BACK TO PROJECT
A LIFE-CHANGING VISIT TO NDLONDLO REPTILE CONSERVATION & EDUCATION CENTRE
We have some big news! In line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal number 3 – Good Health and Well-being, LÖÖF Foundation has offered support to an exciting new antivenom project in South Africa. A team of experts in snake handling, snake bites and the study of snakes have come together to drive this initiative led by renowned founder of Snake Pharm, Donald Schultz and handler Neville Wolmarans.
Lööf Foundation is contributing material used for production of snakebite antivenom in South Africa – and hopefully the rest of sub-Saharan Africa in the future! Life-saving antivenom has practically been unavailable since 2022 in South Africa. Usually produced by SAVP (South African Vaccine Producers), production has almost ground to a halt due to high costs.
In May 2023, Lööf Foundation met with Neville Wolmarans and his wife Helen at their reptile conservation & education centre in Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal. They work tirelessly to rescue snakes from people’s homes and rehabilitate them back into the bush again.
Through years of firsthand observation and study across various African countries, Neville became a self-taught reptile expert. He successfully led a snake bite prevention initiative and established reptile parks and rescue units in South Africa. His ongoing work with the Ndlondlo Reptile Rescue Unit inspired the National Geographic series “Snakes in the City,” and he has provided consultation for various documentary productions.
Neville has started a collaboration with Donald Schultz from Snake Pharm and Michael Perry from African Reptiles and Venom in order to create antivenom in a new and relatively quick process. South African researcher and filmmaker Schultz, began working with reptiles at the age of 13 in Durban’s renowned Fitzsimons Snake Park. In 2013, he founded Snake Pharm, investing years of research and resources to develop a cost-effective and high-quality antivenom. Unlike the traditional method of using horses for immunisation, Donald’s patented concept enables a quicker production process.
We from the Lööf Foundation are thrilled to be able to contribute to such an important cause and look forward to following the future successes of this project that will save lives across sub-Saharan Africa.