Expanded three-year commitment funds rescue, rehabilitation, and release of endangered turtles into the De Hoop Marine Protected Area

The Morukuru Goodwill Foundation, a dedicated supporter of marine and wildlife conservation in South Africa, has renewed and expanded its commitment to the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Turtle Conservation Centre through a three-year funding initiative focused on sea turtle rehabilitation. This next chapter in the long-standing relationship will support the Turtle Conservation Centre in its mission to rescue, rehabilitate, and ultimately release endangered sea turtles into the wild.

The commitment includes the full adoption and care of three turtles currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Turtle Conservation Centre: Nori, Kai, and Habanero. These turtles – each with their own extraordinary story – will be released into the protected waters of De Hoop Nature Reserve, home to Morukuru Family De Hoop, once their recovery is complete.

“Our relationship with the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation is built on shared purpose: conservation, education, and a passion and respect for the natural world,” says Anka Zeeman, co-founder of the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation. “We’re proud to continue this work together and help return these remarkable turtles to the ocean.” 

Among the turtles currently under the Turtle Conservation Centre’s care is Habanero, a fully mature male loggerhead rescued near Witsand in February 2025. Found weak and covered in parasites, Habanero was diagnosed with septic arthritis and underwent complex surgery to support his rehabilitation journey. As an adult male, critical for long-term species resilience, his survival is a powerful contribution to global turtle conservation efforts.

Nori, a green turtle known for her grace and quiet strength, has been in rehabilitation since 2024 and was adopted by the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation in September last year. Her calm demeanour and steady progress suggest she is nearing readiness for release. 

Kai, a charismatic five-year-old loggerhead turtle, rounds out the trio. Rescued as a hatchling weighing just 530g in November 2020, Kai faced early challenges due to a lung infection and unevenly sized lungs, which affected his buoyancy and muscle development. Thanks to years of dedicated care at the Turtle Conservation Centre, including pulmonary physiotherapy, custom shell weights, and an innovative buoyancy device, Kai has made remarkable progress. Now weighing over 57kg and thriving in the I&J Ocean Exhibit, he continues to receive enrichment and physiotherapy as he prepares for his eventual return to the wild.

With the Morukuru Goodwill Foundation’s support, the Turtle Conservation Centre will also expand its rehabilitation capacity and satellite-tag the turtles before release, enabling post-release tracking and contributing vital data to global conservation science.

“Morukuru has shown commitment to turtle conservation for several years now. Initially through the support of turtle rescue along its DeHoop coastline, Morukuru’s support has expanded to include rehabilitation and release. We are grateful for the long-term commitment that Morukuru is making towards turtle conservation,” says Talitha Noble-Trull, Turtle Conservation Centre Manager at the Two Oceans Aquarium.

This renewed commitment reflects Morukuru Goodwill Foundation’s dedication to conservation and community upliftment in South Africa. Founded in 2007 by Ed and Anka Zeeman, the Foundation is the philanthropic heart of Morukuru Family, whose eco-luxury properties in Madikwe Game Reserve and De Hoop Nature Reserve are designed to protect and celebrate Africa’s natural heritage.

“Our commitment revolves around restoring ecosystems and sharing knowledge. The end goal is to create and nurture a legacy of care for our oceans and for future generations,” Zeeman concluded.

This follows the findings of a High-Level Panel (HLP) which submitted recommendations on policies, regulatory measures, practices and policy positions related to hunting, trade, captive keeping, management and handling of elephant, lion, leopard and rhinoceros.

Beyond the damage that captive lion breeding does to South Africa’s conservation and tourism reputation, the links between humans, animals and the health of our planet have never been clearer.

To highlight how the pandemic has changed the way we travel and our awareness of the need to prevent animal exploitation for the health of our planet and people, Africa Travel Week will be hosting a virtual session with FOUR PAWS, an international animal welfare organisation for animals under human influence, fostering a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding.

“To prevent future crises, we must globally make a change to our behaviour and priorities. The tourism sector has the opportunity to harness this pause, in order to re-focus efforts in sustainable travel and establish itself as an industry leader in non-consumptive practices. In order to be truly sustainable, one thing is clear, we must put animal welfare on the global agenda,” says FOUR PAWS South Africa’s Country Director, Fiona Miles.

The virtual session will focus on South Africa’s captive lions, as this continues to be a controversial topic. Today, the country’s captive population of around 12,000 is over three times the size of its wild population. These animals are subjected to a life of cruelty, where they are exploited for tourists and voluntourism through cub-petting, bottle feeding, ‘walking with’ opportunities and as photo props, before being sold to the canned trophy hunting industry. With lions globally vulnerable to extinction, this is now a topic of high national and international priority. 

“The recent decision by the South African Government announcing the banning of the use of captive bred lions and their derivatives is a significant step forward, but there is a long road ahead. Businesses each have the opportunity to lead in the international sector of compassionate and ethical tourism, by moving away from the consumptive use and practices of wildlife. Our session will serve to highlight, aid and discuss the practical solutions to allow it to do just that,” adds Miles.

SATSA Animal Interaction Guidelines

SATSA, the Voice of Inbound Tourism, developed and launched an Animal Interaction Guide and Toolkit in 2019 aimed at assisting owners of captive wildlife experiences, visitors and buyers in making informed decisions based on sound ethics to support good practice only.

It too has come out in full support of the steps being taken to shape new policy around captive lion breeding.

“We presented to the panel, an Integrative Approach which was locally born, locally relevant, African-philosophy-linked and Constitutional Court endorsed,” explains Keira Powers, SATSA Board Member and Head of the Animal Interaction Committee.  “The HLP recommendations are, by contrast, pinned on the principle of ‘sustainable use’ which we must caution can be manipulated into justifying over-exploitation of animal resources to disproportionate human gain at the expense of sound conservation outcomes” she adds.

“For tourism’s sustainability, all that matters is what our key source markets think. In our research, we reviewed what would secure South Africa the best tourism returns in the long-term future based on the value of tourism to jobs and the economy. It was clear that this lay in Africa’s USP, its wildlife and communities, and that the shift in public sentiment away from exploitation of animals for our enjoyment is real and has come to bear on our tourism industry and product,” concludes Powers.

To register for the FOUR PAWS virtual session, click here.

The programme is aimed at providing professional growth and leadership development opportunities between the two agencies and to increase education and awareness of international wildlife trafficking, which negatively affects conservation efforts in both Texas and South Africa, according to TPWD.

Texas Game Wardens say they have increased the focus on wildlife trafficking operations over the last decade, including navigating through internet forums and online marketplaces where they say trade in both live wildlife and wildlife parts frequently occurs.

“The illegal sale and exploitation of wildlife resources is a global problem that has a direct negative effect on the State of Texas and could lead to the loss of Texas native species, either through the harvest of native species or introduction of non-indigenous invasive species,” said Col. Grahame Jones, Law Enforcement Director with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

The release says game wardens are currently working to identify suspect sales and negotiate undercover transactions with willing sellers to purchase a wide variety of native and non-native wildlife species from around the world, removing them from the harmful animal trafficking trade.

Kruger National Park, in northeastern South Africa, is one of Africa’s largest game reserves. They see more than 1.8 million annual visitors, and are home to over 500 bird species, 100 reptiles, and nearly 150 mammals; including species heavily targeted by traffickers, such as leopards, rhinos, elephants and giraffes.

The aim is to provide the airline’s younger guests with a greater understanding of animal welfare and how they can play a part in reducing man’s impact on fragile natural habitats, wildlife conservation and wild animal welfare.

First launched in September 2016, Etihad Explorers is the airline’s children’s brand, featured on activity packs and meal items.

Born Free has supported Etihad Airways in the development of its comprehensive animal welfare and conservation policy and with various employee awareness-raising activities, promoting the importance of animal welfare and responsible tourism. The airline has supported Born Free in the highly successful promotion of the Elsa the Lioness bracelet in its in-flight shopping catalogue.

Will Travers OBE, President & Co-Founder of Born Free, said: “Etihad Airways is an important global partner in promoting wild animal welfare and connecting people with the urgent need to protect animals and their habitats all over the planet. Together we can help educate future generations so they can help deliver our vision of compassionate conservation for all species.”

Milk Jnr’s & Kidworks, a Manchester headquartered agency specialising in engaging kid’s activity packs for some of the world’s biggest family brands, has revamped the Etihad Explorers packs including changing the lead characters in the three to eight-year-old packs. Jamool the Camel and Boo the Panda now take over from Kundai the Lion and Zoe the Bee.

On inbound flights to Abu Dhabi, the collectable character bag contains the activity booklet, crayons, card games and a colour-in mask. The pack on flights from Abu Dhabi includes a unique suitcase board game which allows parents and children to play together, a foam version of Boo the Panda, colour-in postcards, crayons, and a handy waterproof travel wallet.

For nine to 13-year old children, a refreshed and more mature seascape-themed pack is now provided and includes Sudoku, mazes, lined notes and join-the-dot games. These packs also contain a pencil case, pencil, a dual-function bookmark and ruler, and a notepad.

Other onboard facilities for young travellers and their families include the dedicated ‘Just 4 Kids’ section on the Etihad Airways E-BOX inflight entertainment system, and a Flying Nanny on all long-haul flights. Flying Nannies were introduced in 2013 and provide an extra pair of hands to allow parents more personal time while they entertain the children.