The people behind
Friends of Wildlife Management
A support group promoting public participation in the preservation and conservation of wildlife with the focus on the province of Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Directors
Karin Youssoufian
Director
Karin is from Switzerland and visited South Africa for the first time in 2011.
The Africa fever grabbed her right away. Fascinated by South Africa’s wildlife, she is very grateful to be able to play a part in ensuring that this wonderful wildlife can continue to be a part of South Africa.
Tony Ferri
Director
Tony has lived in the Lowveld since December 1986, originating from Johannesburg. He studied dentistry at Wits and graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Dental Science. He has run his own dental practice since 1989 and is still in private practice.
Tony has always loved the bush and wildlife and taken a keen interest in photography and a bit of birding. His concern is, and always will be the preservation of our wildlife in this country.
Tony Kennett
Director
Tony is a businessman involved in many areas, Aviation, Transport, Restaurants, Hotels, Lodges, Tourism, Real Estate, Development, Cattle, Wildlife and Macadamia Farming.
He is currently a director and shareholder of many companies in the above instruments.
His business philosophy is one of building business by means of partnerships and joint ownership.
Wildlife Unit
Ertjies Rohm
Manager
Ertjies Rohm has been the manager of the Wildlife Management unit since 2009.
Before he joined us in this capacity, his conservation career took him from the old Transvaal Nature Conservation (1982-1996) to the Mpumalanga Parks Board, where he was head of Special Investigations until 2001, with a focus on rhino poaching and cycad smuggling.
This lead to a position as Head of Wildlife Management at the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, before his promotion to manager in 2009.
Chris Hobkirk
Chief Nature Conservator
Game Capture
Chris Hobkirk successfully completed a B-tech in Nature Conservation at Saasveld in 2002 and is currently an MSc candidate with the University of the North West.
He worked as the curator for the Swadini Reptile Park until May 2003. Soon after, he was employed as Senior Nature Conservator at the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency. During his tenure, he has launched a voluntary reptile recovery service in the Lowveld, rescuing thousands of reptiles over the past few years and is the Director of Lowveld Venom Suppliers.
He has also assumed responsibility for all mass capture and translocation activities including specialized problem animal control and related reptile work.
Gait-Jan Sterk
Chief Nature Conservator
Problem Animal Care and Rescue
Gait-Jan Sterk started his career in conservation by managing the predator camp at Tswalu Nature Reserve in 1998.
When he qualified with a B-tech in Nature Conservation at Saasveld in 2002, he was appointed as the manager of Sabie Park, a position that he filled until 2009.
He was then employed at the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency and has since been responsible for the capture of problem animals, as well as the upkeep of the care- and rescue facility and its related equipment.
Delecia Gunn
Chief Nature Conservator
Breeding Projects
Delecia Gunn holds a diploma in Laboratory Animal Technology and was appointed as caretaker at Middleburg Zoo by the Mpumalanga Parks Board in 1996.
From there, she moved to Loskop Dam Nature Reserve to contribute to the buffalo production programme. During this time, she also spearheaded the Ground Hornbill Breeding Project (2001), and Black-footed Cat Breeding Project (2006). In 2010, she moved to Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency Wildlife Management.
Since then she has been recognised as the first person globally to breed parent-reared ground hornbills in captivity, which led to her receiving the coveted Bernard Harrison Award for Conservation of Ground Hornbills Worldwide.