6 May 2026 ……… As most people along the Garden Route know, this day was the start of a very difficult 3 weeks for most of us. With winds picking up to over 100kph, driving rain fall of 300mm causing severe flooding in some areas, thousands of trees of all sizes being blown down across roads and taking out hundreds of power lines in the area we knew we were all in for a tough time.

Although the strong winds, torrential rain and very poor road conditions didn’t stop two heroes from saving a life. With ALL communications down and no way to contact us or Cape Nature, On 7 May 2026 Michael Bridgeford (BirdLife Plett) and Christo arrived at Tenikwa with a tiny, cold soaking wet bushbuck, that by the signs we could see was only a couple of days old.

The waters had risen and he had become separated from his mother and nothing could be done to immediately reunite them, so Michael and Christo intervened as they had no other choice. We hoped the rain would stop and the water level would drop in hope they would come across the mother again, but the water levels were just rising daily, the winds continued to bring trees down and we made the difficult decision that the safest place for the baby bushbuck was with us
where he was getting his milk, and being kept warm and out of harms way.

We called him “Bridge” after Michael who is a massive supporter of Tenikwa. Bridge is now in an outdoor enclosure browsing on all the natural vegetation he would normally eat in the wild and is still getting his bottled milk. Once he is old
enough and has had a little more time to re-wild then we will release him back to the area where he was found so he can live the life he was always meant to live.

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SETTING THEM FREE

We have had quite a few interesting releases this year in 2025, but there are four that we wanted to share with you

We raised and released four female caracals this year, all of them orphaned. They came to us as tiny kittens that should have been raised by their mothers, taught to hunt by their mothers and taught to survive without their mothers, but these four never got that chance. They came to us from 4 different areas in the Western Cape over a period of 3 months.

Two caracal cubs in rehabilitation at Tenikwa

We do our best to educate people how to live with predators in their areas and how to keep their domestic and farm animals protected against attacks and loss. However we can’t educate those that don’t want to be educated or those that perhaps don’t have the opportunities to be educated, so when education fails us we turn to conservation. We raise, rehabilitate and release these cats so that they can go on to live a life that they were meant to live, in the wild, where they belong.

Sometimes they can’t be released in the same area they came from for several reasons, so we work with Cape Nature to make sure they are released in a safe area where they can hunt and survive away from livestock and humans. And thankfully they assisted us with the safe release of these four girls.

All claws and hisses for this caracal cub admitted for rehabilitation at Tenikwa

Sometimes people find a caracal kitten under some bushes where more often than not the mother has left the kitten/kittens so she can go hunt. If you do happen to find these kittens, please notify Cape Nature, Tenikwa or another local wildlife centre or authority so that they can assess whether the kitten has been orphaned or not. They do not make good pets.

A caracal kitten is very aggressive and is actually one of the easier cats to rehabilitate in the right rehabilitation environment due to their natural aggression, however, the challenge is retaining their natural fear of humans whilst in rehabilitation. It is against the law to keep any indigenous wildlife without the correct permit from your local authority.

This caracal has not quite mastered the art of camouflage and is in rehabilitation at Tenikwa

Helping wildlife is sometimes as easy as leaving wildlife where they belong. If you have concerns we are always here to advise, or find someone who will be able to help you.
Luckily these four girls got to grow up and be released ….. and one day might become mothers themselves. We can only hope that they get to raise their own babies the way they should have been raised.

 

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Where Wildlife meets Wellness

 

2025 Tenikwa went through a lot of changes, and we are pleased to say they were mostly all good ones
.
We have always believed that nature, wildlife and wellness always go hand in hand, so instead of just believing it, we made it happen.

We converted the beautiful Homestead  into a relaxing day SPA, making sure we never took away any of the decor and charm that the guests who stayed there loved so much. The outside however got quite the makeover, including a hot tub and a private swimming pool for the SPA guests.

Guests relaxing at the pool at the day spa at Tenikwa Wellness Spa in Plettenberg Bay

Now we couldn’t let the SPA get the only upgrade. We know Plettenberg Bay can have hot summers and cool winters. So for the hot summers we installed a second pool for our accommodation guests and for the cool winters we installed a second hot tub next to one of the Lion Cabins.

Swimming Pool for guests staying at Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation and Awareness Centre in Plettenberg Bay

Now when you stay at Tenikwa, you can go on wildlife tours, forest walks, swim in the pool, book a SPA package that suits you, shop in our souvenir shop, have a coffee and cake in Chesters coffee shop, order a snack platter, lunch and or dinner whilst drinking a bottle of bubbly watching the sun go down.

Sometimes you just want to stay in one place for a few days, and now you can. Our accommodation, tours, SPA and treatments are all available to book via our website or you can email, call or WhatsApp us directly.

We are looking forward to meeting new guests and seeing old friends.

 

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Msizi – Head Guide at Tenikwa

Meet Mthokozisi Msizi Shange, or as we know him, Msiz!

Msizi Shange – our Head Guide outside Tenikwa entrance to reception

Msizi has been part of the Tenikwa family since August 2012 when he joined as a guide and animal keeper as a second-generation staff member.  His father Alfred Shange, and respectfully known by all as “Baba Shange” has been with the founders of Tenikwa over thirty years, and journeyed with them when they made the move from KwaZulu Natal in 2003.

Where the Kwa in Tenikwa comes from

Those who have visited Tenikwa will recognise his friendly face and remember the passionate way in which he guided your tour;  many of you know him by the name Msizi which is his tour guide badge name and those who are yet to visit Tenikwa will hopefully get to meet one of our long term serving staff members.

Msizi with guests on tour explaining about our unique indigenous flora that is found along the Garden Route

True passion and dedication

Msizi has shown nothing but passion and devoted dedication to Tenikwa by caring for the resident animals with us here. His passion for guiding and wildlife helped him navigate as well as progress within the organisation until he was appointed as the head guide. In this role, Msizi has aided in the care and nurture of our resident animals, but also applying these skills in training up new guides to the Tenikwa level of competence and knowledge that guests notice when on tour.

Tours at Tenikwa

Msizi has more than 10 years experience in the guiding department conducting tours which we still offer to this day, such as the Wild Cat Experience, Cats in Conservation, Forest and Fur, Private Tour and The Eco-kidz Family Challenge.

Msizi has a rehabilitation, wildlife and environmental education so when giving a tour he can not only give you information about the various species and the challenges they face, but can also tell you a story about each of these animals.

Happy 40th Birthday, Msizi

To him this is not just a job, but a lifestyle. Come and do a tour at Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation and Awareness Centre and learn more about the wild cats of South Africa with our experienced guides who take pride in conservation.

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Traffic is the other threat that is causing death and injuries to these sleek and beautiful animals. It becomes a disadvantage to hunt at night for them and worse if it is close proximity to highway roads. Genets are blinded by car lights and are frequent victim of vehicles at night. This was the case with “Gen-Gen” who was hit by a car and later found by a very caring  member of the public on the roadside in Tsitsikamma.

He was admitted to Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation, and after a quick assessment, realized the needed urgent veterinary care, rushed him to Dr Stephan Nell from the Robberg Veterinary Clinic. The Genet managed to recover from the severe concussion under Dr Stephan’s expertise. He later returned to Tenikwa Wildlife for further recovery in our rehabilitation, and we were delighted to release him back to the wild on the 5th of August.

Genet at Tenikwa Wildlife Rehabilitation

As one of the many solutions of maintaining biodiversity and the role Genets play in a healthy ecosystem, drivers are encouraged to drive cautiously on highways and slow down and dim their lights if they detect animal eye shining on or near the road.

The Cats in Conservation Tour at Tenikwa Wildlife presents the opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes during animal rehabilitation and also gives members of the public the platform to contribute in maintaining the ecosystem.

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This Years event got us also excited as one of the aims of the festival is to leave behind no trace of plastic. This calmed our nerves as our Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has been receiving turtles and penguins that had ingested plastics. We are amazed by well thought out alternative packaging and storage mediums for food that have been selected making sure the use of plastics is minimized. It is a good practice that minimizes Human-Wildlife Conflict .

In a publication the organizers mentioned that ,” you should go home with more plastics than you came with”. This calls for residents and visitors to combine their efforts and do the cleanup before, during and after the festivals. The initiative will go further ensuring that our beach is clean , the sea is clean and marine wildlife is conserved.The recycling drop spots will also ensure that single use of plastic is not practiced.

This two week festival is probably one of the best times to be in the popular surfing town. Food markets, clothing, music and of course some splash fun will be the event of the day. Besides surfing compete in the trail run, watch or participate in the bowling tournament or have some all ages friendly motorbike fun.

For a wide choice of affordable accommodation places whilst enjoying these once a year activities check Affordable accommodation in Jeffreys Bay

If your way to or from Jeffreys Bay Winterfest passes through Plettenberg Bay, make a turn and come see our indigenous South African wildcats and help us fund marine wildlife rehabilitation through gate takings of conservation based Wildlife tours.

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