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Once upon a time... Nyalou

As a wildlife orphanage, DAKTARI has the honour and privilege to raise abandoned animals and take care of them until they can be released, which is an important yet challenging role to take on. Let us tell you the amazing story of Nyalou the Nyala, and how we played a major role in giving him a chance in life after such a difficult start.

4 years ago, Michèle our co-founder received a call that a baby Nyala had been left alone by his mom for two days in the bush and was desperate for help. Without hesitation, the baby was welcomed to the family and named Nyalou. Taking care of a baby antelope comes with a lot of challenges, as the milk has to be given at a specific temperature and the antelope has to be comfortable enough to drink from the bottle. If any of these factors are not met, the outcome could be fatal. Luckily, with a lot of patience, dedication and love, our baby Nyalou got healthy and strong. While living in camp, he made a lot of friends, but his favourite was Nikita, a young playful Rottweiler. When Nyalo turned 6 months old, we were ecstatic (and a bit sad) to release our baby on the reserve where he could roam freely. From time to time, we have the chance to see him in camp with his girlfriend Poquita, another of our hand-raised Nyala. They had a baby together and both took on the parental role that they never experienced. And they lived happily ever after in the DAKTARI bush!

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