Deep in the heart of South Africa’s Cape region, there’s an environmentally friendly big cat sanctuary where lions, tigers, leopards and panthers, which were formally bred in captivity, are protected and offered a place of refuge where they can live for the rest of their lives.

Panthera Africa is a true sanctuary – with no hands-on interaction, breeding or trading at all. And to complement these principles, its owners, Lizaene Cornwall and Cathrine S Nyquist also believe in the connection between environmental and wildlife conservation. Their aim is to become the first ‘green’ big cat sanctuary in South Africa, running entirely on solar energy. So everything about Panthera’s ethos meant it was a perfect candidate for the TUI Care Foundation’s Tourism Recovery Programme, which offered training, mentoring and financial support to help sustainable tourism businesses build resilience and recover from the pandemic.

With the programme now drawing to its planned close, we wanted to share Panthera’s story with you and welcome you by video to the sanctuary and its majestic animals.