cango Wildlife proudly celebrated International Zookeeper Week, an annual occasion dedicated to recognising the extraordinary people who devote their lives to the care, conservation and wellbeing of wildlife. While visitors often leave with memories of incredible animal encounters, it is the passion, expertise and commitment of our animal care team that makes those experiences possible.