Cango Chronicles - Page 2

At Cango Wildlife, conservation isn’t something we only talk about; it’s something we’re constantly trying to refine, improve, and live out in practical ways. That includes looking inward: examining how we manage our own environmental footprint, how we treat and restore the land we steward, and how we align our practices with the bigger global sustainability framework - from South Africa’s climate goals to the guiding principles of UN-aligned sustainability and the...

Meet one of our smallest recent rescues, an Angulate Tortoise hatchling measuring just 5 centimetres in length. At the time of arrival, he was estimated to be around one week old. He was found near a residential area and brought to Cango Wildlife by a concerned member of the public. At this early stage, the signs of recent hatching were still visible. The egg tooth remained on the tip of the beak....

In mid February, a routine guided walk near Wilgewandel, about 20 minutes outside of Oudtshoorn, turned into an unexpected wildlife rescue. Sinead, one of our former part-time Wildlife Guardians who is now a qualified Field Guide, was leading visitors on a tour along the trail when they came across a very young Cape Porcupine. At first, they moved on, assuming the mother was nearby and would return once the area was quiet....

This year marks a defining milestone. We are celebrating 40 years of conservation, care and connection. Over four decades, our facility evolved from a local attraction into an established conservation destination. Our focus remains clear. Wildlife welfare. Environmental education. Meaningful visitor engagement.

A concerned member of the public recently brought a small chameleon to us after finding it in Oudtshoorn, well outside its natural distribution range. It has been identified as a Knysna Dwarf Chameleon, which is endemic to parts of the Western Cape and is typically associated with forested and dense thicket habitats in and around Knysna.

On 25 February 2026, Cango Wildlife Volunteers and staff stepped beyond our gates and into the community for a focused environmental clean up initiative in Oudtshoorn. The team concentrated on Baron van Reede Street directly in front of the facility, working through to the corner of Botha Street. What began as a routine clean up exposed a larger problem. Large volumes of discarded alcohol bottles, plastic waste and general litter had accumulated...

The Cheetah Preservation Foundation (CPF) is dedicated to advancing the conservation of cheetahs and other endangered species through responsible captive breeding, research, rescue support, and public awareness. The Foundation receives no government funding and relies entirely on memberships, donations, animal adoptions, and corporate sponsorships to continue its work.

Our second year at Cango Academy is off to a strong start! Seven new faces have joined our facility all with the goal of gaining career (and life)-defining experiences, which we are more than happy to oblige. Student placements are never passive experiences. Whether in conservation, nature management, or administration, students become active participants in the daily realities of a functioning wildlife facility. This approach sits at the heart of Cango Academy:...

On the morning of 27 January 2026, a routine day at our facility took an unexpected turn. Zuko, our 1.5-year-old male cheetah, was playing with his siblings, Zuri and Zeus, and like many youngsters, the play became very energetic. During one particularly spirited chase, Zuko collided with one of his siblings. In that split second where speed met momentum, Zuko sustained a serious leg injury. At first, the incident resembled the sort...

For a conservation organisation based in Oudtshoorn, moments like this do not come often. And when they do, they are worth pausing for. This year, a South African conservation technology project founded by our CEO, Douglas Eriksen, was recognised on the global stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Project ZOA, or Zoological Open Architecture, was awarded the Startup Innovation Award for Top AI Sustainability Project during Davos Innovation Week 2026.