Crocodilian advocate visits Kempton Park
During her conservation mission to South Africa last week, she teamed up with local conservationist Dingo Dinkelman.
Savannah Boan, the international ambassador for Florida’s Gatorland, visited the SOS Reptile Expo in Kempton Park last week.
Boan is one of only a few women globally who handles large reptiles like alligators and crocodiles.
During her conservation mission to SA last week, she teamed up with local conservationist Dingo Dinkelman.
In addition to assisting with local wildlife conservation efforts, Boan also aimed to take back what she had learnt in SA to Orlando, Florida, to help Gatorland’s conservation programs.
Gatorland, a 50.8-ha theme park and wildlife preserve, is a leader in alligator safety and education in central Florida.
Boan is one of Florida’s most passionate and influential voices for protecting alligators, crocodiles and other Florida wildlife.
She is also a leading crocodilian advocate in the global wildlife conservation community and the crocodilian enrichment co-ordinator at Gatorland.
The fun-loving and fearless platinum blonde is the foremost female at the park and is hands-on with some of the largest reptiles on the planet.
Born and raised in the small town of Cheraw, South Carolina, and a US Marine veteran, Boan has always had an abiding passion for alligators and crocodiles.
With millions of followers and dedicated fans across all social media platforms, she uses her influence and the “Queen of Gators” celebrity to spotlight these reptiles’ behaviour, anatomy, and ecology to help change the negative perception of alligators and crocodiles as creatures to be feared and reviled.
Through groundbreaking storytelling on Gatorland’s social media, her goal is to inspire respect for gators and crocs and the world in which they live.
During the pandemic, Boan served as a co-host of the innovative School of Croc, a daily Facebook Live programme entertaining and educating millions of children and families about the unique qualities of Gatorland’s animals.
Boan has travelled the world, lending her knowledge and extensive expertise to other alligator and crocodile conservation advocacy groups and organisations.
She hopes to show the world the wondrous and fascinating sides of these mysterious creatures they never knew but need to know.
Gatorland Global’s conservation mission is broad, so while in SA, Boan spent time with a pair of rescued elephants in Manyoni Game Reserve.
She also visited a rhino orphanage and assisted with local wildlife conservation efforts involving lionesses, cobras, Nile crocodiles and other animals.
Boan described her visit to SA as a “trip of a lifetime”.
She documented her travels in SA on Instagram to her more than one million followers.
In addition to SA, Boan has travelled to Cuba, Australia, Jamaica and other global locales for her outreach, where she’s done everything from working with massive saltwater crocodiles to helping release endangered Cuban crocodiles back into their natural habitat.
Follow Boan on Instagram at instagram.com/savannahboan or visit her website at www.savannahboan.com
