The AfriCat Foundation

What The AfriCat Foundation does

The AfriCat Foundation is a Namibian non-profit charitable trust (T48/1993) founded in 1993 by the Hanssen family, operating from the 22,000-hectare Okonjima Nature Reserve in central Namibia. The organization conducts long-term ecological research on three flagship species — leopards, brown hyenas, and Temminck's ground pangolins — supported by an integrated technology stack comprising a reserve-wide LoRaWAN telemetry network, a ~200-camera trap network generating roughly 50,000 images per month, GPS and VHF collars, and the EarthRanger aggregation platform. TrapTagger provides AI-assisted species identification across the camera trap image stream, with manual individual-level identification by AfriCat staff. AfriCat's work has produced some of the highest recorded densities globally for brown hyena (24.01 per 100 km²) and leopards in Namibia (14.5 per 100 km²), and a 39-individual leopard population was documented in Q4 2024.

The Foundation is funded through two primary channels: tourism revenue generated by the Hanssen family's Okonjima Lodges enterprise operating within the same reserve, and international donations processed through AfriCat America (a US 501(c)(3)), AfriCat UK (with Gift Aid), and Ubuntu Namibia (a German charity accepting EUR donations). Direct donations are also accepted in Namibian Dollars via the foundation's website. AfriCat serves three principal stakeholder groups: eco-tourists visiting Okonjima Lodges (who experience research-derived wildlife viewing), individual and institutional donors funding conservation, and academic/technology partners (UNAM, Technical University of Munich, University of Queensland, Ongava Research Centre, NUST, SmartParks, TrapTagger, EarthRanger) collaborating on research and monitoring technology.

The business model is event- and community-led: a guided 'AfriCat Activity' launching mid-2026 will convert research operations into a visitor experience for Okonjima guests, while the 2024-vintage Farmers Carnivore Project extends leopard monitoring onto neighbouring livestock farms. Post-COVID, AfriCat formally transitioned from a rescue-and-rehabilitation model (1,042 cheetahs and leopards released between 1993 and 2010; 50 cheetahs rehabilitated 2000–2018) to a research-led mandate, with the Carnivore Care Centre scheduled to close at the end of 2025. The foundation is pursuing OECM (Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures) status for Okonjima.

Name

The AfriCat Foundation

Legal name

The AfriCat Foundation Trust

Website

https://africat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Conservation Research

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB)

Keywords

• Wildlife conservation research
• Carnivore population monitoring
• Leopard ecology research
• Brown hyena conservation
• Pangolin tracking research

Headquarters

HQ city

Otjiwarongo

HQ country

Namibia

HQ region

Africa

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ecotourism Support from Okonjima Lodges: Okonjima Lodges and Campsites operate the tourism enterprise within Okonjima Nature Reserve. Tourism revenue directly funds AfriCat's research activities, anti-poaching operations and ecological restoration programmes. Okonjima is AfriCat's primary financial supporter, enabling long-term sustained data collection.
2. Donations and Contributions: Direct donations accepted in Namibian Dollars (NAD) via bank transfer or online donation portal. International donations processed through AfriCat America (USD), AfriCat UK (GBP with Gift Aid), and Ubuntu Namibia (EUR). Unrestricted donations provide flexibility to allocate resources where most needed.
3. Legacy Gifts: Supporters can leave a legacy gift to the AfriCat Foundation, which is a registered charitable trust (T48/1993).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The AfriCat Foundation conducts long-term field research on large carnivores (leopards, brown hyenas, cheetahs) and endangered species (pangolins) within the Okonjima Nature Reserve in Namibia, using GPS/satellite telemetry, LoRaWAN sensors, and camera trap surveys, and delivers community farmer-support, rehabilitation, and conservation education programmes funded primarily through donations and the Okonjima Lodges tourism enterprise.

Product overview

The AfriCat Foundation operates as a conservation research organization centered within the Okonjima Nature Reserve in Namibia. Its product portfolio consists of long-term ecological research programs focused on three flagship species: the Leopard Research Project, Brown Hyena Research Project, and AfriCat Pangolin Research Project (APRJ). These research programs are supported by an integrated technology infrastructure comprising a LoRaWAN Wildlife Telemetry System for GPS tracking, a Camera Trap Network of nearly 200 devices generating 50,000+ monthly images, and the EarthRanger Wildlife Monitoring Platform for data aggregation and visualization. The foundation also offers the AfriCat Activity as a visitor experience for Okonjima guests and the Farmers Carnivore Project extending leopard monitoring to neighboring farms. All monitoring data is processed through TrapTagger AI-assisted image analysis and supplemented by Biological Monitoring for health and genetic assessments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leopard Research Project Long-term field study of leopards on the Okonjima Nature Reserve, using GPS/satellite collars, camera traps, and individual identification to monitor population dynamics, movements, and behaviour of free-ranging leopards in Namibia.
• Brown Hyena Research Project Long-term ecological study of brown hyenas in Namibia, conducted with the Brown Hyena Research Project and Leiden University, monitoring individuals, populations, and threats to the species.
• AfriCat Pangolin Research Project (APRP) Field research programme on Temminck's ground pangolins in Namibia, led by AfriCat ecologist Heather Nependa, using telemetry, camera traps, and genetic analysis to inform conservation of one of the world's most trafficked mammals.
• Farmers Carnivore Project Community-facing service delivered to livestock farmers around Okonjima Nature Reserve, providing on-site advice, husbandry guidance, and conflict mitigation support to reduce carnivore attacks on livestock and enable coexistence with predators.
• AfriCat Activity A guided, interactive conservation experience launching mid-2026 at Okonjima Nature Reserve, offered to visitors staying at Okonjima Lodges to engage directly with AfriCat's research and rehabilitation work.
• Biological Monitoring Service On-site biological monitoring service combining health assessments, genetic sampling, and DNA-based individual identification to underpin the foundation's long-term carnivore and pangolin datasets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Brown hyena density of 24.01 per 100 km² - one of the highest globally
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• University of Namibia (UNAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for conservation research collaboration. UNAM students and researchers work with AfriCat on ecological studies within Okonjima Nature Reserve.
• Ongava Research Centre (ORC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership contributing to carnivore conservation studies. Ongava Research Centre works with AfriCat on camera trap studies and conservation research.
• Technical University of Munich (TUM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic partnership for genetic analysis. All genetic material collected by AfriCat is sent to the Technical University of Munich, Department for Molecular Zoology for analysis. Collaboration on pangolin population genetics.
• SmartParkscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for wildlife tracking devices. AfriCat works closely with SmartParks since 2024 to improve pangolin tag performance, including development of algorithms restricting GPS fix attempts to active periods, significantly extending battery life.
• TrapTaggercoreTechnology or IntegrationOpen-source web application using artificial intelligence technologies to manage, process and identify species in camera trap images. AfriCat uses TrapTagger as the primary system for processing approximately 50,000 monthly images.
• EarthRangercoreTechnology or IntegrationOpen-source software platform for aggregating and visualizing wildlife, people and assets fitted with LoRa devices within the ONR. Both AfriCat and Okonjima Park use EarthRanger to monitor assets and wildlife in the Reserve.
• University of QueenslandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational academic research collaboration with University of Queensland for conservation ecology studies.
• Pangolin Conservation and Research Foundation (PCRF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Kelsey Prediger, who led AfriCat's Pangolin Research Project (APRP) from 2018-2021 as her Master's thesis at NUST. PCRF represents continued collaboration on pangolin conservation research.
• Wildlife Vets NamibiacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVeterinary partnership with Dr Ulf Tubbesing and Mariska Bijsterbosch for wildlife health assessments and welfare of monitored wildlife including leopards, brown hyenas, and pangolins.
• Animal Hospital WindhoekminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVeterinary support partnership with Dr. Gernot Redecker for wildlife health assessments and research activities.
• African Wildlife ServicesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVeterinary partnership with Dr. HO Reuter for wildlife health and conservation support.
• Okonjima Nature ReserveflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partnership with the 22,000-hectare Okonjima Nature Reserve created by rewilding four former cattle farms. AfriCat conducts research within the Reserve, and Okonjima provides primary financial support through tourism revenue. Symbiotic relationship where research enhances visitor experience and tourism funds conservation.
• World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEarly supporter that sponsored the AfriCat Environmental Education Center when it opened in 1989. Environmental education program ran until 2020.
• TUSK TrustminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational donor providing funding for AfriCat's Environmental Education program, enabling hosting of school groups from Namibia that would have been otherwise unable to attend.
• Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration on cheetah spatial ecology. IZW research confirmed that cheetahs have 'communication hubs' and if livestock was kept away from these hubs, predation by cheetahs would be substantially reduced. This research influenced AfriCat's decision to cease rescue and release program in 2010.
• Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudent collaboration. Victoria Mulyuu, a NUST student, is conducting a study on artificial scent lures for improving carnivore detection rates in camera trapping (May-October 2025). Kelsey Prediger completed her Master's thesis on Temminck's pangolin at NUST (2018-2021).

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cheetah Conservation Fund: Namibia-headquartered nonprofit focused on cheetah and large-predator conservation through research, habitat management and farmer conflict work — the closest mission-aligned peer to AfriCat and the leading competitor in its core niche.
• Panthera: Global wild-cat conservation nonprofit with comparable telemetry, camera-trap and community-coexistence programmes for leopards and cheetahs — directly comparable technology, research and fundraising profile.
• Wildlife Conservation Network: US-based 'sponsor-a-program' nonprofit that incubates and funds wildlife conservation NGOs globally — a comparable funder/operating model relevant for benchmarking donor strategy and growth path.
• Save the Rhino Trust (Namibia): Namibian nonprofit using community-based anti-poaching and long-term ecological monitoring of wildlife, with strong overlap in geography, donor audience and reserve-based operating model.

Broad incumbents

• WWF (World Wildlife Fund): Global conservation incumbent with a long-established African carnivore and protected-area programme — comparable conservation focus but operating at vastly greater scale.
• Conservation International: Large international conservation NGO with significant African field operations and corporate partnership models — competing for the same biodiversity-protection funding streams.
• Fauna & Flora International: One of the world's oldest conservation NGOs, working across species and habitats including carnivores in Africa — a broad incumbent competing for the same donor pool with deeper institutional resources.

Emerging players

• EarthRanger (Allen Institute for AI / Vulcan): Open-source wildlife and asset monitoring platform used by AfriCat — a critical enabling technology partner and adjacent peer in the conservation-tech ecosystem.
• SmartParks: Specialist wildlife-tracking hardware and software provider that AfriCat co-developed pangolin GPS tags with — a tech peer/integrator whose trajectory affects AfriCat's monitoring methodology.

Regional players

• Peace Parks Foundation: Southern African transboundary conservation operator working on landscape-scale protected areas and OECM-type recognition — overlaps with AfriCat's pursuit of OECM status and landscape-wide monitoring approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/OkonjimaNamibia
• Facebookfacebook.com/OkonjimaNatureReserve
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/okonjima-nature-reserve/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/africat_foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The AfriCat Foundation