Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation

Make room for Nature in your world. Wildlife used to live where you now do.

Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation is a registered NPO and PBO and runs a fully permitted Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Limpopo Province. We have made the Wildlife of our beautiful country our priority, and we aim to provide them with the best care possible!
We are committed to #EthicalConservation with regards to all Wildlife in need.

If you would like to support our work, or sponsor any of our patients' needs, please get in touch, or make a donation.

#DoingWhatWeSay & #ShowingWhatWeDo
#WildHeart #RescueRehabRelease #WHWF #WHWFRehab #NoWildBabyLeftBehind #RescueTreatRelease #KeepingItWild

#UngulunguNews: Big moves for Little Meerkat:
The day has dawned, after many, many days and endless hours of working behind the scenes: Ungulungu is flying home to the Kalahari. And not a dry eye in the house.

Video and complete statement to follow later, but here is the backstory:
We recently rescued a little one-year old meerkat (stokstert/graatjies meerkat in Afrikaans), named Ungulungu (Meerkat in Zulu), from the illegal wildlife pet trade and brought it to our Wildlife Rescue, Clinic & Rehabilitation Center in Limpopo.

Meerkats are social animals and need a lot of care to be properly rehabilitated, and our stress levels were very high to make sure this little one would be as comfortable as possible while waiting for a lift home. Home to the Kalahari, to a specialist meerkat rehabilitation facility.

Non-profit conservation organization, The Bateleurs, immediately agreed to arrange the flights of the precious cargo. Because meerkats do not carry any special protection and are not regarded as endangered, the call was put out for Bateleur pilots to volunteer for the flights at their own cost. The South African rock star pilot of aviation, Karl Jensen, immediately put up his hand.

The air was smooth as silk, on the bright Spring morning when Karl's beautiful vintage 1955 Cessna 107B landed on a private airfield near Roedtan, Limpopo, to collect Ungulungu.

Nestled in his travel crate, complete with boarding pass, passenger ID, hot water bottle and his favourite soft toy, Ungulungu boarded the plane for the first leg of his flight back to freedom, landing at Lanseria for the onwards flight.

(Ungulungu would then step into the lap of luxury, boarding a Fireblade Aviation flight to Tswalu Game Reserve, where Ungulungu was handed over to Solid Earth Meerkat Rehabilitation for further care and rewilding.) More on that later.

Uncle Karl has flown over 20 missions for The Bateleurs, and it is his passion to support conservation.

Every animal life matters, because every animal has a part to play in a balanced ecology. Meerkats belong in the Kalahari; they are not pets. As an established Wildlife Conservation Organization, at WHWF we will always do their very best to make sure that every wild animal gets the help it needs, and the care to become free and wild once again.

The substantial cost of this rescue and care was worth it for the chance to see the little Meerkat living his best life one day.

The Bateleurs are the providers of aviation support for conservationists and environmentalists in South Africa. Their 200+ pilots give of their time and their aircraft freely, providing a vital service. It's no surprize that caring conservation organizations are in love with The Bateleurs. As was the case with Ungulungu, their dedication and commitment shines through in every step of even the most challenging logistical execution.

Meerkats get a raw deal because of their cuteness. The wild populations are decimated by the illegal pet trade. Being social animals, they become incredibly stressed when not with a mob, and can start self-mutilating - biting their own tails or feet off. It was imperative that we got Ungulungu with his own kind asap, to give him the best opportunity at a free and wild life.

The passenger coped well with flying, and is now on his way to the next stage of his life.

Before you purchase that wild animal as a pet, please remember how much it takes to get them back where they belong. It is illegal to own a Meerkat without a permit in South Africa.

With deep gratitude to our friends at The Bateleurs - faith in humanity restored. Thank you to Fireblade Aviation and Tswalu Game Reserve for agreeing to accommodate this very special guest, to the delight of all the others on their flight.

*Both Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation and The Bateleurs are Non-Profit Organizations, and can provide tax certificates to donors. Please support their excellent wildlife conservation work.

Magpie Shrike (Urolestes melanoleucus) - Afrikaans: Langstertlaksman

This little one came into our Clinic with head trauma, possibly from a bird of prey attack, and was treated for shock and pain. Sadly the patient did not survive.

Although we don't really specialize in birds, we will never not help a stricken animal.

Wild Heart Wildlife Foundation is a registered NPO and PBO and runs a fully permitted Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Limpopo Province. We have made the Wildlife of our beautiful country our priority, and we aim to provide them with the best care possible!

We are committed to #EthicalConservation, making the best possible decisions for wildlife in need.

If you would like to support our work, or sponsor any of our patients' needs, please get in touch, or make a donation.

#DoingWhatWeSay & #ShowingWhatWeDo
#WildHeart #RescueRehabRelease #WHWF #WHWFRehab #NoWildBabyLeftBehind #RescueTreatRelease #KeepingItWild