Michèle had long dreamed about living in Africa and caring for the wildlife. When she met Ian, she was able to realise that dream. After getting married, they left Tshukudu and opened a restaurant in Hoedspruit to start raising capital for their wildlife orphanage. During this time, Ian and Michèle helped raise a local boy named Thabo. Thabo had almost no knowledge or understanding of the environment or the native wildlife. Therefore, Ian and Michèle began using animals in their care to teach him. Thabo's knowledge of conservation was typical of children in Limpopo. This realization helped ignite the idea of adding a bush school to the wildlife orphanage.

The mission of DAKTARI is to educate and inspire local children to value their environment and stimulate community development.

Through the combination of the bush school and the wildlife orphanage, DAKTARI has developed an immersive educational experience for local children to learn about the wildlife around them, the environment, anti-poaching, and a wide variety of other issues. Right in the middle of the bush! Our work extends into the local community through ECO Club at the secondary schools, outreach campaigning in several schools, and other community development projects.