Kelcey Grimm’s wildlife experience started at an early age as her family had the unique experience of raising a mountain lion in the United States. After graduating from Dartmouth College (a member of the Ivy League) and working in venture capital and investment banking in Silicon Valley, Kelcey moved to South Africa to commit her life to conservation. She is currently completing her Masters in Wildlife Management at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Having grown up in South Africa, Greg “Mitch” Mitchell has a deep understanding of Africa, its people and wildlife. After three years’ military service during which he led South African troops against insurgents in Angola, Mitch sought a gentler path leading wildlife tours. A seasoned wildlife guide and avid environmentalist, Mitch began working in conservation in 1984 in various South African game reserves.

From March 2000 – September 2001, Mitch and Kelcey managed a game lodge and lion breeding project in the Free State Province of South Africa, the Camorhi Game Lodge, where they first saw the horrors of the captive lion breeding industry - tame lions sold for canned hunts, cubs ripped away at birth from their mothers, lionesses forced into estrus for "speed breeding.' In reaction to these horrors and in an attempt to save some of the lions they had personally raised, Mitch and Kelcey founded the Enkosini Wildlife Sanctuary in 2001. They have since rescued a variety of wildlife, including lion, serval, caracal, jackal, bushbaby, genet, meerkat, porcupine, tortoise, black eagle and various antelope species, and now dedicate all their time to the education, management and social change needed to protect wildlife in captivity and the wild.

While the Enkosini directors possess a wealth of practical experience that is directly applicable to the successful management of Enkosini, they do not claim to be experts in all matters relating to rehabilitation and wildlife management and consult with specialists regularly.  Enkosini has formed close relationships with numerous wildlife veterinarians, animal welfare organizations, rehabilitation centres and environmental consultants that provide invaluable guidance, experience and advice to our project, including:

Wildlife Veterinary Advisors

Du Toit Wildlife Services – Dr. Richard Burroughs

Lydenburg State Veterinarian – Dr. Gustav Trumpelmann

Northwest Wildlife Services - Dr. Andre Uys

Univ. of Pretoria, Veterinary Wildlife Unit - Dr. Henk Bertshinger

Wildlife Biological Resource Center – Dr. Paul Bartels

Animal Welfare/Rehabilitation Advisors

Center for Animal Rehabilitation & Education – Rita Miljo

Kalahari Predator Sanctuary – Chris Mercer & Beverly Pervan

Lion Haven – Gareth Patterson

Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre – Brian Jones

General Advisors

Envirodel – Gideon de Klerk

Justice for Animals – Steven Smit

International Wilderness Leadership Foundation – Vance Martin

Mpumalanga Parks Board – Dr. Gerrie Camacho

Wildlife Action Group – Sherryn Thompson & Liezel Mortimer

Xwe African Wildlife Investigation Centre – Michelle Pickover

To contact our South African office, write to:

Enkosini Wildlife Sanctuary/The Lion Foundation

P.O. Box 1197, Lydenburg 1120, South Africa

Cell: +27.82.265.5955, Tel/Fax: +27.13.231.7473

E-mail: enkosini@yahoo.com

To contact our US office, write to:

Enkosini Wildlife Sanctuary/The Lion Foundation

506 Overlake Drive East, Medina, WA 98039, USA

Tel: +1.206.604.2664, Fax: +1.425.453.0493

E-mail: enkosini@yahoo.com