More than a year ago, he had enough courage to give up his job as a financial planner in Switzerland, sell everything he had at that moment, travel to South Africa and set up the Hakuna Mipaka club in a 300 ha estate to cater for lions born in captivity.
There is also a separate area for other wild animals like zebras, kudu, impalas, hyenas or even baboons who all live in freedom.
The name of the club – ‘Hakuna Mipaka’ – is a Swahili expression meaning ‘no limits’.
Dean Schneider dedicates his life protecting wildlife and bringing animals into people’s hearts because he says “we only protect what we love”. He believes that we should respect them, their nature and their behaviors.
Since he was a child, he was always fascinated by the animal world, therefore, animal documentaries and various animalprotection organizations have always been a big part of his life.
He learned to understand wild animals and always tries to build a special bond with each of them.
Schneider practically educates people by showing the beauty of the wildlife and its wonderful creatures on his Instagram.
We can even call him a social media star since he has 567k followers on Instagram who like or positively comment on his adventures in South Africa.
“My mission is to reach as many people as possible and educate them about the wildlife and the beauty of the animal kingdom. I believe in the power of knowledge, passion and visual stories in order to change peoples’ perceptions and save the wildlife.” – explains Schneider, in his mission on Hakuna Mipaka’s website.
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