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...
Cango Academy Gives Back

In celebration of Women’s Month, Cango Wildlife Ranch proudly supported an initiative that speaks to the heart of empowerment, dignity, and compassion. On 7 August, the team visited a local school to donate items to learners in need.
Many of these young women grew up in rural areas and knew firsthand the challenges of accessing sanitary pads, especially when travelling long distances to school or staying away from home for education or sport. They remembered how the lack of basic menstrual hygiene products often led to missed classes, discomfort, and embarrassment.
Understanding this struggle, they decided to make a difference for learners facing the same challenges today. What began as a discussion quickly grew into a purposeful initiative to collect essential hygiene items. The drive called for sanitary pads, face cloths, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes, with the aim of creating full care packages for distribution.
While the project began in honour of Women’s Month, the Academy felt strongly about supporting both girls and boys. The girls received the complete set of items, while the boys received everything except the sanitary products. This approach sent a clear message that dignity and care are not limited by gender.
Thanks to the generosity of staff, community members, and supporters, the Academy students were able to provide care packages to the entire matric class of a local school. The success of the drive went beyond expectations. With surplus donations still available, the Academy extended its reach and delivered the remaining items to a local shelter for women and girls.
This initiative was never about recognition or publicity. It was about respect, dignity, and making sure that no young person feels unseen or unsupported. By addressing the needs of both girls and boys, and by supporting the shelter, the students created a ripple of care that reached far beyond their original goal.
Cango Wildlife Ranch is incredibly proud of the Cango Academy students for their leadership, empathy, and commitment to uplifting others. Their work stands as a strong example of community spirit in action.
Here’s to empowering youth, one care package at a time.
Further Reading
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...














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