The AfriCat Foundation

Okonjima Nature Reserve, today, is recognized as one of the premier places to stay to witness carnivores and other endangered species like the aardvark, pangolin and brown hyaena in the wild and to be educated about conservation. Its’ emphasis on authenticity, on luxury and on the environment has made it a jewel in Namibian tourism. Part of the symbiotic relationship is that monies raised through the Okonjima Nature Reserve, help to fund the important conservation research (https://africat.org/our-projects/) programmes and education projects with which the Hanssens are also engaged, under the banner of AfriCat.

The AfriCat Foundation was born in the early 1990’s, a Namibia registered non-profit organization which started out primarily as a welfare organization, and has since become focused on educating Namibia’s youth and on research projects which are essential in accomplishing its mission of the long term conservation of Namibia’s wildlife in their natural habitat, but in an enclosed conservation area. To effectively manage carnivores and other species within a closed reserve, a thorough understanding of their altered ecology is needed to make informed management decisions.

This symbiotic relationship which exists between the AfriCat Foundation and the Okonjima Nature Reserve is imperative to the continued survival of our wildlife – without education and research, the essential conservation of many species would falter … Equally, without the partial financial support contributed by the visitors who stay at the Okonjima Nature Reserve, neither would survive!