Our mission is that guests leave The Hidden Forest Wildlife Sanctuary with a greater understanding of primates and the threats and challenges they are facing both in captivity and in the wild. One of our main goals is to educate the public about the harmful effects of the pet-play-and-pay industry (hence the #HandsOffOurWildlife campaign) and the adverse effects of keeping wild animals as pets, in terms of both physical and psychological health. Also important is to teach visitors about the rapid decline of natural habitats due to logging, mining, agriculture and human settlements. We encourage the visiting public to buy goods wisely, ranging from second-hand or antique wood-products, to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics that were not tested on animals. The custodian of all the wildlife at Monkeyland, The Hidden Forest Wildlife Sanctuary, Jukani and Birds of Eden is called the South African Animal Sanctuary Alliance or SAASA
The South African Animal Sanctuary Alliance (SAASA) is constituted under Section 21 of the Companies Act as a PBO 2000/000667/08. We are a body which strives to improve the lives of captive wildlife. We simultaneously strive to challenge and change legislation which allows and/or supports hands-on interaction and the trading of wildlife.
Please note that all our sanctuaries are non-touching facilities. We do not condone any form of interaction with any of the wildlife in our care. Our staff are also prohibited from interacting with the wildlife in our care and have to sign a contract in that regard.