Panthera Africa: The Big Cat Sanctuary Near Cape Town That Turned Me From Sceptic to Superfan

Image supplied

As a single woman in my 40s, it probably comes as no surprise that I love cats. But when I was invited to visit a big cat sanctuary in Stanford, not far from Cape Town, I was sceptical. 

Like any human being who cares about animals, I want to see cats in the wild, not stuck in cages. Unfortunately, due to the unkind actions of some humans, some big cats can not be released into the wild and need to be cared for. 

While sanctuaries are necessary, I feel like there are "sanctuaries" and there are sanctuaries. If you get all the benefits of keeping wild animals in enclosures based on the fact that you "rescued" them from their captors or breeders without capturing them or breeding them yourself, does that really make you a hero? Or is it essentially the same thing but with a better brand?

After a few hours at Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary, my scepticism was gone and I was really touched by the whole experience. It even changed the way I relate to my own not-so-big cat. It can be very hard to tell if any sanctuary genuinely has an animal’s best interests at heart, but here’s why I believe the Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary is worthy of our support: 

The Story Behind Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary

The sanctuary was established by Cathrine Nyquist and Lizaene Cornwall. They were volunteers who used to hand-rear cubs, believing that they were contributing to conservation. When they realised the truth about the industry they were a part of, they were mortified. They followed a calling to establish Panthera Africa and started by rescuing some of the same cats that they hand-reared, such as Oliver, a majestic white lion with a mane that could headline a shampoo ad.

Catherine explains it better than I ever could in this video: Watch here. 

Why Can’t They Return Big Cats in Captivity to the Wild?

While it would be great for these cats to be released back into the wild, unfortunately, it is not possible for two main reasons: 

1. Inbreeding: As they come from breeding farms, a lot of them are inbred which is bad for the gene pool. 
2. Human association: They are too used to being around humans and associate us with food. They may be killed by hunters or people who feel they have to protect themselves from them, should they get too close.

Rays the tiger seemed to really enjoy our visit

Meeting the Residents of Panthera Africa

After an introduction to the sanctuary, how it came to be, and how to behave so we don’t make the cats feel uneasy by our presence, we walked around to see some of the lions, tigers, leopards and caracals that live here.

We met Rays the tiger; Pardus, a black leopard (she looks like a panther but is actually a leopard with the opposite of albinism); Gabriel, a more conventional-looking leopard; Jade, a lioness that was used to breed and had about seven litters in two years, and some caracals. We also met Oliver, the inspiration behind Panthera, as mentioned above.

Every time we saw a cat, we heard their stories and, in some cases, saw pictures of the states they were in when they arrived. 

There were three aspects of the experience that really touched my heart and made me feel confident that these people genuinely have these animals’ best interests at heart: 

1. Neptune, the Camera Shy 

Opposite Oliver was another big beautiful white lion, Neptune. He had a very thick luscious mane. He was beautiful. We were warned long before we got anywhere near his enclosure to give him space, and we were told that he doesn’t like to be photographed. We were asked to respect his wishes and not to take pictures of him. We were, however, allowed to photograph Oliver, who was equally impressive, in the enclosure directly opposite him. 

At first, I thought the request was a bit dramatic and that the management were overreacting to whatever signals they interpreted as Neptune not wanting to be photographed. However, when we were in his vicinity, a member of the tour group I was a part of took out a camera, and I saw him give this person a sceptical side eye. His posture looked uneasy. As soon as it was clear that this person only intended to photograph Oliver, Neptune completely relaxed and flopped down into the dust.  It was heartwarming to see that the staff and owners show more respect to the wishes of these creatures than most people show their own pets.

Not Neptune but Oliver

2. Baguira, the Circus Survivor

There was another lioness whose photograph was on a billboard but her enclosure remained out of sight. The guide, Rhys, explained that this was Baguira who came from a circus in Argentina. As she did not participate in the show, she ultimately spent eight years in a small cage, being taken around to be seen by people and to appear in photographs. 

Having been rescued, moved to South Africa (in a painstaking bureaucratic effort), given a huge enclosure and possibly her first encounter with grass, the owners of Panthera Africa keep her out of sight. They feel that she has been on display for the amusement of humans for long enough. 

Panthera Africa claims to be a non-commercial tourist attraction that prioritises the health, happiness, and welfare of rescued cats over the enjoyment of their human visitors, and by denying paying customers the opportunity to even see this cat, it seems to confirm the truth of this statement and speaks to the ethics of Panthera Africa. She is in no way contributing to the rent, and that’s okay.

Find out more about Baguira here.

3. The Garden of Remembrance

The final thing that touched my heart (and made my eyes “sweat”) was the garden of remembrance. Here, little plaques honoured the cats that had passed on. Each one listed not just the cat’s name, species and details, but also described their nature and personality too, before telling their story and how they had passed away. The facts listed on the side included “strengths’ with qualities like “courage” or “leadership”. It was heart-warming to see that these animals were missed, not just for what they were but for who they were. 

The Five Principles of an Ethical Big Cat Sanctuary

Panthera Africa abides by what they feel are the requirements of an ethical sanctuary:

1. No breeding

2. No hunting

(These first two require little explanation)

3. No trading 

They explained that tigers are often bred and killed for their bones, which are used in certain Eastern medicines. Lion bones can be passed off as tiger bones, and so there is also a market for them. 

Even after the animals die from natural causes, Panthera Africa will not trade their bones or any part of them as they don’t want to support this kind of industry. 

They do, however, acknowledge that there is one exception to this rule: They sell lion poop. True story! Farmers buy it and place it around their farms. The scent of a bigger predator keeps leopards and caracals away from chickens and other livestock, thereby protecting the cats as well. It turns out that lion poop is like gold, who knew?

4. No walking

There are cat sanctuaries where you go on a walk accompanied by a big cat, often a cheetah. Obviously, this is not possible without taming the cat or forcing them into submission, so they definitely don’t do that here. Having said that, Pardus, the black leopard, will escort you to the gate along the inside of her enclosure, but only because she wants to. 

Image Supplied

Pardus, when she's not being an unofficial tour guide

5. No touching 

A number of so-called “sanctuaries” allow guests to pet big cats or their cubs. As much as Pardus’s coat glistening in the sunshine made me want to stroke that kitty so badly,  that would obviously be unethical.

If you're going to come into contact with a big cat, there's only one way to do it ethically, and that's licking a Lion's Head like this:

(Terrible pun sponsored by Table Mountain Chocolate ...in Table Mountain Chocolate)

How Visiting Panthera Africa Changed My Relationship With My Cat

On the way home, I started to think about my own relationship with my cat. After watching Neptune’s reaction to a camera, I realised that I had underestimated my kitty’s ability to understand me and I her. I live alone and I talk to her a lot, but now I assume she understands me. When she sits on my lap, I’ve started telling her when I want to get up. Without fail, I no longer have to lift her, she gets up on her own. 

I’ve realised that she also doesn’t like having her photograph taken, often looking away when I angle a camera in her direction. But I don’t respect her like I respect Neptune. He was an acquaintance with a traumatic past, my cat has had access to the fancy Pampers her whole life, and I need photos of my family to cherish whether they like it or not! I’ve told her that I won’t share her pictures on social media, but I think that might be beyond her frame of reference.

Planning Your Visit to Panthera Africa in Stanford

Panthera Africa is open daily except Tuesdays, with educational tours year-round, plus sunset visits and special enrichment experiences. Every ticket funds vet care, food, and those spacious enclosures.

You can also adopt a cat to help fund their care, but don't get too excited, Carole Baskin, this is only a symbolic adoption, they absolutely will not let you take them home!  (It’s okay, I don’t really have space for a Bengal tiger in my flat anyway.) 

The only cats you can take home

Location: 

Panthera Africa is located in Standford outside Cape Town. The best way to travel here is by car. 

• Address: GGVJ+WQ, Stanford. Yes, that is a rather odd address. Use Google Maps to find it here. 
• Travel: About 140 km / 1hr, 45 min from Cape Town.

Opening times:

Open Wednesday to Monday (closed on Tuesdays), subject to pre-booking.

Ticket prices: 

(Correct at time of posting and subject to change):

• Educational visits: R210 for adults and R140 for kids
• Sunset experience (when the cats are most active): R550

Find out more, book, or donate here: pantheraafrica.com 

Other Wildlife Encounters Near Stanford:

• Go shark cage diving in Gansbaai
• See the birds and wildlife at the De Hoop Reserve (also, a great place for land-based whale watching)
• Visit the Potberg Vulture Sanctuary (See point three in this blog)
• Experience birdlife on the Lady Stanford River Cruise (All the way at the bottom of this blog)