Markus Hofmeyr

Born in Johannesburg, Markus went to veterinary school with the objective of getting into wildlife. During university years he worked as a guide in Pilanesberg National Park and during holidays at various game reserves. After qualifying as a vet, Markus worked at a variety of practices and went to Canada for few months where he gained some North American wildlife experience. Back in South Africa, a stint in exotic animal medicine (dealing with birds, monkeys, and snakes) was an important step for him.

In 1995, Markus got his break in the wildlife industry when he was employed in Madikwe Game Reserve- where at that time the largest animal translocation in the world was taking place. In the five years he spent there, he gained a tremendous amount of ecological, veterinary, and management experience in wildlife translocations and the running of a large game reserve. From there he moved to the Kruger National Park where he currently holds the position of Principal Scientist- Veterinary Services.

One career highlight has been his involvement with the re-introduction of the endangered African Wild Dog into Madikwe Game Reserve. The experience gained with the work done in Madikwe has improved the knowledge of wild dogs, and has been used extensively in other introductions of wild dog elsewhere in South Africa.