Wild AT HEART

They care for injured owls, rescue entangled seals, campaign for threatened marine life, protect elephants and return lost species to the Karoo. These women aren't just working in conservation - they're redefining it.

- Eleanor le Riche

ON foot and in uniform, the Black Mambas patrol 50 000 hectares of wilderness in the Greater Kruger, armed not with rifles but with resolve.

As the country's first all-female anti-poaching unit, they're as much educators as they are protectors, reshaping the human-wildlife relationship one patrol and one school visit at a time.

Like them, a growing number of women are stepping into conservation roles that go far beyond the field, combining science and community engagement with courageous leadership.

DANELLE MURRAY Conservationist and co-founder of the Owl Rescue Centre

ON a quiet patch of land in Hartbeespoort, North West, owls glide silently through the dusk and into the arms of two of their fiercest protectors. Danelle Murray and her husband Brendan founded the Owl Rescue Centre to give South Africa’s owls — and other wild animals — a fighting chance in a rapidly changing world.

‘The decision to pour our energy into saving owls was a response to a series of deeply traumatic events,’ Danelle says. After surviving multiple robberies and a near-fatal attack, they channelled their pain into purpose. ‘We wanted to add a deeper meaning to our existence — to put our time on earth towards something lasting and impactful.’ They quickly realised there was an urgent need. ‘Owls had become one of the most common casualties at vet practices. Urbanisation, poisoning and persecution were decimating populations,’ Danelle says. ‘We saw a critical need for a dedicated facility focused on owl conservation in South Africa.

They raised money by hand-making and selling owl houses, and funding every rescue out of their own pockets.