Francoais Schutte is a seasoned wildlife helicopter pilot with extensive expertise in the translocation, capture, and conservation of African wildlife. Recognised as a responsible and skilled operator, he specialises in mass capture (mustering), chemical immobilisation (darting), net-gun capture, and aerial wildlife surveys. In 2006, Francoais founded a successful cheetah conservation project in South Africa and continues to breed various indigenous species. Expanding his impact internationally, he established a new zoological facility in the United States in 2022, furthering his commitment to global wildlife conservation.

 Dr. Dry served two terms as President of the Wildlife Ranching Association of South Africa (WRSA). WRSA is a membership organisation (NGO) recognised as the mouthpiece for game ranching in South Africa. He is currently serving as a Director for the Game Ranchers Forum (GRF), representing private game ranching in South Africa.

He served two terms as a ministerially appointed board member of SANParks and is a well-known game rancher and owner of Aquasand Game Ranch, Limpopo Province, South Africa. and a well-known public figure in the wildlife realm.

In 2023 Dr Dry and industry thought leaders, including game ranchers, scientists, legal consultants, and academics, published two authoritative publications that would lead to effective private ranching and biodiversity management: GRF(Pty) Ltd: Theory of Change for the private wildlife management.

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Dr Maretha van der Merwe is a seasoned Environmental Health Scientist and Strategist with over three decades of experience across food safety, environmental health, animal production, and public health. With a PhD focused on the development of South Africa’s Game Meat Scheme, she has been a leading voice in promoting regulatory reform for the game meat industry. Currently serving as Deputy Director of Health in Region 4 of the City of Tshwane, she also chairs the Tshwane Meat Forum and actively contributes to national conservation and food safety dialogues. Dr van der Merwe is a respected speaker, published author, and passionate advocate for sustainable wildlife utilization in South Africa.

Dr Matthys de Vries is an experienced veterinarian with over three decades of service in both public and private sectors, spanning domestic animal health and African wildlife care. After earning his BVSc from the University of Pretoria in 1990, he served as a State Veterinarian and later Deputy Director within South Africa’s Department of Agriculture, overseeing regulatory animal health programs in the Vryburg region. Since 1999, he has led a private veterinary practice in Welkom, Free State, offering expert clinical care for small animals and extensive hands-on involvement in wildlife immobilization, translocation, disease treatment, and conservation breeding programs. His work supports critical research, genetic surveys, and sustainable wildlife management across South Africa.