The quiet is tangible. You dare not make a sound as you try to catch a glimpse of the king of the jungle. You’re very excited and just a little bit scared as you search the massive enclosure for the mighty lion. You crane your neck, take another step forward. And that’s when your heart drops as you spot the stealthy predator studying you with hungry eyes from the tall grass less than six meters away.
Luckily you are visiting Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary in The Crags, so you know you are safe. And you know that all the animals are extremely well taken care of, so the lion watching you from the brush isn’t hungry.
We’ve mentioned before that Knysna is the perfect base from which to visit the rest of the Garden Route, and you’ll find the perfect accommodation option at www.exploreknysna.com. At just over 50kms away from your ideal self catering establishment, guesthouse, B&B or boutique hotel room, a visit to Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary is a dream of a daytrip.
Established near George on the Garden Route in 2005, Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary moved to the outskirts of Mosselbay in 2007 and has now found a permanent home at the Crags. This new location offers 17 hectares of forest and grassland for the rescued predators including lion, Bengal and Siberian tigers, leopard, African wild dog, hyena, and honey badger.
The main focus at Jukani is on conservation education – specifically the plight of large predators in captivity, so a visit to the sanctuary is not just about seeing these magnificent animals, but an informative experience. The experienced and trained guides not only take you on informative tours of the sanctuary, but introduce you to all of their feline and other wildlife “family” members. And as the Jukani approach is one of respect for what each animal represents, it is clear that there is a close personal bond, built on mutual respect and love, between the staff and each of the animals living at the sanctuary. Jukani believes that each animal should be treated as an individual with his/her own unique personality and needs, so you won’t just learn about the different species of big cats – you’ll meet and be delighted by the animals’ unique personalities.
Jukani provides these predators sanctuary for the duration of their natural lives in an environment where they are respected and cared for, both physically and emotionally. And cubs are never removed from their mothers for human interactions.
At Jukani tourism is used as vehicle to achieve a balance between their conservation education program and the economic and financial realities of securing the future of each predator. So play a part in securing that future and experience a massive tiger or lion up close, see the elusive and shy black leopard and laugh at the funny antics of the jaguars when they play in their water pool. It’s an experience that will stay with you forever.
Facilities at Jukani include a restaurant and curio shop and the sanctuary has disabled access. You will find their entrance at the turn off to the Plett Puzzle Park on the N2 between Knysna and Nature’s Valley, with GPS coordinates 34 10 41 S 22 01 32 E. Also visit www.jukani.co.za for more information and contact details.
Thank you to Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary for the information and photographs.