If you find yourself lucky enough to be in the Addo area in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, 50 rand extremely well spent will buy you entrance to this simply fabulous place. Aiming to reintroduce all their animals born in the project back to the wild, and with a 100% success rate to date, this wonderful venue offers visitors the opportunity to have a bite to eat and a drink in the simple café area, a browse round the quirky curio shop for presents and mementos, but mostly importantly of all, a leisurely guided tour of the breeding facility, and a once in a lifetime opportunity to play with baby lion cubs and stroke a cheetah!
When you first discover the project, you may find yourself wondering just how kind it is to the animals, being a small and dusty looking place, with slightly rickety fencing and an influx of irritable flies and bees. Rest assured, that once you’re inside the animal sanctuary area, you will have your breath quite simply taken away from you, and leave feeling pleased that you’ve been able to help this wonderful project continue to assist big cats in the way they have been doing so successfully.
For an under priced 50 Rand per person, you will find yourself joining a small group of 10-ish people, and taken through the locked gate into the animal sanctuary. We were lucky enough to see a couple of surprise guests at the sanctuary to begin with, as a pair of Meerkats had recently been donated to the park as unwanted pets. As cute and quirky as any cartoon version, these busy little fellows were kept safely behind a wire fence, and we were warned not to put our hands over the top or fingers through the wire, as they can jump very high and like to bite!
Next, we walked over a scarily rickety looking bridge, with a pair of sleeping Cheetahs resting in the cool earth below us, and the feeling of tranquil care came over us all. With slightly hushed tones, we were introduced to a few cheetahs resting lazily in their individual areas, until we were invited in to get up close and personal with one of the residents. Purring loudly throughout, almost everyone on our group decided to go in, and we each had one on one time with the female adult cheetah, stroking her head, scratching her chin, and even jumping nervously when she happily rolled around on her back!
After an amazing experience, we walked past an enclosure which housed a teenage male Cheetah, who took a distinct liking to my son, and with the encouragement of the guide, my son hid behind people, crept along the floor and popped out by a wall, and eventually raced the cheetah up and down his fence – a great work out for both, and something the guide felt was a great way to hone the cheetah’s natural hunting instinct in preparation for his release into the wild.
We then entered an enclosure which was home to 2 six month old lion cubs – a very mischievous and noisy pair, who climbed on our laps and mauled jumpers, phones and legs – and while only 6 months old, the sense of power behind their playful nature was clear to see. A very brave cat popped into the enclosure, and soon became of great interest to the cubs, shortly afterward the guide popped the cat over the fence to safety!
To sum up, if you have a couple of hours to spare then Daniell’s is not only a very worthy, but an extremely entertaining and terrific value place to visit during your time in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Amanda McManus writes for Cocoon Corporate which offers Corporate Gift Ideas incluidng a unique selection of Business goodie bags for events and promotions.
When you first discover the project, you may find yourself wondering just how kind it is to the animals, being a small and dusty looking place, with slightly rickety fencing and an influx of irritable flies and bees. Rest assured, that once you’re inside the animal sanctuary area, you will have your breath quite simply taken away from you, and leave feeling pleased that you’ve been able to help this wonderful project continue to assist big cats in the way they have been doing so successfully.
For an under priced 50 Rand per person, you will find yourself joining a small group of 10-ish people, and taken through the locked gate into the animal sanctuary. We were lucky enough to see a couple of surprise guests at the sanctuary to begin with, as a pair of Meerkats had recently been donated to the park as unwanted pets. As cute and quirky as any cartoon version, these busy little fellows were kept safely behind a wire fence, and we were warned not to put our hands over the top or fingers through the wire, as they can jump very high and like to bite!
Next, we walked over a scarily rickety looking bridge, with a pair of sleeping Cheetahs resting in the cool earth below us, and the feeling of tranquil care came over us all. With slightly hushed tones, we were introduced to a few cheetahs resting lazily in their individual areas, until we were invited in to get up close and personal with one of the residents. Purring loudly throughout, almost everyone on our group decided to go in, and we each had one on one time with the female adult cheetah, stroking her head, scratching her chin, and even jumping nervously when she happily rolled around on her back!
After an amazing experience, we walked past an enclosure which housed a teenage male Cheetah, who took a distinct liking to my son, and with the encouragement of the guide, my son hid behind people, crept along the floor and popped out by a wall, and eventually raced the cheetah up and down his fence – a great work out for both, and something the guide felt was a great way to hone the cheetah’s natural hunting instinct in preparation for his release into the wild.
We then entered an enclosure which was home to 2 six month old lion cubs – a very mischievous and noisy pair, who climbed on our laps and mauled jumpers, phones and legs – and while only 6 months old, the sense of power behind their playful nature was clear to see. A very brave cat popped into the enclosure, and soon became of great interest to the cubs, shortly afterward the guide popped the cat over the fence to safety!
To sum up, if you have a couple of hours to spare then Daniell’s is not only a very worthy, but an extremely entertaining and terrific value place to visit during your time in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
Amanda McManus writes for Cocoon Corporate which offers Corporate Gift Ideas incluidng a unique selection of Business goodie bags for events and promotions.
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