Cango Chronicles - Page 7

Johannesburg Zoo recently hosted South Africa’s first comprehensive animal behavioural management workshop in partnership with Wild Welfare and Wild Welfare US. The four day programme brought together more than sixty animal care professionals from across the country, including our own Jenna Lowe, Assistant Animal Curator, and Siyabonga Dlamini, an Animal Caretaker. This milestone training centred on progressive animal welfare principles, ethical decision making, enrichment development and positive reinforcement training. Delegates explored how...

We are proud to share an exciting milestone in our journey. As we prepare to celebrate our 40th anniversary in February 2026, we have refreshed our visual identity and introduced a modern evolution of our name. Moving forward, we will be known simply as Cango Wildlife - a name that reflects who we are today and the vision we carry for the decades ahead.

Heritage Day, celebrated annually on 24 September in South Africa, is a public holiday dedicated to honoring our nation’s diverse cultures, traditions, and shared history. It encourages South Africans to reflect on their roots and celebrate what makes the country unique. Over time, it has also become popularly known as “Braai Day,” with the braai (barbecue) seen as a unifying tradition across all communities. While people may have distinct ways of preparing...

If you’ve ever been on a guided tour with one of our Wildlife Guardians, chances are you’ve spotted Nanji from our Catwalk. More often than not, she’ll be up in her favorite tree, her golden coat glowing in the dappled sunlight, paws dangling as she rests with the confidence of a true queen.

Our Wild Animal Volunteers and interns recently had the unique opportunity to be part of an important wildlife management procedure - the darting and relocation of Cape Buffalo. While they did not witness the actual darting itself, they were welcomed into the process shortly afterwards, gaining hands-on insight into a vital aspect of animal care and conservation.

Spring is in the air, and that means it’s time for a little extra sparkle around the ranch! Recently, our Wild Animal Volunteers rolled up their sleeves to give the enclosure of Malcolm, our Marabou Stork, and our two Cape Vultures a much-needed spring clean.

When the Heath family from the UK chose to spend their holiday in Oudtshoorn, they didn’t book a safari or a beach escape. Instead, they signed up for the Wild Animal Volunteer Programme at Cango Wildlife Ranch - together, as a family.

While carrying out their daily tasks near our workshop, our maintenance team spotted an unexpected visitor — a Red-lipped Herald. This striking little snake is native to Southern Africa and is easily identified by the reddish-orange tint around its mouth. Although mildly venomous, the Red-lipped Herald is considered harmless to humans and plays an important role in maintaining healthy ecosystems.

At Cango Wildlife Ranch, every day offers new lessons in conservation, care, and connection. Through our Wild Animal Volunteers (WAV) Internship Programme and partnerships with organisations like Loop Abroad, students from across the globe gain first-hand exposure to the vital veterinary work that underpins wildlife conservation.

As the Ranch has grown over the years, so too have the needs of our team and the animals in our care. One of the very first “buildings” on the property was actually a set of containers that served as our cold meat storage and freezer. These containers worked hard and outlasted their lifespan, but as the ranch expanded and more enclosures were added, it became clear that we had outgrown them.