Meet the Team!

B iologist Ben Hoffman has been actively working with birds of prey both in South Africa and Zimbabwe for over 25 years. As an active falconer he has watched and hunted a wide variety of raptors. Ben was with the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management before doing his dangerous drugs license and moving into specialized wildlife capture and international translocations. He now specializes in raptor rehabilitation and runs RAPTOR RESCUE, handling over 100 rehabilitation cases annually. He also heads up the breeding and release projects at the Sanctuary and has to date bred 15 species of birds of prey, including two Red Data Book species.

 

 

 

C EO, Shannon Hoffman has been working fulltime with birds of prey for the last eight years, both in South Africa and abroad and oversees the sections of the facility that are open to the public. Shannon began her 'hands on' raptor work in Arabia where she lived, and worked, in the desert with falcons, horses and camels. On returning to South Africa it was apparent to her that she and fellow South Africans, take the amazing African raptor diversity for granted and know very little about them. She initiated  a small educational facility in Botha's Hill, called 'On Air' which she ran for for three years before combining forces with husband Ben to open the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary.

 

 

Primary raptor handler Tammy Caine introduces people to the amazing world of the aerial-predators in the daily flying demonstrations. With her father being a conservation officer and wildlife rehabilitator, Tammy was ‘doomed from the start’. She herself has successfully completed a Game Ranging Diploma, has been involved with release monitoring and has worked full time with the raptors at the Sanctuary since September 2006. Tammy is also a memeber of AKAA (The Animal Keepers Association) and recently attended their annual conference in Outshoorn.

 

 

 

S onya Caldecott, and her African Grey ‘Percy,’ joined our team in November 2008. So far no-one has dared to tell Percy that he is in fact just a parrot and not a bird of prey! Sonya is the Sanctuary’s Front of House Manager, running reception, the shop, gallery and café and ensures that the time guest spend at the Sanctuary is pleasurable. Sonya is trained in travel and tourism and has spent that last five years in exclusive bush lodge management in Limpopo province.
She joins our team with infectious enthusiasm for creatures and wild places and suitably compliments our working team.

 

 

Innocent Mlambo is one of the grounds-men who tend to the daily maintenance and care of the raptors living at the Sanctuary. Innocent was part of the original set-up team and was involved in the building and development of all the enclosures that have become permanent homes to the impaired birds of prey. The sections under his care are Eagle Alley and Honeycomb Habitats

 

 

 

 

 

Wiseman Dlamini is the Sanctuary's second groundsman and joined the team in June 2008. Wiseman cares for the Owls in Hoot Hollow and is involved with raptor food production by maintaining the rodent breeding facility. Wiseman's valuable handyman skills are also being encouraged and he also hopes to begin interpretive work with visiting school groups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silindelo Mathonsi is a local lady and is the front of house and café assistant helping to ensure that your all-round visit to the Sanctuary is complete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Raptor Rescue Release committee, headed up by Ben Hoffman:

1Tanya van der Vyver who has 11 years experience in the rehabilitation of wildlife which included being head of clinic and birds of prey for CROW (Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife) for 5 years. She has also completed her National Diploma in Animal Health.

2 To ensure an ethically transparent release process, all released raptors are ringed by ornathologist Mark Brown and his team from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, so that the birds of prey can be identified post release. Mark is based at the School of Biological and Conservation Sciences and often brings undergraduate Zoology students to the Sanctuary to give them opportunity to come into contact with, and collect data from raptors.

3 All veterinary work and surgery for Raptor Rescue is performed by Dr Oliver Tatham of the Hilton Veterinary Surgery. Dr Tatham has been working directly with Ben Hoffman for five years and active in wildlife rehabilitation for over 11 years. Dr Tatham was the 2006 recipient of the Bird of Prey working group’s raptor conservationist of the year award. He is considered the leading raptor veterinarian in the country and maintains close communication with specialists globally. Oliver Tatham is also on the board of trustees of the African Raptor Trust.

4 Brent Coverdale is the KZN Ezemvelo/Wildlife District Conservation Officer covering the area in which the African Bird of Prey Sanctuary is situated. He handles the permits and the legalities surrounding these protected species.

V olunteers: We are grateful to a couple of stelwarts who are dedicated to the raptors and support the Sanctuary in a multitude of ways -including hard physical labour!