SAASA runs animal sanctuaries Monkeyland, Birds of Eden and Jukani in and around Plettenberg Bay, South Africa. The organisation strives to improve the lives of caged primates, birds and other wildlife, focusing on both their physical and psychological health. Their mission is to educate the public about the adverse effects of keeping animals as pets and they want visitors to leave with greater knowledge and compassion for animals. All the sanctuaries are non-touching facilities.
I'll be volunteering across all three of the sanctuaries and I'm so excited to start! If you'd like to find out why I chose SAASA to volunteer with, head over to my blog to read more.
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Find out more about SAASA on their website, or continue scrolling down this page to read more about each of their sanctuaries.
About SAASA
MONKEYLAND
'The world's first free roaming multi-specie primate sanctuary'
Monkeyland is a refuge for primates who have previously been in captivity and is currently home to over 700 primates with 11 species in total. The Afromontane forest, around 25 hectares in size, is the perfect natural environment for the primates.
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Inside Monkeyland, SAASA runs a reforestation programme. They often host special events where people can donate indigenous trees (endemic to their forests) instead of paying an entry fee. It's great to know that SAASA is devoted to maintaining and expanding the primates' home.
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There is also a Special Monkey Home for primates who are disabled, blind or otherwise unable to live happily in the Monkeyland forest. SAASA ensures they can still have high quality of life and are treated with the best care.
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Head to the Monkeyland website to read more out the sanctuary, or find out about their 11 different species of primates in my fact file!
Afromontane relates to the Afrotropic sub region, which covers the plant and animal species found in the mountains of Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. Trees in an Afromontane Forest can be up to 30 or 40 meters tall.
Monkeyland is a refuge for primates who have previously been in captivity and is currently home to over 700 primates with 11 species in total. The Afromontane forest, around 25 hectares in size, is the perfect natural environment for the primates.
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Inside Monkeyland, SAASA runs a reforestation programme. They often host special events where people can donate indigenous trees (endemic to their forests) instead of paying an entry fee. It's great to know that SAASA is devoted to maintaining and expanding the primates' home.
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There is also a Special Monkey Home for primates who are disabled, blind or otherwise unable to live happily in the Monkeyland forest. SAASA ensures they can still have high quality of life and are treated with the best care.
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Head to the Monkeyland website to read more out the sanctuary, or find out about their 11 different species of primates in my fact file!
BIRDS OF EDEN
'The Garden Route's very own free flight bird sanctuary'
Birds of Eden is the world's largest free-flight bird aviary at 50 metres high, covering 23,000 square metres of forest. The sanctuary houses over 3,500 previously caged birds which belong to more than 250 species, with the focus being African birds.
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The Birds of Eden forest is also Afromontane, and it originated out of what used to be a farm dump site. As well as the maintaining the forests inside the sanctuaries, Monkeyland and Birds of Eden have been working non-stop on ensuring the longevity of the forests around the sites.
In 2014, the sanctuary was honoured with four major tourism awards for visitor experience of the year, sustainable tourism, world responsible tourism and best animal welfare.
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Read more about Birds of Eden on their website, or discover more about their species here.
JUKANI
'Where rescued big cats feel at home'
Jukani is primarily home to big cats such as lions, cheetahs and tigers, but also provides sanctuary for other wildlife species, including zebra, honey badgers and snakes.
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The sanctuary focuses on conservation education, especially the plight of large predators in captivity in South Africa and all over the world. At many wildlife facilities, animals are often kept as commodities to attract visitors with no regard for their physical and emotional needs. This is especially true for large predatory species. Jukani therefore takes measures to respect what each animal represents, and provides them with a place of refuge where their every need is cared for.
Jukani has also secured the future of all its predator cats and wildlife, as SAASA is the whole custodian of all the Jukani inhabitants, so each animal will be protected here for the rest of their lives.
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Find out more about the sanctuary here or discover more about the big cats and other animals in my fact file.
