Bearded Vulture | Nikela: Helping People Saving Wildlife

What Nikela can and cannot do to help people saving African wildlife

Oct 13, 2020 · by Wildlife Margrit · In: #NikelaAfrica, All Posts, Animal Poaching, Bearded Vulture, Elephant, Human Wildlife Conflict, Lions, News, Nikela, Pangolin, Rhino, rhino poaching, Vervet Monkeys, Wildlife, wildlife conservation, Wildlife Trafficking Tagged: human-wildlife conflict, rhino poaching, wildlife heroes

Saving African wildlife has touched the hearts (and pocket books) of people from all around the world. Nonprofits and foundations of all kinds do research, anti-poaching and rescue rehabilitation work. Some of these organizations are huge with mega funding, others are small grass roots efforts with tiny budgets. Large or small, each of these organizations has saving African wildlife as their mission. Exactly what each does and how they do it varies greatly. For the donor, and wanna-be donor, this can be quite confusing. Some large organizations have equally large administrative costs. Some organizations are restricted by the wishes of…

What Drives This Wildlife Hero? The Gift of a Life Saved

Nov 19, 2019 · by Russ · In: All Posts, Bearded Vulture, Bird of Prey, Bred 4 the Wild, endangered, Shannon Tagged: Bearded Vulture, bred 4 the wild, Shannon Hoffman, wildlife heroes

Only for the glory, recognition, big bucks, becoming world renowned, receiving international awards, and having a tombstone inscribed with “Here lies the greatest conservationist of the century.” None of our wildlife heroes began with or live this mindset. For all of them, it is the gift of a life saved and bonding to that living creature through the process that keeps them going. Ten years ago, Shannon changed our hearts leading us down the path to Nikela and the adventures of helping people saving wildlife. She wows the public with the wonder of her rescued birds of prey, converting many…

The Bearded Lady on a Journey to Save an Endangered Species

Oct 1, 2019 · by Wildlife Margrit · In: #NikelaAfrica, All Posts, Bearded Vulture, Bird of Prey, Bird of prey sanctuary, Bred 4 the Wild, Shannon, wildlife conservation Tagged: Bearded Vulture, breeding program, saving endangered species, Shannon Hoffman

It’s January 2014 (this was pre Land Rover) and we’re in our little red rental car. Finally we’re going to meet the Bearded Lady. We heard about her in 2012 when she was rescued from a chicken coop and we rallied Nikela supporters to help build her a comfortable enclosure at Shannon’s African Raptor Center. Affectionately called the Bearded Lady, she really is a Bearded Vulture. Albeit a very beautiful one. Unlike other vultures who eat dead meat these vultures eat the bones. Isn’t nature’s clean up system amazing? Because she was confined to a chicken coop for so long…

What is the difference between Wildlife Conservation and Animal Welfare?

Aug 7, 2019 · by Wildlife Margrit · In: All Posts, Animal Welfare, Bearded Vulture, Elephant, Lions, wildlife conservation Tagged: animal welfare, wildlife conservation

“Aren’t they one and the same thing?” For quite some time I thought wildlife conservation and animal welfare were concepts that could be used interchangeably. However, I was dead wrong. Although on the surface it may seem that both wildlife conservation and animal welfare are about saving and protecting furry and feathered creatures… each has a different premise. Wildlife Conservation can be defined as… “Wildlife conservation activities relate to the protection of plants and animal species, and their habitats. Conservation efforts are made with a goal to preserve nature, and endangered species for the future generations.” (According to the US…