ANIMAL INTERACTION POLICY
Our Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre supports the SATSA Captive Wildlife Attraction and Activities decision tool published in 2019, and have terminated all animal interactions on our public tours since April 2019.
Moholoholo follows a strict policy of no contact or interactions with animals at the centre. Our policy is aligned with SATSA guidelines and International trends aimed at ensuring the health and safety of both animals and visitors.
WILDLIFE REHAB CENTRE OVERVIEW
Situated in the shadow of the majestic “ Mariepskop”, which forms part of the mighty Drakensberg mountains, our unique animal rehabilitation centre is home to many of South Africa’s abandoned, injured, and poisoned wildlife. Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre is extremely proud of its efforts in wildlife education in South Africa. At Moholoholo, we are often faced with the difficult decision of what to do with an injured or poisoned animal which will not be able to be released back into the wild. As a result, we have a number of “permanent residents” at our wildlife facilities, and at our own cost, we use them as “ambassadors” for their respective species. Members of the public are therefore able to get an up close and personal experience of these incredible creatures, and with our hands-on approach, we have the ability to demonstrate to the public the threats and problems our wildlife is facing today. Our centre for rehabilitation of wildlife has a long-standing and successful Serval Breeding Project, and more than 160 have successfully been reintroduced to areas where they have become extinct. We are actively involved in research on the movement and behaviour of leopards, and also on a number of vulture species that we monitor daily at our “vulture restaurant”. A visit to the Centre is “an experience of a lifetime” and will leave you with lasting memories.
AIMS OF OUR WILDLIFE REHABILITATION FACILITY
- Rescue all sick, injured, poisoned, and orphaned wildlife and provide professional care for them at our facility.
- Whenever possible, reintroduce rehabilitated wildlife back into their natural environment.
- Provide a sanctuary for wild animals who through their injuries or human imprinting, will never be able to return to their natural environment.
- Spread awareness about the plight of our wild animals and stress through our educational programmes, how sensitive our eco system is and how fast it is diminishing.
- Work hand-in-hand with any other conservation bodies whose objectives are totally aligned for conservation.
SPECIES REHABILITATED / RESCUED / RELEASED BY MOHOLOLHOLO WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTRE
Mammals
AFRICAN BUSH ELEPHANT
AFRICAN CIVET
AFRICAN CRESTED PORCUPINE
AFRICAN WILD CAT
AFRICAN WILD DOG
AFRICAN YELLOW BAT
BANDED MONGOOSE
BLACK-BACKED JACKAL
BLACK RHINO
BLACK WILDEBEEST
BLESBOK
BLUE WILDEBEEST
BROWN GREATER GALAGO (THICK-TAILED BUSHBABY)
BROWN HYENA
BURCHELL’S ZEBRA
BUSHBUCK
BUSHPIG
BUSHVELD GERBIL
CANE RAT
CAPE BUFFALO
CAPE FOX
CAPE GENET (LARGE-SPOTTED GENET)
CAPE GROUND SQUIRREL
CARACAL
CHACMA BABOON
CHEETAH
CLAWLESS OTTER
COMMON DWARF MONGOOSE
COMMON ELAND
COMMON GENET (SMALL-SPOTTED GENET)
COMMON TSESSEBE
DORMICE
FREE-TAILED BAT
GREY DUIKER
HIPPOPOTAMUS
HONEY BADGER
IMPALA
KAROO BUSH RAT
KLIPSPRINGER
KUDU
LARGE GREY MONGOOSE
LEOPARD
LESSER BUSHBABY (LESSER GALAGO)
LION
LITTLE FREE-TAILED BAT
MEERKAT
MELLER’S MONGOOSE
MOUNTAIN REEDBUCK
NATAL MULTIMAMMATE MOUSE
NYALA
PANGOLIN
RED DUIKER
REEDBUCK
ROAN ANTELOPE
ROCK HYRAX
SABLE ANTELOPE
SCRUB HARE
SERVAL
SHARPE’S GRYSBOK
SHREW
SIDE-STRIPED JACKAL
SMITH’S BUSH SQUIRREL
SOUTHERN AFRICAN POUCHED MOUSE
SOUTHERN AFRICAN GIANT POUCHED RAT
SOUTHERN GIRAFFE
SOUTHERN OSTRICH
SOUTHERN REEDBUCK
SPOTTED HYENA
STEENBOK
STRIPED POLECAT
SUNI
SYKE’S MONKEY
TREE SQUIRREL
VERVET MONKEY
WARTHOG
WATERBUCK
WHITE RHINOCEROS
WHITE-TAILED MONGOOSE
Birds
AFRICAN CUCKOO
AFRICAN CUCKOO-HAWK
AFRICAN DARTER
AFRICAN FISH EAGLE
AFRICAN GOSHAWK
AFRICAN GREEN PIGEON
AFRICAN GREY HORNBILL
AFRICAN HARRIER HAWK
AFRICAN HAWK EAGLE
AFRICAN HOOPOE
AFRICAN OLIVE PIGEON
AFRICAN PYGMY KINGFISHER
ALPINE SWIFT
AMUR FALCON
ARROW-MARKED BABBLER
BARN OWL
BARN SWALLOW
BARRED OWLET
BAR-THROATED APALIS
BATELEUR
BLACK-CHESTED SNAKE EAGLE
BLACK-CROWNED TCHAGRA
BLACK-EYED BULLBULL
BLACK-HEADED ORIOLE
BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE
BLACK SPARROWHAWK
BLACK-COLLARED BARBET
BLUE WAXBILL
BRONZE MANNIKIN
BRONZE-WINGED COURSER
BROWN-HEADED PARROT
BROWN-HOODED KINGFISHER
BROWN SNAKE EAGLE
BURCHELL’S COUCAL
CAPE CROW
CAPE EAGLE OWL
CAPE STARLING
CAPE TURTLE DOVE
CAPE VULTURE
CAPE WAGTAIL
CAPE WHITE-EYE
CATTLE EGRET
COLLARED SUNBIRD
COMMON QUAIL
CORN CRAKE
CRESTED BARBET
CRESTED FRANCOLIN
CRESTED GUINEAFOWL
CROWNED EAGLE
CUT-THROAT FINCH
DARK CHANTING GOSHAWK
DARK-CAPPED BULBUL
DIEDERIK CUCKOO
EGYPTIAN GOOSE
EMERALD-SPOTTED WOOD DOVE
EURASIAN HOBBY
EUROPEAN HONEY BUZZARD
EUROPEAN NIGHTJAR
EUROPEAN ROLLER
FIERY-NECKED NIGHTJAR
FOREST BUZZARD
FORK-TAILED DRONGO
GIANT KINGFISHER
GOLDEN-TAILED WOODPECKER
GREATER KESTREL
GREATER STRIPED SWALLOW
GREEN-WINGED PYTITIA
GREEN WOOD HOOPOE
GREY GO-AWAY BIRD
GREY-HEADED BUSH SHRIKE
GREY-HEADED KINGFISHER
GREY-HEADED SPARROW
GREY HERON
GREY-BACKED CAMAROPTERA
HADEDA IBIS
HALF-COLLARED KINGFISHER
HAMERKOP
HARLEQUIN QUAIL
HELMETED GUINEAFOWL
HOODED VULTURE
JACKAL BUZZARD
JACOBIN CUCKOO
KURRICHANE BUTTONQUAIL
KURRICHANE THRUSH
LANNER FALCON
LAPPET-FACED VULTURE
LAUGHING DOVE
LESSER FLAMINGO
LESSER SPOTTED EAGLE
LILAC-BREASTED ROLLER
LITTLE BANDED GOSHAWK
LITTLE BEE EATER
LITTLE BITTERN
LITTLE SPARROW HAWK
LITTLE SWIFT
LIZARD BUZZARD
LONG-CRESTED EAGLE
MARABOU STORK
MARICO SUNBIRD
MARSH OWL
MARTIAL EAGLE
MOTTLED SWIFT
MOUSE BIRD
NAMAQUA DOVE
NATAL SPURFOWL
PALE CHANTING GOSHAWK
PALM SWIFT
PARADISE FLYCATCHER
PEARL-SPOTTED OWLET
PEREGRINE FALCON
PIED CROW
PURPLE-CRESTED TURACO
PURPLE HERON
PURPLE ROLLER
PYGMY KINGFISHER
RED-BILLED HORNBILL
RED-EYED DOVE
RED-HEADED WEAVER
RED-CRESTED KORHAAN
RED-WINGED STARLING
ROCK KESTREL
SCARLET-CHESTED SUNBIRD
SECRETARY BIRD
SOMBRE GREENBUL
SOUTHERN BLACK FLYCATCHER
SOUTHERN GROUND HORNBILL
SOUTHERN MASKED WEAVER
SOUTHERN YELLOW BILLED HORNBILL
SPECKLED MOUSEBIRD
SPOTTED EAGLE OWL
SPOTTED THICK-KNEE
SQUARE-TAILED NIGHTJAR)
STEPPE BUZZARD
STONE PARTRIDGE
STRIPED KINGFISHER
SUPERB STARLING
TAITA FALCON
TAMBOURINE DOVE
TAWNY EAGLE
TRUMPETER HORNBILL
VERREAUX’S EAGLE
VERREAUX’S EAGLE OWL
WAHLBERG’S EAGLE
WHITE-BACKED VULTURE
WHITE-FACED OWL
WHITE-FRONTED BEE EATER
WHITE-HEADED VULTURE
WHITE STORK
WHITE-BREASTED CORMORANT
WHITE-BROWED SPARROW WEAVER
WHITE-RUMPED SWIFT
WOOD OWL
WOODLAND’S KINGFISHER
YELLOW-BELLIED FRUIT PIGEON (BRUCE’S GREEN PIGEON)
YELLOW-BILLED KITE
YELLOW-FRONTED CANARY
Reptiles
AFRICAN HELMETED TURTLE
AFRICAN ROCK PYTHON
BLACK MAMBA
BOOMSLANG
EGYPTIAN COBRA
FLAP-NECKED CHAMELEON
GIANT PLATED LIZARD
LEOPARD TORTOISE
MARBLE TREE SNAKE
MOZAMBIQUE SPITTING COBRA
NILE CROCODILE
ROCK MONITOR
SPEKE’S HINGE-BACK TORTOISE
SOUTHERN VINE SNAKE
WATER MONITOR
DAILY TOURS AND PRICES
Two tours daily from Monday – Saturday
Approximate duration of tour is 1.5 to 2 hours long
| Morning Tour starts @ | 09:30 |
| Afternoon Tour starts @ | 15:00 |
Open as usual during school holidays and public holidays (09h30 and 15:00),
Sundays at 15h00 during school holidays and long weekends only.
Prices
The prices below are from 1 January 2024:
4 yrs – 6 yrs: R45.00 per child
7 yrs – 12 yrs: R100.00 per child
Adult: R 205.00 per person
SA Pensioners: R160.00 per person
MUSEUM, CURIO SHOP and STOFFEL’S TUCK SHOP
Please make sure you visit our:
WILDLIFE REHABILITATION FACILITY VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Since 1998, Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre has been accepting volunteer students into our wildlife rehabilitation volunteer program. These students travel from all over the world for a unique African experience. Once here at the centre for rehabilitation of wildlife, they are involved in all day-to-day activities and have become a pivotal part of animal care and treatment at the centre.
A large part of the student’s duties is to care for these animals, and this involves everything from feeding, cleaning and providing stimulation for our more intelligent residents (such as the honey badgers). Whilst working here as a wildlife rehabilitator, you will be involved in any call-outs, drop-offs or hand-raising of baby animals brought to the centre.
We are also actively involved in research on the movements and behaviour of leopards. To date, we have captured and collared a number of leopards for this research, and the results have been astounding. During your stay at Moholoholo, you may be lucky enough to be involved in the capture or release of a leopard. Our research also extends to a number of vulture species, and we monitor those who visit our vulture restaurant on a daily basis.
There is no typical day at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, anything can happen!
Working with wild animals can delay meals and rob you of your sleep, so be prepared for the unexpected. Everything adds to making your experience more memorable.
STOFFEL – “The Honey Badger Houdini”
WHY VISIT OUR WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTRES
Visiting the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre offers a unique opportunity to witness the dedicated efforts of wildlife rehabilitators who care for South Africa’s injured and orphaned wildlife. This centre not only provides a sanctuary for animals that cannot return to the wild, but also plays a pivotal role in educating the public about conservation challenges. With engaging tours and the chance to see various species up close, guests leave with a deeper understanding of wildlife issues. Support the mission of wildlife rehabilitation by visiting the wildlife rehabilitation centre, where every visit contributes to important conservation efforts. Contact us to plan your visit.