Bongani Bavuma - Assistant Lecturer, Wildlife

Bongani joined the Wildlife industry in 2004 whilst working for the African Global Academy - a volunteer programme that was based in Shamwari Game Reserve. He worked there for two years and then went on to work with Dr. Wayne Vos as assistant lecturer and camp manager for the Conservation Academy in the same area. He also worked as a Field Guide at the Shamwari Game Reserve and as an Assistant Head Ranger at the Bushman Sands Game Reserve.

He was then offered a position at the Born Free Foundation - a UK based charity organization - where he worked as Centre and Animal Care Manager at Jean Byrd Born Free Centre. He looked after 8 lions and a leopard. One of Born Free Foundation's objectives is to promote conservation through education; Bongani enhanced this vision by teaching guests from Shamwari, as well as members of the Alicedale community, University students and children from different schools, about the Born Free Conservation initiative and showing them its animals.

Bongani joined Stenden in 2009 as an Assistant Lecturer for the Wildlife Management minor module. He is currently studying towards a BSc in Environmental Management at UNISA.