New Global Alliance Promises to Advance Wild Animal Care Across South Africa

International animal welfare organisation Wild Welfare has joined forces with the South African Animal Keepers Association (SAAKA) to bring world-class support and expertise to wildlife caregivers throughout the region. 

An inaugural Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has officially been signed to drive up standards of wild animal care and education at progressive zoos, aquariums, and sanctuaries across South Africa.

By increasing access to high quality educational materials and professional development, the two organisations aim to up-skill frontline animal care professionals and managers in key areas of animal care and welfare. 

By applying such learning, keepers have the opportunity to significantly help reduce captive-related stress, or better provide for an animal's need to promote their naturalistic behaviors for example.

 Ultimately, these improvements move the needle from mere survival to truly good welfare, allowing animals to thrive in a safe, stimulating environment.

SAAKA was established in 2024 to create a formal network for animal care professionals in South Africa, providing a voice for those who understand the intricate needs of the animals in their care. This partnership with Wild Welfare, a global leader in animal welfare training, will bring important expertise and resources directly to the South African animal keeper community.

“Authentic long-term relationships lie at the foundation of our work,” Dave Morgan, Field Director for Wild Welfare told That's Green.

 “This MoU is grounded in long-term, authentic relationships and a practical commitment to supporting staff on the ground, so that animals under human care are managed to thrive rather than simply persist.”

The formalised partnership hopes to increase the availability of advanced welfare training and learning opportunities for animal caregivers within SAKKA’s membership while establishing a platform for sharing resources, husbandry techniques, and progressive welfare research.

Robynn Ingle-Moller, Vice-President of SAAKA, highlighted the significance of the union, stating, “Keepers are the first responders in animal welfare.

"By banding together and partnering with an organisation like Wild Welfare, we are ensuring that the future of animal care in South Africa is grounded in compassion, science, and professional excellence.”

The MoU marks the beginning of a five-year journey dedicated to raising the bar for captive animal welfare and ensuring a brighter future for the thousands of wild animals housed across South Africa's managed facilities.

https://saaka.org.za

https://wildwelfare.org

Tourists Urged to Boycott Exotic Animal Cafés as Welfare Charity Launches Public Pledge

Global animal welfare charity, Wild Welfare, has today launched a ‘call-to-action campaign’ urging for an end to the exploitation of wildlife within the exotic animal cafés across Asia. 

The ‘Just Say No’ pledge invites the public to look beyond the ‘cute’ aesthetics of these increasingly popular tourist spots, and to recognise the harsh and cruel realities lived by the animals kept within them.

The rise of animal cafés, particularly across Japan, has become increasingly visited experiences by tourists, likely driven, in part by their frequent social media exposure. 

Guests are promised close-up encounters with exotic species such as owls, otters, capybaras and even fennec foxes, however, behind their “cute cafe” image, lies a stark reality of highly compromised animal welfare. 

Wild Welfare, working alongside a network of Japanese animal welfare NGOs’ and experts, is sounding the alarm on the distress these commercial environments are causing animals along with their risk to visitor health and safety.

“People visit these cafés because they ‘love’ animals, but the tragic irony is that their decision to visit fuels a cycle of suffering,” Georgina Groves, a Senior Animal Welfare Advisor at Wild Welfare, told That's Green.

“Our research and technical paper, carried out through the support of the charity ‘Animal Welfare Japan’, demonstrates that these crowded, noisy environments are fundamentally incapable of meeting the complex needs of wild animals. From over handling, to the inability of species to perform any natural behaviours; thousands of animals in these cafes are existing in a state of chronic stress.”

The ‘Just Say No’ pledge is part of a broader strategy which has seen Wild Welfare working with partners to advocate for the end of exotic animal entertainment cafes. The organisation provides technical expertise to assist the transition of the international tourism industry toward more ethical, welfare-friendly practices.

By taking the pledge, supporters are making a tangible commitment to the welfare of captive wild animals and helping to shift the global demand away from the over commercialisation of wildlife.

Take a few seconds to stand up for animal welfare and add your name to the online pledge today at https://wildwelfare.org/animal-cafe-pledge